Ultra HD Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Dune: Part Two is the second installment in director Denis Villeneuve’s film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel. It explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future.

This film is epic in scope and I enjoyed the development of the characters, the construct of the plot, and the balance between emotion and staying true to the story’s science fiction elements. The continuing drama that follows the journey of Paul Atreides marches forward, painting in finer strokes as it brings into focus the events that will shape the course of Paul’s life and that of his galaxy.

The humanity that stirs within the bleakness is underscored by Paul and Chani’s love. This installment sees both the return and the exit of key characters, while introducing some who may yet have a part to play. The production quality, action and direction are excellent while the multifaceted cast — old and new — is terrific.

This is a well-crafted film, with cinematography that benefits from the enhanced resolution of 4K. Captured digitally, the image has a clean aesthetic that draws out plenty of detail, regardless of perspective. At times the picture is nearly devoid of color, relying on its variants of sepia to set the mood of a scene. Primary colors are beautifully rendered when present. Blacks have excellent dynamic range, while the multi-staged grays and whites pop against the varying levels of brown/black. HDR complements the presentation at every opportunity.

The Dolby Atmos sound is simply fantastic. Throughout the presentation, the track is loaded with atmospherics and discrete sound effects that enrich the listening experience. Dialogue is reproduced with precision, while excellent imaging draws out both large and small sound elements, allowing their directional correlation to be readily definable.

The result submerges the listening position in a rotating web of sound that combines effects and musical accompaniment. Low-frequency effects are applied authoritatively, underscoring the bombastic and aggressive aspects of the experience with aplomb.

The bonus features consist of eight production featurettes that look behind the scenes of the making of the film, including stunts, visual effects, and sound design. A Movies Anywhere digital code is included. Dune: Part Two is a compelling and worthwhile sequel that sizzles on Ultra HD Blu-ray.

ULTRA HD 4K BLU-RAY
STUDIO: Warner, 2024
ASPECT RATIO: 2:39:1
HDR FORMAT: Dolby Vision, HDR10
AUDIO FORMAT: Dolby Atmos with TrueHD 7.1 core
LENGTH: 166 mins., PG-13
DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve
STARRING: Timothèe Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler