Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Dune: Part Two 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Spice Lords (re)unite.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III May 9, 2024

Arriving a full three years after the first chapter, Dune: Part Two was a universally well-received sequel that eclipsed its predecessor in just about every conceivable department. Running time? Naturally. Scope? Of course. Action? Yep. Box office? Hell yeah. For many genre fans, Dune Part Two is already on the short list of "Best Films of 2024"... and though I wouldn't go quite that far, I can certainly admit that it's a solid follow-up with fantastic atmosphere, great action, and a wider level of accessibility than the first film. Simply put, this is 166 minutes largely well-spent.

Picking up soon after where the first film (randomly) left off, Dune: Part Two opens with the annihilation of House Atreides by rival House Harkonnen, leaving only a few wayward survivors including Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), both now part of a Fremen tribe led by Stilgar (Javier Bardem), bound for the settlement of Sietch Tabr. Naturally, many locals are distrustful of the two outsiders, even with the ringing endorsement of Stiglar and the support of others such as Chani (Zendaya Coleman), but soon respect Paul for his fighting ability and potential leadership. Lady Jessica is similarly soon revered and even tapped to replace their dying Reverend Mother; she must do so by drinking the Fremens' "Water of Life", which kills all males and untrained women. Jessica not only survives but the Water allows her to communicate with future daughter Alia, still a fetus in her womb.

The bulk of Dune: Part Two's seemingly intimidating but actually kinda breezy 166-minute runtime follows the above while building on other items introduced during Part One; newer threads are also dwelled upon, including House Corrino emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) and his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), Paul and Chani's love, the return of a House Atreides comrade, and the meteoric rise of Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler, buried under several pounds of Prometheus makeup), brutal heir apparent to House Harkonnen, to name a few. It's periodically well balanced, but Dune: Part Two indeed tends to suffer from a few notable pacing issues: some of these developments happen much too quickly, whereas Part One's mostly more methodical pace was typically regarded as the opposite. Perhaps the recently confirmed Dune: Part Three -- which will apparently adapt Herbert's second Dune novel Messiah, standing at a slim 256 pages compared to the original's almost 900 -- will take the Goldilocks approach and be "just right"?

Regardless of its slightly nagging pacing issues (also echoed in Brian Orndorf's theatrical review), Dune: Part Two is nonetheless as much a spectacle as the first film, if not more so. Peppered with a number of unforgettable moments, revelations, and gripping larger-than-life battle sequences -- some of which see our heroes absolutely dwarfed by the opposition, such as the encounter seen below -- the film's terrific production, costume, and sound design made for an unrivaled big-screen experience that absolutely electrified audiences who saw Dune: Part Two theatrically, especially in full-strength IMAX format where they were most potent. Simply put, if you enjoyed Part One and were one of the few who missed out during this film's theatrical run, it's worth a blind buy on home video... but more than ever, format makes a difference here. Please don't watch it on DVD or your phone unless you enjoy squinting hard.

As is the custom for most franchises these days, several different options are available besides for the standard 4K and Blu-ray; these include a 4K Steelbook and a two-film collection in both 4K and Blu-ray editions. All offer proportionately good to great A/V presentations as well as a decent collection of bonus features, so pick your poison.

Dune: Part Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here.

In all respects, fans should consider this 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision compatible) transfer of Dune: Part Two just as impressive as the first; despite its slightly longer running time and additional bonus features on the movie disc (now that Warner Bros. is apparently allergic to combo packs), what we have here is a nicely-encoded triple-layer disc with no perceivable compression artifacts despite Dune: Part Two's frequently challenging visuals. Fine detail, textures, and colors are all nicely rendered, with the HDR10 encoding providing plenty of crucial support for some of Dune's deeper hues, such as the strong orange tones that dominate early scenes; comparatively, the Blu-ray can't handle these subtle color shifts and contrast values nearly as well, giving the 4K a much deeper and richer overall aesthetic. Likewise, black levels and bright whites come out well ahead with no obvious signs of crush and bleeding, while most of its extremely wide shots benefit greatly from the increased resolution. Let's face it: both parts of Dune almost demand to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and on the right setup this 4K presentation clearly approaches an overall experience that could be truly described as the next best thing to a theatrical viewing. Fundamentally, it's top-tier work.

Much like the first film, however, Dune: Part Two is not presented with a shifting aspect ratio as seen in IMAX theaters, but rather a flat 2.39:1 from start to finish. There's no word on whether or not some sort of future edition is planned where these scenes will be restored to their original state (for lack of a better word)... but due to its increased use of "taller" compositions compared to Part One, at least a modest half-point deduction is warranted. I've appreciated when shifting aspect ratios are at least partially preserved on home video (mostly by way of Christopher Nolan's films, such as The Dark Knight, Interstellar, and Oppenheimer)... so while I can also understand the opinions of those who don't care for it as much, I feel that a slightly more comfortable middle ground could have been achieved here.

Dune: Part Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the massive Dolby Atmos mix takes many of its cues from Part One... so if you liked what you heard the first time around, you can expect a similarly overwhelming atmosphere here as well. Dialogue and front-channel effects are as crisp and potent as expected, with regular use of surrounds to convey group conversations, spacious interiors, and of course occasional action scenes, which likewise benefit from some of most thunderous use of LFE I've heard on disc. The Atmos-exclusive height channels are put to great use too, both in the aforementioned echo of large chambers as well as Thopter fly-bys and other aerial elements. Simply put, if you live in an apartment or have a baby trying to sleep in the next room, you might have trouble keeping things at a reasonable volume... but even at non-reference levels, it's almost impossible not to be swept up in Dune: Part Two's enveloping audio mix. This is top-tier work on a suitable demo disc for those with the right setups, which again earns it another easy five-star rating.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the film and all extras listed below. Forced subtitles also translate Fremen and other non-English dialogue, which are placed well inside the 2.39:1 frame.

Dune: Part Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork, a matching matte-finish slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The extras -- all in HD with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and optional subtitles -- are decently well-rounded and mostly take their cues from the first film, even if there are fewer this time around.

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes - This set of short featurettes covers several aspects of the adaptation and production process, pairing finished clips with early test footage, interviews, and candid on-set footage. Featured participants include director Denis Vileneuve, dialect coach Fabien Enjalric, producer Tanya LaPointe, production designer Patrice Vermette, cinematographer Greig Fraser, costume designer Jacqueline West, editor Joe Walker, visual effects co-producer Brice Parker, SFX supervisor Gerd Nefzer, composer Hans Zimmer, re-recording mixer Doug Hemphill, and actors Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Souhelia Yacoub, Florence Pugh, Zendaya Coleman, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Stellan Skarsgård, and Dave Bautista.

• Chakobsa Training (4:51)
• Creating the Fremen World (11:41)
• Finding the Worlds of Dune (6:24)
• Buzz Around the New "Thopter" (3:51)
• Worm-Riding (9:23)
• Becoming Feyd (7:33)
• A New Set of Threads (7:40)
• Deeper into the Desert: The Sounds of the Dune (12:59)

Dune: Part Two 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dune: Part Two capably follows in the footsteps of the first chapter, offering mostly effective (and dare I say more accessible) sci-fi adventure that builds upon and complements what came before. The film's visuals, atmosphere, and sound design are all second-to-none and translate very well to 4K UHD, yet the continued lack of a shifting aspect ratio is felt even more this time around. It's still a solid release in every department save for the extras (which could've been more in-depth and ideally moved to their own disc), though I'd consider the Steelbook combo pack the best available option due to its superior packaging and inclusion of both formats. But if you only need one disc, this is it.