Dune: Part Two (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
Denis Villeneuve is a true auteur of modern commercial cinema. His visionary work can be challenging, surprising, and meaningful in equal doses. When Dune came out at the height of Covid, it was a blessing and a curse for the film to hit theaters and HBO Max at the same time. Some people got to witness the incredible spectacle in the theater when the rest of us stayed home and checked it out from our couches. I was in the latter category, but the effect the film had on me stayed with me completely. The visual style, the music, the performances, and the ability to translate the infamous Frank Herbert novel to screen had finally succeeded! Even with the Part One badge that followed the title, I knew if we didn’t get the whole story in one piece, we would be waiting for the next installment and hopefully not too far off from the original. Read more on the continuation of the Dune saga, Dune Part Two, and the incredible UHD Blu-ray presentation below. Also, do yourself a favor and click the cover artwork for a paid Amazon link, because you’re going to want to grab a copy of this stunning film!
Film 
Dune introduced us to the world of Arrakis and to Paul Atreides, the young and ambitious son of Duke Leto Atreides and Lady Jessica who is a Bene Gesserit. The quest for spice brings them to the planet, also to replace Baron Harkonnen who has lorded over the planet and the Fremen who inhabit the desert. While Atreides’ family sees the necessity for Spice in space travel, the Fremen use it for their heightened abilities and awareness. We are left at the end of Dune with Harkonnen still in power and Duke Leto dead. This leaves us with Paul and his quest to learn more about Arrakis and the Fremen people. With their knowledge, Paul just might be the one who can gain their trust, and rule for all.
Picking up almost immediately where Part One left off, Dune Part Two sees Paul and Lady Jessica walking the desert with the Fremen. Paul is still enamored with Chani and Lady Jessica is pregnant. Stilgar, leader of the Fremen tribe they’re with believes Paul and his mother will bring them good fortune on Arrakis. Of course, Chani and some of her friends don’t believe in the spirituality of their elders, and Chani is more interested in Paul romantically after they begin to get to know each other.
Baron Harkonnen is still reigning over the Spice, and his thugs and minions antagonize the Fremen but the Fremen are a lot stronger in number than the Harkonnens know. As Paul begins to become more powerful and learns from the Fremen how to survive the desert and ride the elusive Sandworms that live in the desert, Lady Jessica becomes the Fremen’s “Reverand Mother.” She does so by drinking The Water of Life which nearly kills her. Paul and Chani fall deeper in love as they journey on together too.
…And then there’s Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen’s nephew. A pale, bald, ruthless murderer, Feyd is on the hunt for his own opportunity to rule over Arrakis. He will stop at nothing to find Paul and kill him off. There’s also some mysterious bond between The Harkonnens and Emperor Shaddom IV, whose friend Lady Fenring tries to win Feyd over sexually. Finally, we are reunited with Gurney Hallack once a military leader, now a smuggler, and we meet Princess Irulan who is Shaddom’s daughter who will become a pawn in the emperor’s quest for total control over the known universe.
There is so much to follow and learn while watching Dune Part Two. In any other film, you would be dragged along and confused with so many characters and scenes flying by. I have admittedly not seen the first Duneinstallment in a while and went into Part Two blindly. I knew what to expect, but spent the whole runtime, nearly 3 hours, transfixed. The story unfolds beautifully, with so many different twists keeping things engaging. Paul’s change from wide-eyed young man to world-class leader and fighter is stunning. His romance with Chani is one to root for and the different ways in which we are swayed with who is on Paul’s side and who is not will drive you mad trying to guess. There are murders and double crosses and alliances made and shocking losses and revelations that I can’t give away in my review. And this is all without discussing the look and sound of the film.
Undeniably, the style of Dune Part Two is as intricate and incredible as the screenwriting and performances are. Arrakis is a fully fledged place this time around. The desert is foreboding and intimidating. The little glimpses of House Corino and Caladan provide stark contrast to the sand and sun. There is no doubt that moviegoers went to see the Sandworms, infamous popcorn bucket notwithstanding. The Sandworms are incredible. The aircrafts are incredible. The interiors are incredible. Dune Part Two is a visual feast. There is no denying also that Dune Part Two is an audio feast as well. The sound design pulls you right in, surrounds you with music and sound effects and desert wind. Then there’s the aircrafts, thumping Sandworm signals and the Sandworms themselves. The sound design literally shakes you in your seat and becomes something you can’t explain to others, they just must experience it themselves.
