--- title: "Dune: Part Two: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dune-part-two/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/dune-part-two" critics_score: 90 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dune: Part Two (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 90 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are almost uniformly warm, and the praise clusters where you would expect: the scale of the action, the sandworms, Hans Zimmer’s score, and Villeneuve’s handling of material long thought unfilmable. Among the cast, Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha is the name most often singled out, with several critics also crediting Zendaya’s sceptical Chani for giving the film an emotional footing. The reservations are quieter but consistent. Sight and Sound finds the romantic leads underheated and the story shaped like a middle instalment; Deadline says the plotting drifts whenever Paul leaves the frame; /Film calls much of the running time repetitive before a strong third act; The Hollywood Reporter objects to a thin portrayal of the Fremen as an indigenous people. Most critics also note, without much complaint, that the film ends as a set-up for a third. The spread is narrow: nobody dislikes it, and the argument is only over how much it leaves unresolved. ## Empire — Ben Travis Rating 5/5. 21 February 2024. The critic hails Villeneuve’s sequel as a muscular war epic with staggering action sequences and strong performances, particularly Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha. It notes the film’s Middle-earthian ambition and Nolan-esque intensity but cautions it may overwhelm with non-stop grandeur. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dune-part-two/) ## Total Film — Kevin Harley Rating 5/5. 21 February 2024. The review positions the film as a sequel ranking alongside The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back, praising Villeneuve for wrangling coherence from the source material into a completion of the story. It highlights the epic scope and cinematic achievement. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/dune-part-two-review/) ## The Guardian — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2024. The critic hails the film as a jaw-on-the-floor spectacular that succeeds in adapting the unfilmable with retina-searing visuals and grandstanding performances. Austin Butler's gleefully over-the-top turn as Feyd-Rautha is singled out for particular praise alongside Hans Zimmer's thunderous score. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/03/dune-part-two-review-denis-villeneuve-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-rebecca-ferguson-austin-butler-sci-fi-sequel-is-jaw-on-the-floor-spectacular) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 4/5. 22 February 2024. A spectacular return to Arrakis that is well worth waiting for, with spectacular sequences, strong performances (especially Chalamet), and masterful direction and visuals from Villeneuve. Unexpected humour and a thumping score enhance the epic scope. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scifi/dune-part-two-review/) ## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman 2 March 2024. The critic finds it an impressive war movie-cum-swashbuckling adventure loaded with giant worms and vivid villains that occasionally upstage its key characters. The romantic leads are underheated and the story feels like an instalment of a longer saga without a true beginning or end. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/dune-part-two-impressive-sci-fi-war-saga) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 21 February 2024. The critic finds the film visually stunning and engrossing as a cinematic event but limited by a nagging shallowness in its portrayal of the Fremen as an indigenous people. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/dune-part-two-review-timothee-chalamet-zendaya-1235830061/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 29 February 2024. The critic praises Villeneuve for delivering a bigger, more far-out spectacle than the first film, with strong performances from Chalamet and Zendaya. The review singles out the film's nimble handling of epic scope and its visual and emotional impact. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/movies/dune-part-two-review.html) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 21 February 2024. The critic calls it a meaty, all-encompassing narrative that graduates from world-building to a satisfying theatrical event. The review singles out the strategic payoffs and the epic scale as a vote of confidence in cinema. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/dune-2-review-timothee-chalamet-denis-villeneuve-1235917934/) ## Vulture — Alison Willmore 29 February 2024. The critic calls it Zendaya’s movie, praising how her fierce, skeptical performance as Chani gives the film emotional tangibility and grounds its high-level machinations. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/dune-part-two-review-this-is-zendayas-movie.html) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 5/5. 21 February 2024. The critic calls it a bleak and brilliant masterpiece about messiahs and the body counts they accrue. They single out the complex portrayal of Paul’s journey from vengeful son to bloodstained warmonger alongside the immersive, tactile world-building. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/dune-2-review-denis-villenuve-bleakest-masterpiece/) ## NME — Matthew Turner Rating 4/5. 28 February 2024. The critic hails it as a stunning, sandworm-sized blockbuster with epic scope, astonishing world-building and thrilling action. They single out the jaw-dropping visuals and strong cast performances but note the ending feels slightly rushed. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/dune-part-2-review-3593580) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 February 2024. The critic calls it a spectacular sequel that leans into the complicated mythos of Arrakis and its worlds, with breathtaking effects and strong world-building. However, the plotting drifts and feels episodic away from Paul, with some confusing war scenes and a stilted script at times, though it sets up a potentially stronger third film. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/02/dune-part-two-review-1235832727/) ## /Film — Chris Evangelista Rating 7 out of 10. 21 February 2024. The critic finds the film a grand sensory experience with heavy themes on faith, revenge, and messianism, but notes it feels aimless and repetitive for much of its runtime before a strong third act. Praise goes to the scale, production design, and Hans Zimmer score, while complaining about the incomplete narrative. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1522684/dune-part-two-review/) ## Polygon — Austen Goslin 21 February 2024. The film is a blockbuster epic that pays off Part One’s promises and is exactly the movie Part One promised it could be. The critic singles out Villeneuve’s matured filmmaking and the rare sequel that outdoes its predecessor while becoming one of the best blockbusters of the century. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/24078649/dune-2-review-release-date-cast-zendaya-denis-villeneuve-part-two) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dune-part-two.md