Like its predecessor, Dune: Part Two is an impressive 4K Blu-ray release.
The Production: 4.5/5
What I stated in my review of Dune: Part One holds true for Dune: Part Two, “that in the case of adapting Frank Herbert’s massive science fiction novel Dune in dramatic form, the third time is the charm.” Picking up more or less where the first film left off, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are all that remains of House Atreides and have been taken in by Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and Chani (Zendaya) of one of the Fremen tribes. Stilgar believes Paul to be the long-prophesied messiah known as Lisan al-Gaib, who will lead them to victory and freedom. Meanwhile, the Harkonnen, led by Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista), have waged all-out war against the Fremen in an effort to control the production of spice on the planet. This has all been set in motion by both Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) and the Bene Gesserit (of which Paul’s mother belongs to). With Rabban losing the war, Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) places the more ruthless Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) in charge of the Harkonnen army.
Dune: Part Two continues the epic story of family houses and the politics each house plays as Paul wrestles with his destiny and the over-harvesting of a planet’s resources to the point of near-extinction. There is a lot going on in Director Denis Villeneuve’s film, so much so that those unfamiliar with the first novel may want to view this multiple times to take it all in.
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
As with the first film, Director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser (Lion, Rogue One, The Mandalorian) shot Dune: Part Two in a rather unorthodox way to achieve a very particular look by first shooting in 6.5K and 4.5k resolutions using Arri Alexa LF IMAX and Mini LF IMAX cameras, outputting to 35mm film, then scanning that 35mm stock in 4K for post production, and completing as a 4K digital intermediate in both the 1.90:1 aspect ratio for IMAX theaters and 2.39:1 for traditional cinemas, with Dolby Vision high dynamic range for its premium traditional cinema engagements. Warner’s HEVC-encoded 2160p transfer is presented here in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and includes both Dolby Vision and HDR10 flavors of high dynamic range on a single BD100 disc with special features. The result is one of the best 4K UHD discs I’ve seen in a long time. The image is highly detailed, as seen with the particles of sand and spice on the planet Arrakis. Colors have a wide gradient, bold and vivid without appearing overly saturated, often leaning towards browns and yellows on Arrakis. It is the use of HDR (I viewed this on an LG C1 OLED display with Dolby Vision) with deep contrast and strong shadow details that really help the many darker sequences in the film stand out. I should note that this disc was also viewed on a non-HDR 4K display, and these same darker sequences were nearly unwatchable.
Audio: 5/5
The default Dolby Atmos track is a real treat for those who appreciate excellent sound design. This is one of the most immersive tracks I have ever heard, with sounds all around you, and LFE that will permeate your body. Hans Zimmer’s score also surrounds you from front, back, and above. Dialogue is clear and intelligible throughout, never getting lost in the mix. A lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track is included, but as expected lacks the immersive quality of the Atmos track.
Special Features: 3/5
Warner has released Dune: Part Two in 4K on a single BD100 disc that also includes “over an hour of bonus features.” The bonus features are AVC-encoded at 1080p with standard Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo tracks at 192 kbps. Warner may want to consider taking the James Cameron approach to movies that run over 2.5 hours by moving the special features to their own Blu-ray disc so as not to sacrifice bitrates on any of the included content and not have to offload almost an hour of additional bonus material to Movies Anywhere.
Chakobsa Training (1080p; 4:51): Creating and learning the newly-created language for the Fremen.
Creating the Fremen World (1080p; 11:41): Creating the practical sets the Fremen live in on Arrakis.
Finding the Worlds of Dune (1080p; 6:24): A look at many of the other practical locations used in the film.
Buzz Around the New “Thopter” (1080p; 3:51): Creating the flying machines both practically and through CGI visual effects.
Worm Riding (1080p; 9:23): As the title implies, this featurette looks ot how the worm-riding sequences were filmed.
Becoming Feyd (1080p; 7:33): How actor Austin Butler transformed himself into his evil character.
A New Set of Threads (1080p; 7:40): A look at the film’s costume design.
Deeper Into the Desert: The Sounds of “Dune” (1080p; 12:59): Exploring Hans Zimmer’s score for the film.
Digital Copy: A Movies Anywhere code is included to redeem a 4K digital copy of the film, plus access to the following additional special features: Spice Harvester Attack; Gurney Halleck’s Revenge; Fight for the Imperial Throne; Filmbooks (including House Corrino; The Reverend Mother; Water; and Lisan al-Gaib and the Fremen Religion); and An Ensemble for the Ages.
Overall: 4/5
Dune: Part Two brings more of Frank Herbert’s dense novel to the screen in a way like never before.
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