I have just returned home from seeing "Dune : Part 2".

I have been really anticipating the release of this movie. I watched the first, new "Dune" during the pandemic. It was released to streaming, and I took advantage and watched that movie in my home. I loved it. I was glued to my screen. I did not look at my phone once. My wife would come in and out of the room and ask questions and I would answer, and then rewind and rewatch what we may have missed. The first new "Dune" was also my first time I found myself cheering for Timothee Chalamet. That movie made me a fan, and I have not looked back. I also watched David Lynch's "Dune" during the pandemic. I did not like that version at all. It was a slog. It was boring. And it was nonsensical. So I've done the necessary homework. My dad joined me this morning, he watched the first new "Dune" on Wednesday, and we set off for a 10am screening.

I want to say, the theater was as clean as I've ever seen a theater before. The crowd was delightful and pleasant. The staff was dynamite and helpful. The Galleria 6 Cinema here in Saint Louis did their job perfectly. There were only two previews, only one commercial, and by about 10 after, we were in the world of "Dune". And from there on out I was in awe of what I was watching.

First off, this cast is incredible. Chamalet is back and does an even better job in this movie. Zendaya is given much more to work with in this sequel and she does amazing things. I was rooting for her character the entire movie. Javier Bardem was more involved, did a great job and even provided some laughs. Rebecca Ferguson did a phenomenal job with her arc in this movie. The whole Harkonnen family was terrifying in all the right ways. Stellan Skaarsgard is back and he is even more scary as the head of the family. David Bautista is back and he is cowardly and in over his head. And Austin Butler is the nephew who is the villainous of all the villains in this movie. He was scary as hell. Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken do some pretty good things here. Pugh figures to have a much bigger part in the third installment of this franchise. Josh Brolin returns and he is having a great back half of his career. And there's all the side characters and minor part actors who do some wonderful things in their very minimal screen time.

Then we have the direction. Denis Villenvue is the best sci fi director in the game right now. I trust him with any material he decides to work on from this moment on. And then there's the stuff on screen. This is an epic in every sense of the word. It was close to three hours but never felt long. The scenery, being pretty much nothing but sand, was mesmerizing to look at on a big screen. The sandworms were the coolest thing I have seen in a movie in a long, long time. I was enamored with those things. The CGI and the massive amount of people in the movie was a triumph all its own.

The story was pretty great too. The majority of the movie is a war movie. There are a bunch of battles. There are moments of strategy. There are training moments. There is hand to hand combat. There are soldiers hiding and attacking from everywhere. It was awesome. And, near the end, although it is what I consider to be the main story, it becomes a religious story, and the problems that lie within following one person. It was interesting to see the movie take this turn and everyone involved pulled it off with grace and professionalism.

I loved this movie. My dad did too. I couldn't believe that they exceeded my high, high expectations. I cannot recommend this movie enough. That is why I left my review so vague. I think you should try and see it in a theater too. I'm not a big theater goer, but this movie needs to be seen on a big screen to get the full effect. "Dune: Part 2" is amazing. Go see it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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