A new top-grossing film that has received global recognition for its cinematic prowess is now being revered by the most successful director of the century.
Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg recently proclaimed Dune: Part Two as a ‘visual epic’ in a new interview, calling it ‘one of the most brilliant science-fiction films I’ve ever seen.’
Spielberg said his favorite scene in the Blockbuster was watching Timothée Chalamet – who plays Paul Atreides – ride a sandworm.
Spielberg has also lavished praise on Denis Villeneuve who directed both Dune films, saying Villeneuve’s name will be added to the list of sci-fi filmmakers who have built incredible and unique worlds.
Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg praised Dune: Part Two for its cinematic prowess
Spielberg praised the sandworm scene as one of his favorites in Dune: Part Two
‘You have made one of the most brilliant science fiction films I have ever seen,’ adding that it ‘is truly a visual epic and it’s also filled with deeply, deeply drawn characters,’ Spielberg told Villeneuve in the Director’s Cut podcast:
Dune: Part Two cleared $82.5 million in its opening weekend, surpassing Oppenheimer which brought in $82.4 million.
Since its release, the film has grossed nearly $240 million at the domestic box office and $570 million globally.
‘This is a desert-loving story, but for such a desert-loving film there is such a yearning for water in this movie,’ Spielberg told Villeneuve.
‘For all the sand you have in this film, it’s really about water. The sacred waters that are yearning for green meadows and the blue water of life.’
Speaking about the sandworms scene, Spielberg said ‘[it] is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Ever!’ adding: ‘You made the desert look like a liquid.’
Spielberg also said Dune’s director should now consider himself a member of a select group of directors who impressed viewers with their futuristic, dystopian, and sci-fi films including James Cameron, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, and Christopher Nolan, among others.
‘It’s an honor for me to sit here and talk to you,’ Spielberg told Villeneuve, adding: ‘Let me start by saying there are filmmakers who are the builders of worlds.
‘… It’s not that long of a list, and I deeply, fervently believe that you are one of its newest members.’
Timothée Chalamet tames the sandworm in the second film to prove he is one of the Fremen people
Dune: Part Two has grossed $240 million at the box office worldwide
Dune: Part Two picks up where the first film, released in 2021, left off as Paul wages war against House Harkonnen alongside the Fremen people.
House Harkonnen has long oppressed the Fremen people by having the group mine a valuable resource called Spice, which has hallucinogenic properties and is only found in the desert planet Arrakis – the Fremen’s home world.
At that point in the story, Paul has made his home among the Fremen, and riding the giant sandworm is his last step in becoming one of them.
Dune: Part Two made $82.5 million in its opening weekend, beating out Oppenheimer’s record of $82.4 million
Steven Spielberg said Denis Villeneuve has added his name to the list of the best sci-fi filmmakers
Riding a sandworm is a coming-of-age ritual for the Fremen and when Paul sees a person riding it at the end of the first film, it sets the stage for him to attempt the feat.
During Spielberg’s favorite scene, Paul uses the thumper to draw out the sandworm.
The sandworms, which the Fremen call Shai-Hulud, are central to their culture.
When Paul, an off-worlder, rode Shai-Hulud, he fulfilled a Fremen prophecy about a leader who would come to free them and turn the desert planet back into a paradise.
‘It’s where Paul’s supposed prophecy would fall flat, and it would mean his death if he can’t rise to the occasion,’ Chalamet told Screenrant.
‘So the stakes of that moment are huge, and the doing of it was thrilling. It was industrial fans blowing sand, and a slab of worm was built. It was an amazing experience.’
The sandworm scene took 44 days to film after an elaborate methodology meeting where Villeneuve, the production designer and the cinematographer discussed how they could do the scene justice.
‘I read that and thought, ‘How the heck are we going to do that?’ In the book, Paul rides a sandworm, and if we weren’t careful, it could be an odd concept,’ Cinematographer Greig Fraser told Variety.
‘So we made sure we were so careful [that] the audience never had a concept suspending their disbelief.’
In the end, the filmmakers truly succeeded in suspending the viewers’ disbelief according to Spielberg, who said: ‘You film the desert to resemble an ocean, a sea. The sandworms were like sea serpents.’
Dune: Part Two made waves before it was even formally released, kicking Shawshank Redemption out of its number-one spot ranking on IMDB.
Days before the film’s release, early viewers called Villeneuve’s sci-fi vision the movie Hollywood needed and the ‘Sci-Fi/Fantasy epic of our Generation.’
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
