Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2024
It was a huge risk for Denis Villeneuve to decide to split the singular Dune novel into two films, but it gave the story the budget the original Sci-Fi channel mini-series could never hope to match, and a scope and coherence Lynch's Dune film simply couldn't handle in a single film. The result is one of the 21st century's early SF cinema classics, and the 4K home video version proves worthy.
As with the first film, Villeneuve takes the unorthodox approach of filming scenes in digital, then scanning that film to capture the dreamlike, grainy aesthetic of photochemical images, and then rescanning that film back into a 4K digital intermediate from which subsequent theatrical and home video releases are struck. The result is an incredibly distinctive-looking film that still looks film-like while having the clarity that only digital can provide. When this is combined with HDR, there is an intensity to the colors that Villeneuve manages to push in a huge variety of scenes, from the deserts of Arrakis to the harsh, brutal light of Giedi Prime; everything is gorgeously preserved. There's only one negative here, which is not a knock on the visuals at all but a matter of aspect ratio preservation. As with the first Dune movie, Villeneuve chooses not to preserve the Imax aspect ratio of some scenes, and instead, the entire film is shown in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio. This doesn't affect image quality in the least, but with Villeneuve already admitting that a version using those aspect ratios exists, that's a fair warning to some that another release of the movies with those aspect ratios will probably come at some point in the future, probably to coincide with the home video release of Dune Messiah, and complete the collection. If you can't wait to own Dune 2, you'll buy this disc, but if you want to buy the "ultimate" version and only do that once, you may want to wait a few years for the inevitable Imax release.
On the audio side, as with the images, this is reference material and may quite possibly be the best sound mix of the year. People who want to shake their walls or aren't afraid of neighbors complaining and calling the police will want to turn this up loud. As to be expected from massive sandworms and huge battles, subwoofers will get a run for their money with this movie. However, it's not all just a showcase for loud noises. The score is phenomenally rendered, as is the dialog, always clear and easy to hear. In the more quiet moments, the object-based directional audio of Dolby Atmos puts the viewer right in the desert, hearing the atmosphere of the dunes or the sietches all around or even over them. The first Dune movie was reference material for those home theaters equipped for Dolby Atmos, so it's no surprise the sequel would maintain that reputation. People with the right home theater audio equipment are in for a treat.
There's also a decent number of extras included in this disc, though we don't get the additional extras included digitally with a code like the US version. We also don't get an HD Blu-Ray copy of the film to go with the 4K version. That might not be a dealbreaker for most, who are primarily interested in the 4K/Dolby Atmos version of the film, but for people who are used to getting a few different ways to watch a movie when they buy it on home video, this reduces the value.
However, a lack of Imax aspect ratios or HD Blu-Ray aside, Dune Part 2 is every bit the technical showcase the first movie was for home theater enthusiasts. One of the best science fiction movies of the 20s just got one of the best technical releases on 4K as well and will be used as both a 4K/HDR and Dolby Atmos demo for home theater enthusiasts to show what this technology can do. However, if extras matter to you, you wanted an HD Blu-Ray copy to go with it, or you had your heart set on an Imax viewing experience at home, this first 4K release doesn't scratch those itches, although future releases just might.
