Superior 2nd half of sci-fi epic has violence, fighting.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Frequent sci-fi/action violence, though little is very gory. Guns and shooting; people get shot, including a villain who's shot with a high-powered weapon, goes flying, and explodes. Piles of bodies are burned with flamethrowers, and other dead bodies are shown. Many buildings and ships are blown up. Atomic warheads. Sound of women screaming; sight of two dead women in the corner of the Baron's chamber. Neck-snapping. A man slices the necks of two women to test the sharpness of his blade. Bloody wounds. Characters fall from a high cliff. Many scenes of fighting with knives and swords; characters stabbed, sliced. Martial arts fighting. Character smashes a villain's helmet and face with a large rock. A character repeatedly smashes another's head onto a control panel. Small hook punctures a person's skin. Woman goes through "water of life" ceremony, writhing in agony, blood crusted on her nose. Characters are forced to kiss others' boots. Angry mob. Visions of a famine, with people howling in pain. Birds killed with flamethrower. Slapping. Gross stuff includes vomiting.
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One character lies on top of another, their faces close together, panting and out of breath; sex could be implied. Characters kiss more than once. One character appears to seduce another; dialogue about a man being "sexually vulnerable" and a woman being pregnant.
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One character insults another by saying "you sandwalk like a drunk lizard." "Spice" is described as a drug that has good properties but is also addictive; the only side effect is that it turns users' eyes luminous blue. It's not really depicted as a substance that can be abused. It's more just "the thing" that both the heroes and villains want to get their hands on.
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The movie questions the reasons—and methods—for seeking power, including the use of fear and the use of faith to control people. It suggests that kindhearted leaders are "weak" and corrupt leaders are successful.
Positive Role Models
a little
Paul might have once been considered a hero, but he's become an opportunist here, using whatever tools are at his disposal—with little regard for right or wrong—to gain power necessary to achieve his goal, which is nothing more than revenge. Chani is a more positive character, refusing to be swayed by simple measures and staying strong and independent.
Diverse Representations
a little
Male-driven narrative, but women in supporting roles are quite powerful (and, in some cases, admirable). Two main characters are strong women. Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) is capable of bending others to her will, although she tends to lean toward unsavory activities. Chani (played by Zendaya, who has one Black and one White parent) is more positive; she's skilled, strong, independent. Supporting characters include Spanish actor Javier Bardem as the leader of the Fremen and Greek-Filipino American actor Dave Bautista as one of Baron Harkonnen's villainous minions. Black actor Alison Halstead plays the Maker Keeper, who's in charge of harvesting the Water of Life from young worms. She appears in just one scene, but it's an important job. The Dune films have raised concerns in the way they lean on Middle Eastern culture for world-building but don't include MENA actors. No body/size diversity, unless you count the Baron, whose grotesqueness is unfortunately tied to his larger size and eating.
Parents need to know that Dune: Part Two is the second half of the sci-fi epic based on Frank Herbert's epic 1965 novel that began with 2021's Dune. Violence is the biggest issue: Expect lots of fighting, shooting (with futuristic guns), battling with knives/blades, slicing and slashing (very little blood shown), a few bloody wounds, many explosions, atomic warheads, head-bashing, neck-snapping, and more. Characters kiss, and there are two suggestions of sex: Once when one character lies on top of another, their faces close and both breathing heavily, and the other mentioned in dialogue. Infrequent language includes uses of "s--t," "piss," "hell," and "moron." The story is about a drug known as "spice," but it's more of a thing for everyone to fight over than a real drug. Despite some stuffy, draggy parts, this film is more satisfying than the first, with more nuanced themes—and its technical aspects are just as superb as its predecessor's. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya co-star. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Disturbing, dark, and sadistic movie that will weigh heavy on your soul.
