Dune: Part Two - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

From our original Theatrical Review

The sci-fi epic everyone has been clamoring for is going strong with Denis Villeneuve's second installment of his Dune(hopefully) trilogy. The artistic director and Warner Bros. listened quite a bit to its audience from the first film a couple of years ago and the result is a much better film with higher stakes and a bigger entertainment spectacle. Dune: Part Two acts as a sibling film similar to Empire Strikes Back or The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in its tone and execution working to complete an epic single story. However, it still stands on its own two legs as something even more extravagant and grande with more action beats making the 165-minute runtime fly swifter than a thopter in a sandstorm. Dune: Part Two is Grade A science fiction at its finest.

There were a few issues with Dune: Part One, none of which had to do with the visuals or screenplay so much as the characters felt too distant. The film still made a ton of money even though it was during the height of the pandemic and it being released on streaming so close to its initial theatrical run. Villeneuve created this masterful story from Frank Herbert's novel with rich characters and exciting visuals but forgot to have fun with his film. Jason Mamoa was the only person who looked like he had a great time. Maybe Josh Brolin caught that bug for a day or two. But it was all very serious and brooding whereas other sci-fi films would lighten the mood a little, crack a smile, and let its characters seem more relatable and human.

It's evident right away that Part Two is going to correct that course by allowing the characters to have a good time when they need to. As the film picks up right where the first movie left off, it's quickly apparent that a bigger threat is on its way as Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) learns the ways of the deep desert and the Fremen people. He survives by his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and his new Fremen allies Chani (Zendaya) and Stilgar (Jarvier Bardem) after his father and people were betrayed and murdered by the Harkonnens. And it's here where Paul learns the ways of the Fremen and their fierce warriors in some stunning action sequences involving the giant sandworms and destroying large spice harvester ships.

But within these epic action beats, there is something much more sinister boiling behind closed doors. The elusive Emperor (Christopher Walken) and his decisions about how to deal with the planet Arrakis and the recent Atreides massacre. As with the second half of the novel, there are a lot of irons in the fire with Part Two, but Villeneuve executes each story beat with ease and precision. From the divide in the Fremen people over prophecies and religion to the domestic drama inside the Harkonnen household to Paul's mother having a new path in life, there is much to enjoy with Dune: Part Two. Most beneficial to this film are the heartfelt and somewhat humorous sequences of seeing some of these amazing characters letting their guard down and enjoying victories and being relatable humans. It's a sight for sore eyes from the last film, for sure.

Cinematographer Greig Fraser and director Villeneuve have even paid a great tribute to the late H.R. Geiger in this installment. As chronicled in the documentary Jodorowsky's Dune, H.R. Geiger (the man who designed the iconic xenomorph Alien creatures) had also designed a ton of sets and character costumes for that abandoned project. Here in Part Two, there are many instances where sets, vehicles, furniture, and costumes look like something right out of Geiger's scrapbook. It's frighteningly beautiful. Not to mention the magnificent battle sequences that are so epic in scale, but also perfectly framed that there's no doubt there should be an award in this film's future for at least just this aspect.

In that aspect, one of the big gripes about Part Two is that some of these big war sequences are too rushed and frenetic. Again, Lord of the Rings looks to have inspired Villeneuve and Fraser here, regarding battles and certain plot movements, but with those Peter Jackson films, they just worked better due to the amount of time given to each character and battle scene. In Dune, it feels rushed as if the clock is running out, which cracks the bond and excitement of these spectacular scenes. It's not a deal breaker, but it's noticeable during the big climactic fight that should have been several minutes longer to reinforce the brutality and the characters a bit more.

Chalamet is as perfect as Paul Atreides and who would have thought that Chalamet had the perfect angry voice that could carry over thousands of people? He owns it and commands the dialogue every time he speaks. Rebecca Ferguson dials it up a notch with Jessica's journey and Josh Brolin is a damn delight as weapons master Gurney Halleck. In fact, can the world get a two-hour movie of Brolin just smiling and having a good time, please? Earth and Arrakis need more of that charm. Austin Butler surprises as the nasty villain Feyd-Rautha with Bautista going full rage as Beast Rabban. Zendaya and Florence Pugh are underused assets. True to the novel, Pugh's Princess Irulan has only a couple of minutes of screen time, but it's Zendaya's performance as Chani that is frustratingly phoned in without much nuance. However, the big spotlight is on Javier Bardem turning in a meaty performance as warrior leader Stilgar that will surely garner award attention. He's a chameleon throughout his resume and he fits this role perfectly.

But just like Part One, this second installment ends with a cliffhanger and the promise of something much bigger. Imagine Gandalf the White coming back and narrating, "The battle for Helm's Deep is over. The war for Middle Earth has just begun." That's the sentiment here and the big hope that Villeneuve comes back and finishes it all off with a third film based on Frank Herbert's second novel Dune Messiah. Dune: Part Two is sci-fi living its best life. Sure, there are some slight issues, but the good far outweighs the bad. It's a large improvement over the first film. 4.5/5

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray 
Dune: Part Two rides its worm all the way to 4K + Digital Code via Warner Bros. It's not clear why Warner is separating 4K and Blu-ray Discs these days into their own separate releases, but those are the cards everyone is dealt. The one disc is housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork features the entire cast looking out over the worm. It has a spicy, shiny gold and brown color palette. There is an insert for a digital code.

