Whether you’ve seen Dune: Part Two one time or a million, you don’t have to wait for its digital release to get your fill of its incredible visuals.
Denis Villeneuve is known as a painterly director, using breathtaking visuals in his storytelling. In fact, Villeneuve recently stirred some controversy by claiming that he hates dialogue in film. When you see his eye for composition and detail, though, you immediately understand where he’s coming from.
There’s Paul’s (Timothée Chalamet) inaugural ride on a sandworm, for instance. In this scene, Paul must prove himself to the Fremen by summoning a sandworm and proving that he’s capable of riding it. However, the worm that answers the call of Paul’s thumper is the biggest one the Fremen have ever seen, giving Paul a formidable challenge. Thanks to a combination of vast wide shots and heart-stopping details, Villeneuve conveys the terror and exhilaration of Paul’s first ride—from the initial worm sighting over the distant dunes, to Paul’s frantic scrabbling for purchase on the worm’s back, to his eventual triumphant ride.
Then there’s Giedi Prime, homeworld of House Harkonnen. The planet is lit by a blistering black sun, which saps the color from everything its light touches. At night, strange liquid fireworks go off in celebration of Feyd-Rautha’s (Austin Butler) birthday.
The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two, written by producer Tanya Lapointe with Stephanie Broos, is both a celebration of Villeneuve’s vision and a look at the process of creating the film. At $60, this coffee table art book definitely an investment, but it’s worth it for Dune fans.
Take those fireworks, for instance. The book explains that Villeneuve and his team went through several different ideas for the Harkonnens’ fireworks before visual effects producer Brice Parker finally hit on the idea of dropping ink into alcohol to create that liquid, bubbling effect. According to Lapointe, that visual effect largely captured the image that Villeneuve had in his head.
The book also reveals details about the world of Dune that a viewer might miss while watching the film. In the movie, Paul’s worm-riding scene is pretty chaotic, but the book explains exactly how a Fremen rider mounts a worm once it breaches the sand to swallow the thumper.
The wait for Dune: Part Two‘s digital release is already feeling pretty interminable—but at least we have Villeneuve’s gorgeous visuals to tide us over.
(featured image: Warner Bros. and Insight Editions)