Incredibly violent, disturbing, sadistic, and nausea inducing movie. Another reviewer hit the nail on the head, something just feels off and wrong about watching this incredibly dark film on screen and it induces an extremely heavy weight on the soul. Yes, it's a well made movie that has an interesting story. However, you have to ask yourself. What are the long term consequences to your mind to view this type of disturbing imagery? My husband regretted taking our teenage boys to this movie and even regretted watching it himself.
I honestly feel like there are kids creating Common Sense Media accounts in order to add their opinion on movies and sway parent's decision making. Some of these "adult" reviews for incredible violent movies stating 5+ and insinuating educational value? No capitalization or proper grammar. I think there needs to be better vetting to ensure review quality.
Too violent, please protect your subconscious minds.
the movie is very violent, a lot of unnecessary killings, human being are treated like unworthy objects. those palace maids, army men etc. Watched it last night, felt very unhappy and having heavy soul even till today, I feel agitated and unhappy, let alone young mind.. it was sadistic, dark and loud, as if we are being brainwashed with those heavy score music with violence. I won't even recommend adults to see this, it has bad effect on our subconscious mind. This is not how we should be treating other human being - like animals.
What's the Story?
In DUNE: PART TWO, Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), have been welcomed among the Fremen. Jessica drinks the Water of Life and becomes the new Reverend Mother, while Paul continues to face tests like surviving alone in the desert and riding sand worms. The Fremen regularly attack spice production plants, causing the evil Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) to send troops to shut the Fremen down. But the Fremen easily dispatch the invaders, who aren't acclimated to the desert atmosphere on Arrakis. Meanwhile, there are rumblings of a prophecy—encouraged by Jessica—that Paul may be the "chosen one" who's destined to lead the Fremen to paradise, although Paul publicly denies this. The Fremen are divided: Leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem) believes in the prophecy, but Chani (Zendaya), who has fallen in love with Paul, fervently doesn't. The Baron ups the ante by putting his cruel nephew Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) in charge of spice production on Arrakis. But Paul has been encouraged by his mother to drink the Water of Life (something no man has ever survived), and nothing will ever be the same.
While this sequel isn't without stuffy, slow spots, it's far more propulsive than its predecessor, and it manages to tell an exceedingly complex story in a gloriously visual and compelling way. Now that we've moved past all the exposition required for this tale (as seen in Dune), Dune: Part Two jumps right into things, with the Fremen trying to get the attention of Baron Harkonnen and the emperor by attacking various spice plants. Some of the action scenes are effective and even exciting, but it seems as if director Denis Villeneuve doesn't exactly relish them; many fights are overly choreographed and cursory. (His best films, Sicario and Arrival, didn't require them, while his Blade Runner 2049 was dragged down by them.)
Yet Villeneuve's elegant, expansive compositions and wise storytelling make up for it. He and co-screenwriter Jon Spaihts have dug deep into Frank Herbert's dense source novel and found themes that aren't only relevant, but urgent. The movie questions the reasons behind leadership and quests for power and the deceptive tools—fear and faith—that can quickly and easily lead to power. As a result, Paul is no longer the shining hero he appeared to be in David Lynch's 1984 Dune. He's an opportunist who's seeking to use power for his own personal goals (in this case, revenge). And he's scarily familiar. Despite its flaws, Dune: Part Two is, along with its predecessor, an uncommonly intelligent, even daring entry into the canon of sci-fi action epics—and one that's worth discussing as much as it's worth enjoying.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Dune: Part Two's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Why is "spice" considered a drug? Is it meant to represent drugs as we know them? Is it glamorized? Are there consequences for using it?
What are some of the movie's themes? How can sci-fi be used to explore real-life issues like the use of faith and/or fear as tools to rise to power?
How does this movie compare to the novel, the previous movie, and/or the TV movie? How is it different from those versions? How is it the same?
Is Paul a role model? What makes him seem heroic? What behaviors suggest otherwise? Would Chani be a better role model?
MPAA explanation:
sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language
Last updated:
June 12, 2024
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By Jeffrey M. Anderson
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