MARY CONWAY applauds the revival of a tense, and extremely funny, study of men, money and playing cards
Film round-up: February 29, 2024
Rebel messiahs, radicalised daughters, talking spiders, and troublesome mothers: The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Dune: Part Two (★★★★), Four Daughters (★★★), Spaceman (★★★), and Driving Mum (★★★)
FAMILY EPIC: Dune: Part Two; Driving Mum
MEHDI ACHOUCHE explores the constant fascination of cinema with Marxist alienation from Fritz Lang and Chaplin to Bong Joon Ho
FIONA O’CONNOR steps warily through a novel that skewers many of the exposed flanks of the over-privileged
MARY CONWAY applauds the study of a dysfunctional family set in an Ireland that could be anywhere
MICK MCSHANE is roused by a band whose socialism laces every line of every song with commitment and raw passion
New releases from Mountain, Soul Asylum and Michael McDermott
ALEX HALL is disgusted by the misuse of ‘emotional narratives’ to justify uninformed geo-political prejudice
Dune: Part Two (12A)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
★★★★
FOUR months later than expected, due to the actors’ strike, Denis Villeneuve’s continuation of this epic saga is on an even grander scale than before, with breathtaking visuals, hair raising action scenes, a bigger and star-studded international cast, and chock-full of political intrigue and machinations.
Based on the second half of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune, this film picks up exactly where the first one ended. It follows Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen led by Stilgar (a sublime Javier Bardem) while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. It shows his transformation from earnest young man into rebel Messiah, in which he forsakes the love of his life for political triumph and mythic destiny.
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