4K Ultra HD Review: DUNE: PART TWO

Home » 4K Ultra HD Review: DUNE: PART TWO

May 15 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

As the name implies, Dune: Part Two is the second installment of writer/director Denis Villeneuve’s (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario) adaptation of the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert. In the first film, we were introduced to the world, set in the distant future, where interstellar space travel relies on a valuable commodity called spice. The Emperor (Christopher Walken) has sent Duke Leto Atreides and his family to the desert planet of Arrakis to take over the job of overseeing spice production from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). The Harkonnens had been in charge of this fiefdom for many years, and the Baron wasn’t too happy with this development. However, it turned out that this was all a ruse—the Emperor feared that Atreides had been growing too strong, and worked with the Harkonnens to stage a surprise massacre to eliminate House Atreides once and for all.

Unbeknownst to the the Harkonnens, the Duke’s heir, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), managed to escape into the desert along with his pregnant mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), an acolyte of the Bene Gesserit order. The terrain of Arrakis can be harsh and deadly, with no water, and giant sandworms lurking beneath the surface, attracted to the sound of any movement. Paul and Jessica crossed paths with some of the planet’s desert-dwelling natives, the Fremen, one of whom challenged Paul to a battle to the death. After proving himself to be a worthy warrior, Paul was welcomed into the group, where he finally laid eyes on Chani (Zendaya), a Fremen woman he had been having vivid dreams of ever since arriving on the planet.

Part Two picks up immediately where we left off. The Harkonnen army, led by the not-so-bright Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista), is scouring the desert, trying to stamp out the remaining Fremen, and take back the planet. However, the resistance is strong, and Paul and his ragtag group of Fremen have become like a well-oiled machine, taking out each Harkonnen patrol they encounter with ease. One of the older Fremen from the South, Stilgar (Javier Bardem), sees what Paul is able to do, and believes that he may be the Mahdi foretold of in the prophesy—a messiah who will lead the Fremen in their journey to turn Arrakis from a barren desert to a green and bountiful land. However, many of the Fremen, especially those from the North, consider Paul to be a false prophet, and don’t like the idea o an outsider leading the Fremen people.

While Paul doesn’t believe in this prophesy, he wants to fan the flames of this story so that he can disrupt spice production and get close to the emperor to exact his revenge. Lady Jessica also starts to push this narrative to potential believers as a way for her son to gain power. However, part of the prophesy also states that the mother of this messiah should be in the role of Reverend Mother, the highest title in the Bene Gesserit order. As she starts to undergo the dangerous trials needed to prove herself, Paul starts to immerse himself in the Fremen culture, learning their language and customs, taking on the name of Muad’Dib, learning to ride a sandworm, and plotting his revenge. At the same time, he’s also developing feelings for Chani, but his mother warns him that one day he may be forced to marry for political power and not love.

Meanwhile, the heads of Bene Gesserit are plotting with the Emperor and Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) to continue the royal bloodline, and set their sights on Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), the Baron’s sadistic nephew, who was put in charge of taking care of the Fremen problem once and for all when it looked like Beast Rabban may not be man enough for the task.

I will preface this review by saying that I have never read any of the Dune books, nor have I seen the 1984 David Lynch film adaptation, so I have gone into these films without any external knowledge of the characters or world. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first movie, or of Denis Villeneuve’s work in general. The director often seems to put more effort into creating a great looking movie with impressive visuals, but treating the dialogue and story as a bit of an afterthought. I found the first film to be a bit slow and way too long, dumping a lot of names and places at the viewer, serving almost as a Cliff’s Notes version of the story, ticking off boxes and assuming book knowledge to fill in the details. To a degree, I had similar thoughts on this second installment, which also gives a laundry list of names, locations, terms and rituals that aren’t always explained, and assume some book knowledge. However, this second film was far more action-packed than the first one, with some really impressive and epic battle sequences, and the scene the book readers were no doubt anticipating the most, the riding of the sandworms.