[UPDAET 5/15] Review has been updated to offer 4K disc-sourced images and video sample. 

Dune: Part Two arrives with a demo-worthy 2160p UHD 4K transfer with Dolby Vision. This sci-fi epic's visuals are transcendent, resulting in one exquisite-looking video presentation in 4K at home. 

The color palette mixes the warm sands and rocky mountains with cooler interiors of the enemy forces. While Paul is on his awakening adventure, red and orange filters are applied to make the sand dunes a fiery hellscape. The tender blue eyes always contrast perfectly with these warmer colors. The Emperor's homestead boasts green leaves, blue skies, and brown tree trunks that make for an Earthy motif. Inside Harkonnen ships and base, black levels are inky with some neon lighting and silver cool shades of color, which is a stark opposition to the warm sands of the Fremen people. The Dolby Vision upgrades each of these nuanced oranges and yellows that balance perfectly with those striking blue eyeballs and electric blue liquids. The black-and-white sequence is phenomenal. The balance of white and black levels is flawless, where every piece of detail and shade is discoverable. Those fireworks look amazing in this color palette. This unique style of world-building and remote locations look picturesque in this video presentation that dazzles at every turn. 

Black levels are inky and rich with zero murky shadows and the skin tones are all natural when in natural light. The detail is very sharp and vivid and showcases amazing close-ups that reveal individual hairs, facial stubble, beads of sweat and blood, facial pores, textures in the linen costumes, grains of sand and spice, and even the worm skin which has a very rough and detailed texture. Wider shots are never soft either. The dust never pixelated from the sand and the CGI effects are never flat. This image is a well-rounded picture that doesn't have any issues to speak about. This is one video presentation that everyone will want to show off and hold dear with its glorious 4K image with Dolby Vision. 

This release comes with a Dolby Atmos track and is meant to be turned up loud. The sound effects are booming with detailed sounds from every angle. From the smallest rodent in the sand to the large Thopters flying around invading worms, the sounds are incredible. Gun blasts, sci-fi swords, and explosions all pack a big punch with heft. The noises allow the viewer to feel the air gut punch from the emitting sound in each speaker. When Paul and Feyd have their fight, swords, fists, and takedowns are all on a large display which has a wonderful low end of bass. The worm ride sequence packs tons of wind, dust, yells, and other noises that create a fully immersive world that rumbles the walls.

The black and white scene features inverted fireworks which is a sonic triumph that sounds from all various speakers. The height speakers rain down debris, explosive fires, sand, dust, spice, and haunting voices. It's a real workout for any speaker system. The impressive score always enhances the visuals on screen with depth, precision, and suspense. The dialogue is clean, clear, and easy to follow with the new languages. English subtitles look amazing. For those who have access to Dolby Atmos capabilities, this Dune: Part Two audio track will be the new demo. 

There are 67 minutes of amazing bonus material that feature interviews from virtually every cast member and big crew member. The behind-the-scenes footage is phenomenal and the topics are fun and informative. While the lack of an audio commentary is a shame, the quality of the extras, even for their brief nature is how extras should be made. What they lack in length, they make up for in quantity.

• Chakubsa Training (UHD, 5 Mins.) - The cast and crew discuss learning the new language for the film with some great bits of them memorizing and reciting their favorite lines in the movie. 
• Creating the Fremen World (UHD, 12 Mins.) - The cast and crew talk about creating the practical sets and design of each interior and exterior location, which showcases a ton of work and intricate details. 
• Finding The Worlds of Dune (UHD, 7 Mins.) - More interviews with the cast and crew on the actual locations that were used to film the big and small scenes and how the team arrived at a chosen place. 
• Buzz Around the New Thopter (UHD, 4 Mins.) - The new helicopter-like flying machines were actually built inside and out, and this feature reveals just how that was done and how it was used, along with the ratio of CGI And practical effects that were made to achieve it. 
• Worm Riding (UHD, 10 Mins.) - This hilarious titled extra focuses on the gargantuan set and mechanical pieces that went into shooting the worm-riding scene practically. 
• Becoming Feyd (UHD, 8 Mins.) - This particular extra focuses on Austin Butler transforming himself into his evil character. His makeup, stuntwork, and more are talked about in cast and crew interviews. 
• A New Set Of Threads (UHD, 8 Mins.) - This feature explores all of the new costumes and detailed artwork that went into the wardrobe with great cast and crew interviews. 
• Deeper Into The Desert: Sounds of Dune (UHD, 13 Mins.) - Hans Zimmer and his orchestra all talk about the music of the sequel, performing it, and even some solo music bits from various musicians are included. 

Dune: Part Two is one of the best science fiction films in years and loads better than its previous movie. It has more thrills, stakes, and character arcs that no doubt will be furthered down the road. The 4K image with Dolby Vision along with the Dolby Atmos audio track is both demo-worthy and perfect. The bonus features are well-produced, and offer a ton of information, behind-the-scenes, and fun bits on the making of the film. MUST-OWN. 

Own Dune: Part Two on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray 

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