In fall of 2021, millions of people rushed to the theater to witness one of the world’s most well-known sci-fi worlds come to life on the screen. Its end undoubtedly alluded to a sequel, and fans of the franchise got exactly that in March of 2024. 

At lunch sometime in late February, my friend turned to me and excitedly asked if I would see the new Dune movie with her. I hadn’t seen the first one, but was intrigued about the movie and watched it that night. I enjoyed it; the politics of the world and the looming conflict between the Atreides and Harkomens captured my interest. I was curious as to how Paul Atredies would develop in the next movie, and over my spring break went with my friend to see it. 

Undeniably, the driving plot of the movie was Paul’s journey to fit in with the Fremen and whether or not he would accept the title that others were forcing onto him. Although it followed the typical “hero” formula, both Paul’s character and others’ made this typical formula so much more interesting. Throughout the first movie, Paul demonstrates his likable characteristics and gets audiences to sympathize for him. In the second movie, his character stays consistent in the beginning, which is evident through his respect for Fremen customs and his participation in their activities. Over time, though, we see his hunger for power emerge as he accepts his title as Lisan al-Gaib and uses the Fremen as pawns in his own war against the Harkonnen for the purpose of revenge. I personally really enjoyed this arc, because while we can see that Paul is not making the best decisions we can’t truly hate him because we know that he is a good person. We see this in his extreme reluctance to go south with his mother because of his visions, which have shown that many people will die if he goes south.

I will close by saying that I am often easily pleased by movies. I go to turn my brain off and enjoy a story being told, rather than trying to analyze every aspect of the movie. Perhaps this is why I found Dune to be so enthralling; because it had the best of everything. In the three hours I sat in the theater watching the second movie, I experienced aspects of romance, action, drama, and politics, which is something I find really interesting in any movie because it allows you to gain a much deeper insight into the world. I would easily go to see it again, and someday may just be the one excitedly asking my friend to see the third movie with me.