“Dune: Part Two” was finally released in early March this year and fans love it. Promotional poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

  There are many highly anticipated releases that have caused San Luis Obispo High School students to flock to the theaters, but “Dune: Part Two” particularly has caught the attention of many sci-fi fanatics. “Dune: Part Two” is the sequel to “Dune: Part One” which fans have been anxiously waiting for since the latter’s release in late 2021.

  “What makes the movies unique is that they take the typical story of the chosen one who’s going to save everybody, and they look at the dark side of that, which you don’t see a lot in movies,” said digital design teacher Zach Roper. 

  The Dune franchise originally began in 1965 when author Frank Herbert published the first novel, and the series now totals 23 books. 

  “Dune” was first turned into a movie adaption in 1984. In 2021, director Denis Villeneuve took on the same task and to much better response. 

  “The books are some of my favorites. I love how the dialogue of religion and politics plays out, and I don’t have many complaints about them. ‘Part One’ is a more than adequate adaptation of the books. The exclusion of some scenes from the book are a bit annoying, but rectified by the film,” said sophomore Mateus Iscold.

  “Dune: Part One” made waves in 2021 with its release, and the plot follows Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet), who is speculated to be the chosen one.  

  “I was really excited when [‘Dune: Part One’] came out, because Denis Villeneuve is one of my favorite directors so I was excited to see what he was going to do with it. Then, when I saw the ship designs and costumes, I was psyched,” said Roper.

  “Dune: Part Two” is the continuation of the story that the earlier movie set up, delving into the darker parts of the Dune universe as the fate of the universe continues to rest in Atreides’ abilities. 

  “The best part of the second film is, without doubt, Timothee Chalemet’s performance. He truly captures the evilness of Paul’s character, this despotic religious figure who manipulates the Fremen into doing his will, especially towards the latter half of the film,” said Iscold.

  “Dune: Part Two” also expands on the religious components of the world, making it an interesting watch.

  “I like how this new one was really weird. It got into the religious parts of it that were kind of weird and trippy and that it had a real dark twist to it,” said Roper.

  That’s not all, Tigers, the story isn’t finished yet. “Dune: Part Three” will be released in a few years, most likely 2027 or 2028, and it will expand even further on the plot and its characters. 

  “[‘Dune: Part Two’] goes really dark, and I’m excited to see what they’re gonna do in Part Three because it gets even darker and even weirder,” said Roper.

  The films, as well as the books, dive into real world topics in this futuristic sci-fi world making it an interesting watch.

  “What I really like about the ‘Dune’ universe is how the story is able to include statements on real world topics like colonization seamlessly into the story in a way that’s really cool,” said sophomore Aidan Field. 

  For students looking for new, exciting shows, the Dune franchise will not disappoint!

Sources:imdb.com, thedirect.com