The visuals of Part Two are fantastic and creative, taking viewers to these unique looking worlds as we see how the Fremen live, and also explore the Harkonnen home planet. The costumes look quite futuristic, and some a bit odd, but still quite stunning. Fight and battle sequences are well choreographed, and both brutal and exciting. Part Two does a decent job of following the story arcs of Paul as he bonds with the Fremen, forms a romantic bond with Chani, and faces the ultimate choice about his destiny. We also follow Lady Jessica’s own transformative journey. However, some of these scenes felt a bit drawn out, while the material given to some of the other characters felt a bit too brief.

The film has some great new (or seemingly new) characters/actors. Javier Bardem and Zendaya have far bigger roles this time around as we really get a better sense of the Fremen people and their culture, and their differing beliefs around this messiah prophesy. Bardem’s performance may have been my favorite of the film, injecting a bit of humor here and there. Austin Butler is also a standout and almost unrecognizable, really transforming his look and voice into this sly and menacing villain. On the flip side, Christopher Walken seemed like an odd choice for the Emperor (I kept expecting him to break out into more of a comedic tone), and Florence Pugh felt way underutilized.

While Part Two does build to somewhat of a conclusion, it definitely feels like it is just the middle installment of a movie franchise, setting things up for the inevitable sequel.

Warner Bros. Discover Home Entertainment has released Dune: Part Two is all of the various formats on physical media as well as Digital. We were sent the 4K disc for review, and the presentation is excellent. The film is all over the spectrum when it comes to brightness, going from the orange glow of the sun on the desert in Arrakis, to darker nighttime scenes, and a very washed out almost black and white look as Feyd-Rautha fights in an arena on his home world. However, the picture manages a solid level of detail throughout, with effects looking quite natural—even as we see people riding giant sandworms. The film’s soundtrack is even more impressive, filling the room with an immersive explosion of sound during battle and fight sequences, and the room rumbles as the sandworms make their way across the desert or massive ships fly through the air. Hans Zimmer also provides a unique and unforgettable score.

The 4K release includes just a single 4K disc packaged in a standard 4K keepcase, covered with a shiny but matte slipcover. An insert provides instructions for redeeming a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. The disc contains over an hour of interesting behind-the-scenes bonus material with the cast and crew. Plus there is another 45 minutes of bonus material only available on the Digital copy. The director had previously stated in interviews that he doesn’t believe in deleted scenes since what made it into the film is what he wanted, but I wish he would have included some of the things that were shot but didn’t make it, especially for the book readers.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:45:49)

4K Ultra HD:

2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
Dolby Vision / HDR10
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English Descriptive Audio (US), English Descriptive Audio (UK), French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish

Digital (code may not be valid after 6/30/2026):

4K Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
Some of the bonus material can only be found with the Digital.

