Highlights
- “Power Over Spice Is Power Over All”: Spice control is crucial in the universe of
Dune
, impacting all aspects of life and warfare. - “I Am The Voice From The Outer World!”: Paul’s acceptance of his role as Mahdi marks a pivotal moment of conflict and prophecy.
- “We Must Convert The Non-Believers”: Jessica’s manipulation of the Fremen highlights the darker side of the Atreides family’s quest for power.
The new blockbuster Dune: Part Two has been released,. Fans are celebrating the mind-blowing cinematography, action, music, and acting at play in the sequel, which finishes Denis Villeneuve’s retelling of the sci-fi epic originally written by Frank Herbert.
As the book is one of the most influential and beloved sci-fi novels of all time, it is unsurprising that there are a huge number of truly great quotes in the new film. Few films are as quotable and instantly beloved as this one, but Dune: Part Two seems to already be threatening to earn the title of modern classic among both fans and critics in many respects, including some of these iconic moments of dialog.
10 “Power Over Spice Is Power Over All”
Sets The Scene
- Said By The Narrator
- Spoken To The Audience
The very first thing that happens in the film, as with Dune: Part One, is the imposing narrator’s voice speaking a few words of great importance. This time, it is a reminder that the true power in the universe of Dune resides with the spice. Not only is this substance what gives Paul his flashes of the future, and many other abilities, but it is necessary for so much across the universe, even space travel itself could not occur to such a degree without spice being widely available.
This leads to the Harkonnen Family panicking when they think they will be unable to continue delivering enough spice off-world. It is also the solution to Paul and the Fremen holding the Great Houses at bay in the finale, as he insists he will use the Atreides atomic weapons to destroy all the spice fields if they attack. The control of spice truly is everything.
9 “I Am The Voice From The Outer World! I Will Lead You To Paradise!”
Sums Up The Central Conflict
- Said By Paul Atreides
- Spoken To The Southern Tribes
Much of the conflict throughout Dune: Part Two is inner turmoil within Paul as he considers whether he should take control of the Fremen and lead them into a Holy War across the universe. The moment he decides and steps into the council, defying them all and telling truths he shouldn’t be able to know to non-believers, is terrifying and captivating.
After his denials, and his insistence to Chani that he loved her more than he wanted power, Paul taking on the role of the Mahdi that the Fremen wanted him to be was momentous. He could see the future, and the defeat of the Harkonnens and the Emperor were almost foregone conclusions after he accepted this role. The true conflict of Dune is internal.
8 “The Mahdi Is Too Humble To Say He Is The Mahdi”
Poking Fun At Religious Fervor
- Said By Stilgar
- Spoken To Other Fremen Believers
One of the more humorous moments that comes early in the film is centered on Stilgar’s burgeoning belief in Paul as the Lisan al Gaib. While many of the northern Fremen, such as Chani, refuse to believe in the prophecy, Stilgar and those from the South see Paul as the prophet no matter what he does, including when he denies he is the Mahdi.
Stilgar immediately whispers this quote in excitement to other believers when Paul proclaims he is no prophet. Though humorous, this moment makes a great point about the nature and fervent power of religious beliefs, which was why the Bene Gesserit spread the prophecy on Arrakis in the first place, laying the seeds that Paul and Jessica use to their advantage.
7 “I Won’t Be Fighting For Him, I’m Fighting For My People”
Indicative Of The Most Character Who Grows The Most
- Said By Chani
- Spoken To Jessica
Though much about Dune: Part Two is a faithful adaption of the second half of the epic novel, certain things were changed. Chani’s character most of all. In the book, Chani immediately accepts Paul as the savior of her people, and at the end, she acquiesces to be his concubine while he marries Princess Irulan. In the film adaptation, she constantly speaks out against the prophecy and, despite loving him, refuses to support him in his new role.
Chani fights alongside the Fremen in the climactic battle, but insists the whole time that she isn’t doing it for Paul. She proves her independence and recognition of the danger that Paul and Jessica have put her people in by leaving to return South as the Fremen set out on their holy crusade in Paul’s name.
