OPINION:
“Dune: Part Two” is a stunning spectacle, and better than its predecessor. But it hides problems underneath its cinematic sands. And Netflix’s “Spaceman” is a thoughtful, poignant rumination on loneliness and isolation that comes with a few issues. Oh, and a giant spider, too.
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Dune: Part Two – In Theaters
Frank Herbert’s “Dune” is not an easy book to bring to the big screen. One look at the 1984 version to tell you as much. In terms of its scope, “Dune” feels like a more cynical, more political version of “Lord of the Rings”—though obviously with more sand, drugs and 1,000-foot worms.
But director Denis Villeneuve is doing a very nice Peter Jackson impression.
“Dune” (retroactively titled “Dune: Part One”) was nominated for 10 Oscars and won six. In my opinion, “Part Two” is better—at least in terms of pure aesthetics. The scope is necessarily grand. The imagery is stunning. A sequence in the climactic battle feels on par with the march of the Oliphaunts in Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (which, incidentally, took home Best Picture honors that year). And while I’m pretty sure that folks not familiar with “Dune” (and certainly those who haven’t seen “Part One”) will be metaphorically lost in the desert, this nearly three-hour movie walks us through as coherently as it can.
Good movie? For fans of sci-fi and this franchise, yes. Good for you and/or your family? Well, that’s another question.
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“Part Two’s” stunning, soaring images come with another edge to the blade: The destruction can feel horrific—grittier and more real-feeling than your average superhero flick, for sure. And unlike “Lord of the Rings,” good and evil here are more ambiguous. To be sure, we know who we’re rooting for. But Paul himself knows that in pursuing what he sees as the greater good, he’s going to have to do an awful lot of bad. The movie emphasizes that sense of moral compromise at the heart of the story—and the tragic costs involved.
As if to underline the point, we see a scene early on where the Harkonnens burn the bodies of their enemies after claiming Arrakis as their own. Much later, Fremen forces do the same—a tragic echo.
And then there’s the movie’s spirituality. On one hand, it gives us a flawed prophet in Paul Atreides—a messianic figure much different from Christianity’s own real Messiah. On the other, the story may plant seeds of doubt in religion itself—suggesting that faith just might be a very human ploy to manipulate the masses. Neither necessarily undercuts our own Christian faith, of course, and the spiritual themes here can be fantastic springboards to conversation. But for those of a certain spiritual bent, these messages can be stumbling blocks, as well.
Yes, “Dune: Part Two” is a well-crafted film, and I don’t expect to see its equal, in terms of spectacle, for the rest of the year. But its beauty, like the planet Arrakis itself, holds other elements underneath its cinematic sands.
Things that, unless you’re wary, just might swallow you whole.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
Spaceman – Netflix
In her message to Jakub, Lenka complains of how they don’t connect anymore, alluding to the long silences as they try to talk on the Czechconnect. If they don’t even talk—if they just listen to the silence over the only tangible thing that tethers them—what’s the point?
Commissioner Tuma hears the message. She decides to not forward the message to Jakub, and instead she visits Lenka herself. And after a rather disappointing visit, during which she discovers that Lenka’s still determined to leave her husband, Tuma offers one more thought.
“The silence is the point,” she says. “The two of you, together. Silent. Lost. Afraid. In the dark. Holding on. That is the point.”
Based on Jaroslav Kalfar’s book “Spaceman of Bohemia,” Spaceman is as touching a movie you’ll ever see that features a gigantic space spider. It’s a thoughtful reflection on loneliness—and how so often we isolate ourselves. We recoil when we should embrace. We shut down when we know better. We don’t need a spaceship to seal ourselves off from those who love us: Closed bedroom doors, late nights working, folded arms at the dinner table do the trick just fine.
“Spaceman” deviates from the novel quite a bit, and can be hard to see the story’s Czech roots in the work of Adam Sandler and, especially, Carey Mulligan (who never drops her velvety British accent). But its notes of sin and atonement, redemption and hope, worked for me. We can all feel so lost, so alone and so adrift at times.
Christians, too. Maybe Christians especially. Our broken world can be filled with so much pain, and that brokenness fills us, too. And so, in the darkness, in the silence, in that sense of desperation that led Peter to say, “Lord, where else could we go?” we pray. We reach through the silence to touch our Creator. We cut through the darkness to find each other.
As profound as that message may be, “Spaceman” shares its own space with some significant issues. The movie’s language would be enough to push it over the R-rating. And if that wasn’t there, a brief-but-brutal scene of slaughter and torture might be. A miscarriage is depicted that might be triggering for some, and the whole affair often feels melancholy.
Still, this movie can also remind viewers of the importance of honesty, connection and intimacy. And it just might make you think a bit more kindly toward the spiders that wind up in your bathtub.
Read the rest of the review here. Watch the trailer here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Reviews written by Paul Asay.
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