I knew I would like Dune Part Two. The first film was something special and finally felt like someone could finally take the “unfilmable” Frank Herbert novel and do it justice in not one but two parts. The thoughtfulness that went into that movie and this one are what make them special. The writers and director have not made the film in a way that will make you confused. There seems to be an urgency to get you into this world and make you want to live the moments with those on screen. Without 3D glasses or even a Vision Pro, Denis Villeneuve has made an immersive world in a film, and I for one can’t wait to see where the world of Dune takes us next.
Video
Stills are for promotional use only and not from the 4K UHD Blu-ray
Encoding: HEVC/H.265
Resolution: 4K
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
HDR: Dolby Vision
Layers: BD-100
Clarity/Detail: Did you expect me to say that Dune Part Two looks anything less than exceptional? I can’t and I won’t. This is an outstanding looking film on 4K UHD Blu-ray. The film is set in spaces indoors and outdoors that are widespread and vast. You can make out the detail in every space you are taken to, and there is a tack sharp look to the film, even with the slightest bit of film grain.
Depth: Depth of field is given a great look in every scene with focus going in and out tastefully as needed while things look sharp and full of intention in longer shots or closeups.
Color Reproduction: Dolby Vision HDR grading gives grand splashes of color throughout. Desert landscapes, ocean waves, stark beige rooms, or underground caves have beautiful colors regardless of the lighting.
Black Levels: Black levels give great darkness to scenes, with no crushing, and excellent shade detail too.
Flesh Tones: Flesh tones look as intended, be they natural or made up. Nothing smeary or off-putting in any scene.
Noise/Artifacts: None.
Audio
Audio Format(s): English Dolby Atmos; 2.0 Dolby Digital Descriptive Audio; English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Dynamics: Dolby Atmos gives us a fully immersive sound design for the duration of Dune Part Two. Height channels, bass and surrounds all play nicely together with dialogue loud and clear in the center and other speakers when needed too! Pitch perfect.
Height: Height channels put in work to expand the sounds of Arrakis, from echoes to desert wind to incredible aircrafts, you’ve got a lot coming down at you from above.
Low-Frequency Extension: Sandworms, aircrafts, explosions, Sandworm signals… You see it, you feel it. Bass hits so hard throughout that you will not only hear the rumble, but you’re also definitely going to feel it too.
Surround Sound Presentation: Surrounds are active for music, echoes, cheering, and more nature are lovingly represented in the surround channels.
Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue sounds excellent wherever it may be placed. Nothing sounds out of place, and you don’t miss a stitch of what’s being said.
Extras 
It’s unfortunate to say, but many special features are being released digitally while only a few come to the actual disc. The things on the disc are pretty general overall, but it’s a treat to see the interviewees so enthusiastic about their film and with good reasoning too! I will list the disc features and the digital bonuses too. It’s my belief that the digital extras were ditched for disc to make this one-disc edition possible. If you’re like me and you don’t actually redeem your digital codes, you’re going to be missing out.
Dune: Part Two 4K UHD and Blu-ray contain the following special features:
- Chakobsa Training
- Creating the Fremen World
- Finding the Worlds of Dune
- Buzz Around the New “Thopter”
- Worm-Riding
- Becoming Feyd
- A New Set of Threads
- Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune
Dune: Part Two Premium Digital Ownership contains the following special features:
- Filmbooks: House Corrino
- Filmbooks: The Reverand Mother
- Filmbooks: Water
- Filmbooks: Lisan-al-Gaib
- An Ensemble for the Ages
- Chakobsa Training
- Creating the Fremen World
- Finding the Worlds of Dune
- Buzz Around the New “Thopter”
- Worm-Riding
- Becoming Feyd
- A New Set of Threads
- Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune
- Inside Dune: The Spice Harvester Attack
- Inside Dune: Gurney Hallaeck’s Revenge
- Inside Dune: The Fight for the Imperial Throne
Summary
While I am just a tad disappointed that disc-only movie owners like me will miss out on some digital-only special features, I can’t knock the technical aspects of Dune Part Two’s exceptional looking and sounding 4K UHD Blu-rays. I can say with some confidence that this will no doubt be one people take out to show off their home theaters, and with good reason. The disc looks incredible, and sounds note perfect. I can’t recommend the film enough and with this being the best way to see the film at home, you’d be silly to pass this purchase up at any price!
