Plot
Following the destruction of House Atreides by House Harkonnen, Princess Irulan narrates how her father, Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, betrayed the Atreides. On Arrakis, Stilgar and his Fremen troops aid Paul Atreides and his pregnant mother, Lady Jessica, in joining Sietch Tabr. Some Fremen suspect they're spies, while Stilgar and others recognize signs of the prophecy that a mother and son from the "Outer World" will bring prosperity to Arrakis.
The Fremen accept Paul, but Stilgar warns Jessica she must succeed Sietch Tabr's dying Reverend Mother by drinking the Water of Life—a drug fatal for males and untrained women. She uses her Bene Gesserit training to transmute the liquid and survive, inheriting the memories of past Reverend Mothers. The liquid prematurely awakens the mind of her unborn daughter, Alia, allowing Jessica to communicate with her. They agree to convince the more skeptical northern Fremen of the prophecy. Chani and her friend Shishakli correctly believe the prophecy was fabricated to manipulate the Fremen, but Chani begins to respect Paul after he declares he only seeks to fight alongside the Fremen, not rule them.
Paul and Chani fall in love as Paul immerses himself in Fremen culture: learning their language, becoming a Fedaykin fighter, riding a sandworm, and raiding Harkonnen spice operations. Paul adopts the Fremen names "Usul" and "Muad'Dib". Due to the spice raids, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen installs his cunning and sadistic nephew, Feyd-Rautha, as Arrakis's ruler. Lady Margot Fenring, a Bene Gesserit, is sent to evaluate Feyd-Rautha as a prospective Kwisatz Haderach and secure his genetic lineage.
Jessica travels south to unite with Fremen fundamentalists who believe most strongly in the prophecy. Paul remains in the north, fearful that his visions of an apocalyptic holy war will come to pass if he goes south as a messiah. During a raid on a smuggler spice harvester, Paul reunites with Gurney Halleck, who leads Paul to the hidden atomic warhead stockpile of House Atreides. Feyd-Rautha unleashes a devastating attack on the northern Fremen, destroying Sietch Tabr, killing Shishakli, and forcing Paul and the survivors to journey south. Upon arrival, Paul drinks the Water of Life and falls into a coma. This angers Chani, but Jessica compels her to save Paul. Chani gives Paul a mix of her tears with the Water of Life, which awakens Paul. Now possessing clairvoyance across space and time, Paul sees an adult Alia on water-filled Arrakis. He also sees a narrow path to victory among all possible futures, and learns that Jessica is the Baron's daughter, who was assigned as concubine to Duke Leto by the Bene Gesserit to unite House Harkonnen and House Atreides in furtherance of their plan to produce the Kwisatz Haderach.
Paul meets with the southern Fremen war council, galvanizing the crowd by demonstrating his ability to discern their deepest thoughts. He declares himself the Lisan al Gaib and sends a challenge to Shaddam, who arrives on Arrakis with Irulan and the Sardaukar. As Shaddam chastises the Harkonnens for their failures, the Fremen launch an offensive, using atomics and sandworms to overpower the Sardaukar. Paul executes the Baron and captures Shaddam. Meanwhile, Gurney leads an assault on Arrakeen, intercepting and killing Rabban.
Paul challenges Shaddam for the throne and, to Chani's dismay, demands to marry Irulan. Previously summoned by the Baron, the Great Houses arrive in orbit, ready to invade the planet, but Paul threatens to destroy the spice fields with atomic weapons if they intervene. Feyd-Rautha volunteers to be Shaddam's champion, and Paul kills him in a duel. Irulan agrees to Paul's request for marriage on the condition that her father lives. Shaddam surrenders, but the Great Houses reject Paul's ascendancy, so he orders the Fremen to attack the orbiting fleet. As Stilgar leads the Fremen onto the captured Sardaukar ships, Jessica and Alia reflect on the beginning of Paul's holy war. Chani refuses to bow to Paul and departs alone on a sandworm.
Development
The film is a sequel to the 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune and was developed alongside the first film. Legendary Pictures acquired the film and television rights to the Dune franchise in 2016 and signed Denis Villeneuve as director in 2017. Villeneuve intended to adapt the novel into a two-part film due to its complexity. Production contracts were only secured for the first film before the second film was greenlit by Legendary in October 2021, subject to the success of the first.
Filming
Principal photography took place in Budapest, Italy, Jordan, and Abu Dhabi between July and December 2022. The film was entirely shot using Arri Alexa LF digital cameras, with new filming locations and sets being used "to avoid repetition."
Music
Hans Zimmer returned to compose the film's score after doing so for the previous film.
Marketing
A teaser trailer for Dune: Part Two was presented during the Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon on April 27, 2023. First-look footage of the cast in-character were released online, alongside a teaser poster, on May 2, 2023. The trailer was released to the public the following day.
Release
The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 20, 2023, but was delayed to November 17, 2023, before moving forward two weeks to November 3, 2023, to adjust to changes in release schedules from other studios. It was later postponed by over four months to March 15, 2024, due to the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. After the strikes were resolved, the film moved once more up two weeks to March 1, 2024.
Reception
The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its visual effects, cast performances, and faithfulness to the source material. It grossed $714.4 million worldwide, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2024.
Awards
The film received numerous accolades, including two nominations at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama.
Future
A third film based on Herbert's 1969 novel Dune Messiah is in development.