Chakobsa Training (4:51)
The cast and crew discuss the process of learning the invented language spoken by the Fremen people. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, dialect coach Fabien Enjalric, and stars Timothée Chalamet (“Paul Atreides”), Javier Bardem (“Stilgar”), Souheila Yacoub (“Shishakli”), Zendaya (“Chani”) & Rebecca Ferguson (“Jessica”).
Creating the Fremen World (11:41)
The filmmakers and cast discuss designing the look of the Fremen world, creating the sets, and giving viewers something brand new from the first film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, set tours, and interviews with production designer Patrice Vermette, director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, producer Mary Parent, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, cinematographer Greig Fraser, and stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler (“Feyd-Rautha”), Javier Bardem & Rebecca Ferguson.
Finding the Worlds of Dune (6:24)
The filmmakers and cast discuss the various filming locations in Italy, Jordan, Abu Dhabi, and Namibia. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, cinematographer Greig Fraser, producer Cale Boyter, executive producer Herbert W. Gains, location manager (Jordan) Matt Craufurd, and stars Florence Pugh (“Princess Irulan”), Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin (“Gurney Halleck”), Javier Bardem.
Buzz Around the New “Thopter” (3:51)
The filmmakers discuss designing and building the film’s new troop transport for the Harkonnens, the Orni-bee, and bringing the ship to life with sound and visual effects. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, visual effects progressions, and interviews with director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, visual effects co-producer Brice Parker, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, production designer Patrice Vermette, special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer, supervising sound editor Richard King, and star Dave Bautista (“Beast Rabban”).
Worm-riding (9:23)
The filmmakers discuss bringing the worm-riding from the books to life, figuring out the worm movement, creating the rigs needed to film it, designing the maker hooks, marrying the practical and visual effects, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, visual effects progressions, and interviews with director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Greig Fraser, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer, stunt double Lorenz Hideyoshi (“Paul Atreides”), property master Doug Harlocker, visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, visual effects co-producer Brice Parker, and stars Timothée Chalamet, Javier Bardem & Zendaya
Becoming Feyd (7:33)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the character of Feyd-Rautha, finding the right look and voice for him, the fight training process, and Austin Butler’s portrayal. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, producer Mary Parent, stunt coordinator/fight coordinator Roger Yuan (“Lanville”), producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, prosthetics co-designers Eva Bon Bahr & Love Larson, and stars Austin Butler, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet & Josh Brolin.
A New Set of Threads (7:40)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the new costumes for Part Two. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, costume designer Jacqueline West, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, supervising textile artist Matt Reitsma, producer Mary Parent, and stars Timothée Chalamet, Javier Bardem, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler & Florence Pugh.
Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune (12:59)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the film’s score, including creating new sounds for the Fermen and Harkonnen worlds, creating the love theme for Paul and Chani, the custom instruments used, and more. They also discuss creating the sounds for the film, from the general ambiance, to the roaring of the giant worm as it speeds across the desert. Includes behind-the-scenes footage in the recording studio, and interviews with composer Hans Zimmer and his musicians, director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, editor Joe Walker, supervising sound editor Richard King, re-recoding mixers Doug Hemphill & Ron Bartlett, and stars Javier Bardem & Austin Butler.

Digital Only:

Inside DUNE
The cast and filmmakers discuss some of the film’s more action-packed sequences. Includes concept artwork, behind-the-scenes, pre-vis & visual effects progression footage, and interviews with stunt coordinator/fight coordinator Roger Yuan, director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, supervising location manager Duncan Broadfoot, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, special effects supervisor Gerd Nefzer, visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert, cinematographer Greig Fraser, assistant property master Finley Harlocker, 2nd unit 1st assistant director Tom Edmondson, property master Doug Harlocker, editor Joe Walker, supervising stunt coordinator Lee Morrison, producer Mary Parent, and stars Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh & Javier Bardem. Select from:
- Spice Harvester Attack (5:40)
- Gurney Hallaeck’s Revenge (3:25)
- Fight for the Imperial Throne (5:09)
Filmbooks
Collection of four narrated shorts utilizing animations and film clips to delve into various aspects of the Dune lore. Select from:
- House Corrino (1:30)
- The Reverend Mother (2:07)
- Water (1:44)
- Lisan al-Gaib and the Fremen Religion (1:33)
An Ensemble for the Ages (21:54)
The cast and filmmakers discuss the various characters, the actors who portray them, what it was like working with the cast, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producer Cale Boyter, producer Mary Parent, director/writer/producer Denis Villeneuve, producer/second unit director Tanya Lapointe, and stars Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Souheila Yacoub, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler, Léa Seydoux (“Lady Margot Fenring”) & Christopher Walken (“Emperor”).

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Worth a Look
Must Own for Fans

I wasn’t a huge fan of the first Dune film, and while I still found Dune: Part 2 to be a bit too long, I also found it much more action-packed and interesting than the first installment. It is very visually and aurally creative and exciting, with some amazing battle and fight sequences, some greet new characters, and some nice character development for the main characters. While it does build to a conclusion, the film still feels like it is setting things up for the inevitable third film. Fans of the film will find the 4K disc’s presentation to be phenomenal, and will definitely want to pick this up. Those on the fence may wish to check out the film first on Max, where it will be available to stream beginning on May 21.