The Opening Of Dune 2 Is More Important Than You Think
Contains spoilers for "Dune: Part Two"
At the start of our first visit to Arrakis in "Dune: Part One," Denis Villeneuve's initial chapter of his epic adaptation began with a narration from Chani (Zendaya). The planet's local and future love of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) spoke about how spice can be seen in the air when the sun is low and the race against time from outsiders during their evening spice harvest. It's the first we hear of this mystery love that Paul has yet to meet, but a foreshadowing of what's to come. It's a fitting creative choice, then, that just as the woman he dreams of in "Part One" opens up the film, the one set to play a part in his control of the universe kicks things off for "Dune: Part Two."
Florence Pugh's Princess Irulan takes over as our recapper and fills us in on what happened following the first film's events. In Irulan's rundown, we learn that House Atreides has seemingly fallen, the Harkonnens have returned to Arrakis to kick spice production back into gear, and the Emperor's (Christopher Walken) plan has worked out perfectly. It would take the forgotten heir of a fallen family with a Messiah complex to turn things around. It's a wonderful little detail that not only has the two essential women in Paul's life on both sides of this epic story, but also teases what events may come in "Dune: Messiah," regardless of how "Part Two" ends.
Paul's stuck in the middle with Dune
After the war is won in "Dune: Part Two" and Paul reluctantly accepts the duty he has been fighting to take on, Chani abandons her off-world love, heading back into the desert alone. It might imply that this is the end of her relationship with the new Emperor, but things go very differently in "Dune: Messiah," which is once again teased via the voiceovers of both her and Irulan in this pair of films.
Set 12 years after the events of the first book, "Dune: Messiah" sees Paul caught in the middle between the woman he loves and the one he has married for a position of power. Chani remains in the mix as his concubine and the woman he still deeply cares for, but they fail to produce an heir. This makes the situation even more complicated when Irulan is keen to keep her place of power and play a part in keeping the Atreides' bloodline going.
Admittedly, these mounting tensions are barely brought to light in the final act of Denis Villeneuve's closing epic installment. Zendaya and Pugh's characters are left to only throw glances at one another across a room. Instead, Paul deals with the Emperor, and his powers shift in an epic and chest-thumping fashion. Should Villeneuve get "Dune: Messiah" done as planned, it's likely that the women who help introduce Paul's beginning will also be there for his end, as well.