“Dune,” an original science fiction novel published in 1965 by Frank Herbert, had been deemed “un-adaptable” for the film until the release of “ Dune: Part One” in 2021. There was a 1984 adaptation of the book, but it was met with poor reviews and box office failure. Now, after the blockbuster release of “Dune: Part Two,” the beloved book has been successfully adapted for cinema, receiving a large audience turnout and highly rated reviews.

Starring acclaimed actors like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and Rebecca Ferguson (to name a few), the film attracted the attention of all different kinds of fans. With “Dune: Part One” winning many technical categories at the Academy Awards, many critics and viewers alike are claiming that “Dune: Part Two” will do a complete Oscar sweep for both technical and acting categories this time around.

“Up until now I’ve seen it twice, I still haven’t seen it in IMAX and I still need to, but I think what’s been different about this one is that, for me, it’s gotten better off each rewatch because, we’ll talk about this later, but with the production, all the attention and care that went into it. Something about this you notice, [there’s] a little piece extra [every time],” said Samuel Rosenthal ’24.

However, what exactly is it about the movie that’s so good? Is it the stacked cast, the score, the cinematography, or the writing? Is it something else entirely? Are all of these things perfectly slotted together into a master puzzle? Listen to West High students break down what they found great about the movie here: