Dune: Part Two (2024)

For a movie that runs 166 minutes, Part Two sure sprints through its ending like it’s late for a bus. Paul goes from humble desert trainee to the guy everybody is praying to in what feels like a long weekend, and Chani’s side of it gets squeezed into the last stretch. Everything before that is massive. Austin Butler shows up bald and chalk white in a black and white arena that looks like a nightmare you had at summer camp. The first sandworm ride made me want to stand up in the theater. Javier Bardem’s Stilgar becomes the funniest character in the whole saga just by believing way too hard. Florence Pugh is basically a cameo with incredible headwear. It made $714.8 million worldwide and holds an 8.4 on IMDb from about 800,000 ratings. A 9.0 because it’s the rare sequel that makes the first movie better in hindsight. $34 says you call your next tough workout riding the worm and nobody at the gym gets it.

What works: The sandworm ride, Austin Butler’s black and white arena scene, and Javier Bardem turning blind faith into the best running joke in the saga.

What doesn’t: The final act sprints through the biggest turns in the story, and Florence Pugh and Christopher Walken get almost nothing to play.

Who it’s for: Anyone who sat through the first Dune waiting for the payoff, and anyone who owns a sound system they want to test.