EXCLUSIVE HIGHLIGHTS FROM DUNE: PART TWO'S PREMIERE

The filmmakers and the cast of DUNE: PART TWO returned to Arrakis (well, Abu Dhabi) on 18 February to attend the premiere at VOX Cinemas, The Galleria – Al Maryah Island. Denis Villeneuve, Josh Brolin, and Dave Bautista walked the red-carpet to welcome fans back to the epic world first envisioned by Frank Herbert in his 1965 novel DUNE.

The film picks up where PART ONE left us, with Paul Atredies (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) on the desert planet Arrakis as they find their footing among the Fremen, including Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and Chani (Zendaya) while preparing to wage war against the Harkonnens, led by Baron Vladmir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård).

SCOOPS FROM THE RED CARPET:

DENIS VILLENEUVE

While speaking to Denis on the carpet, we asked him what it was about his films that manages to connect with viewers on an intimate, personal level while simultaneously having a global impact that resonates with millions across the world – particularly DUNE: PART TWO:

“The thing is that, first of all, [DUNE: PART TWO] talks about our relationship with the environment. Everybody lives and experiences that. Second, we are following the love story between a young man and a young woman and all the tension, politic tension, that puts pressure on them. That I think is something that people can relate to when you’re in a couple and have to deal with the reality that puts pressure on you.”

Big event films like DUNE: PART TWO have a way of bringing people together, and now more than ever, people need that shared experience. Speaking on the importance of returning to the big screen, Denis had this to say:

“Humans are not meant to be isolated; humans are meant to celebrate together. It can be at a rock concert, it could be praying together, anything just to be together. Cinema can bring that. There’s nothing more beautiful than sharing emotions together. And if you want to embrace the full power of cinema, it’s the theatre. For a movie like DUNE: PART TWO, the unique way to really receive the power of the film is at the theatre.”

JOSH BROLIN

Josh Brolin returns as Gurney Halleck, the former military leader of House Atredies and mentor to Paul, in a much more significant role this time around. We spoke to Brolin, who’s near four-decade run in Hollywood saw him in some of the most successful films of all-time, on his experience filming in Abu Dhabi and his love of all things cinema.

While filming DUNE: PART TWO, Brolin wrote several poems on his experience, characters in the film, and costars (some of which have gone viral online). A compilation of these poems is being published as a book titled DUNE: EXPOSURES. We asked Brolin if he wrote a poem about Abu Dhabi, what would it be called and this is what he had to say:

“Spiritually Electric. That’s how it feels [in Abu Dhabi]. That’s how I felt when I was here. There was something about feeling so insignificant when I got here, and then by the time we left, we were all crying. My kids were with me, my wife was with me and we were all crying by the time we left. We didn’t want to leave, there’s something so nourishing about the humility that exists here – or the humility that you feel being surrounded by the elements, man. It’s pretty amazing.”

Interest in film and cinema is booming in the Middle East, and audiences here are now more than ever making their way to the big screen to experience movies the way they were meant to be seen. Speaking on his love of the big screen, Brolin told us:

“No bull, the whole reason why I got into film is because I would sit in the theatre – I would literally sit in the theatre for four movies in a row! The lights would go down and you have this cellular experience, a sensorial experience. Two days later, a week later, you’re still thinking about it. You’re still just processing and processing… and we’ve lost that at home, where you have the refrigerator and bathroom right there and everything’s too accessible. You want to get lost in the theatre, and [DUNE: PART TWO] is such an epic, overwhelming, incredible, visceral movie that why would you keep yourself from that incredible full experience?”

DAVE BAUTISTA

Dave Bautista, who had a brief yet impactful part in DUNE: PART ONE returns for an expanded role in DUNE: PART TWO as the terrifying nephew of the sinister Baron Harkonnen, Glossu Rabban. Bautista had a near two-decade stint in WWE, which he followed up with a stellar acting career where he’s taken on an impressive range of roles.

We spoke to Bautista on how he’s managed to transform himself across light-hearted comedy, hard-hitting action, psychological thrillers – and now epic sci-fi and asked him if he’s making a conscious choice to take on different genres and experiment with each new role he takes:

“I have a chip on my shoulder because I wanna prove that point, so I search out roles from A to Z. I want to conquer every genre and prove that I can be good because I have a point to prove, and that is that I always set out to be as good of an actor as I could be. I didn’t want to be a movie star, I wasn’t chasing paychecks, I didn’t want to go from WWE to be famous in films. I just wanted to be good at acting because I fell in love with it.”

OUR THOUGHTS

We were fortunate to see DUNE: PART TWO nearly two weeks before its global release in cinemas on 29 February, and our editorial review of the film is that it exceeds the first in every aspect.

With stellar direction from Denis Villeneuve, breathtaking cinematography from Greig Fraser, an unforgettable score from Hans Zimmer and career-best performances from the entire cast (particularly Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler) – DUNE: PART TWO stands as one of the greatest sequels ever put to the big screen and has the potential to change the landscape of cinema for the better in the years to come.

★★★★★

See DUNE: PART TWO in IMAX, the way it was mean to be seen, across VOX Cinemas in the UAE on 29 February and get your tickets here. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and Threads to stay up-to-date on the latest movie new and check back here for more VOX Voice articles.