Dune part two

 Recently, me and my dolly went to the theatre to watch the newest Dune movie in laser ultra, because that kind of films you just have to watch on the big screen.

And after thoroughly enjoying part one (and her getting to know the world of Dune), we knew we where in for a visual spectacle.

Following the destruction of the House Artreidis by House Harkonnen, the princess Irulan, daughter of the emperor, notions her distaste of her father's involvement in the whole situation.  Back on Arrakis, the Fremen of Stilgar, and including Paul Artreidis and his pregnant mother Jessica, reach Sietch Tabr, one of the holy cities in the desert of the Fremen.  Stilgar still believes, together with others, that the prophecy of their liberation is at hand of a mother and son arriving from the Outer World will bring prosperity back to Arrakis.

With the Reverend Mother of Sietch Tabr dying, Jessica is asked to take her place by drinking the Water of Life, a poison that might either kill you or open your mind.  Jessica survives the intake of the poison, inheriting all the memories of the previous Reverend Mothers, but upon her dying breath the old Mother realises they made a mistake with Jessica being pregnant.  Chani and her friend Shishakli still believe the prophecy a machination though to manipulate the Fremen, but they do start to respect Paul after he declares he wants to fight alongside the Fremen, not rule them.

As Paul immerses him further in Fremen culture, even learning to ride the sandworms and helping in raids against the Harkonnen spice harvesters, he and Chani fall in love, and adpots the Fremen names of Usul and Muad'Dib.  Baron Harkonnen in the meantime replaces his nephew Rabban with the psychopatic, younger nephew Feyd-Rautha to rule over Arrakis, while he is being observed by the Bene Gesserit to evaluate if he is strong enough to secure the genetic lineage.

As Jessica travels south with the Fremen fundamentalists to strengthen their role in the prophecy, Paul remains north as he fears his visions of an apocalypse will come if he becomes the messiah.  During another spice raid, he reunites with Gurney Halleck, who survived the massacre and took a low profile.  He leads Paul to the atomic stockpile of House Artreides, as Feyd-Rautha unleashes a devastating attack on Sietch Tabr and other northern strongholds of the Fremen, forcing Paul to go south after all.   There he drinks the Water of Life, and falls into a coma enraging Chani this was allowed to happen.  But her tears are mixed with the liquid, awakening him and granting him the power of clairvoyance across space and time.

Paul sees an adult Alia, the baby Jessica is carrying, on a water-filled Arrakis, as well as the singular path to victory.  But he also learns Jessica is the daughter of Baron Harkonnen, making him a half-blood.  He meets with the southern Fremen war council, declaring himself the Lisan al Gaib, the messiah, and sends a challenge to emperor Shaddam who arrived on Arrakis with his Sardaukar.  The Fremen launch an offensive using atomics and sandworms to overpower the Sardaukar forces, capturing the emperor.  Paul executes the Baron, as Gurney leads an attack on the capital of Arrakeen where he kills the fleeing Rabban.

Challenging the emperor to the throne in a duel, and to marry the princess to the amazement of Chani in order to strengthen his ties, Feyd-Rautha volunteers to become the emperor's champion.  He kills the psychopath and Irulan agrees to the arrangement if her father is allowed to live.  The emperor bends his knee, but the Great Houses do refuse Paul's claim, causing the Fremen to attack the fleet in orbit.  As Stilgar leads the forces into orbit, Jessica and Alia reflect on the start of Paul's Holy War, while Chani refuses to bow to him and leaves on a sandworm.

So yes, this was a great movie, but now it is the long waiting game if and when the third part of the story, Messiah, will ever be made.  Well, you can watch the mid 2000s mini series (it's actually quit okay) or read the books of course in the meantime, but otherwise it will be waiting the green-lighting for mr Villeneuve.