6 “You Underestimate The Power Of Faith”
A Central, Charged Theme
- Said By Princess Irulan
- Spoken To Emperor Shaddam IV
One of the wisest characters in Dune: Part Two is Florence Pugh‘s Princess Irulan. An astute character who sees disaster for her father long before he sees it himself, Irulan accepts her role as the wife of Paul Atreides after the film. First, though, she attempts to warn her father, who believes he can stamp out the burgeoning religious force on Arrakis with force.
This is another moment in Dune: Part Two which emphasizes the power of religion, a conflict at the center of the Dune books as well as the films. The Fremen don’t view Paul as a leader, but as a god, and it is that sort of belief that is truly dangerous and gives people the energy and power to fight in a way that can destroy anything.
5 “But The Heart Is Not Meant To Rule”
A Heart-Breaking Truth
- Said By Emperor Shaddam IV
- Spoken To Paul Atreides
The Emperor, played by Christopher Walken, isn’t a character that speaks much in Dune: Part Two. He’s a man who is truly worth listening to when he does speak, especially at that moment when he reveals why he had Paul’s father killed and nearly wiped out his family. Admitting that his father was truly a good man, but that is not the type of man that should be Emperor, is a moment that makes Paul hate him all the more, as he deposes him and takes vengeance for his father.
The reality is that leading with the heart is a way to inspire great love for a leader, and that presents the other half of what makes Paul so dangerous as the leader of the Fremen. Religion and love, put together, cause the brutal chain reaction that Paul sees in the future, and he doesn’t seem to be on a path to avoid it anymore, proving the Emperor’s words potentially correct in the end.
4 “You Are Not Prepared For What Is To Come”
Foreshadowing Everything
- Said By Alia Atreides
- Spoken To Paul Atreides
Alia Atreides is a more important and featured character in the Dune book than she is in the new movie, but she still has some significant words for her brother even though she was never born. In the book, several years pass between Paul’s flight to the Fremen and his becoming Emperor and Muad’Dib, but in the new film it is a matter of months, and Jessica remains pregnant for the entire film. Alia speaks to Paul in his visions, played by Anya Taylor-Joy.
In this vision, she tells him that he is not prepared for what is to come. This is the truest quote in the whole film. The irony of Dune is that Paul is the only one who can see everything coming, and the one least prepared to deal with it all. The consequences of his actions are all visible to him, yet he shies away from so much of his future.
3 “We Must Convert The Non-Believers, One By One”
The Vicious Side Of The Atreides
- Said By Jessica
- Spoken To Alia Atreides
Another character who is somewhat different in Dune: Part Two from how she is in the book, Paul’s mother doesn’t fade into the background in the second half of his story. She is instead the driving force attempting to make him take on the burden of being the Fremen leader. She and her pre-born daughter Alia feel villainous for a lot of the film, as they dig their claws into the Fremen and shove them toward believing in Paul.
This quote and moment where Jessica speaks to Alia while looking at some Fremen children is particularly menacing and helps showcase that, despite the Atreides family being the sympathetic faces of the first film, their situation has quickly changed. They have now, in the interests of self-preservation and vengeance, decided to abuse the Bene Gesserit foundations of faith and prophecy set on Arrakis.
2 “You Fought Well, Atreides”
A Simple Acceptance
- Said By Feyd-Rautha
- Spoken To Paul Atreides
The psychotic Feyd-Rautha is one of the most fascinating and diabolical parts of Dune: Part Two. Austin Butler puts in a terrifying performance as a loose cannon who manages to maintain his own sense of honor, despite being a lunatic who feeds his enemies to the strange women he keeps around him.
His final battle with Paul, fighting for the Emperor, is incredible to witness. Feyd-Rautha ends the fight having stabbed Paul twice but losing anyway as Paul stabs him fatally, and he simply compliments Paul’s fighting ability with his last words, continuing to showcase himself as an enigma to the end.
1 “The Holy War Begins”
The Next Step
- Said By Jessica
- Spoken To Everyone
The final words of the film are ironic, given that the Dune book was very final, despite the many sequels which ended up following. Denis Villeneuve, already with plans for a third film based on the Dune: Messiah sequel, decided to end things a little differently than the well-rounded ending of the first book.
As the Fremen charge out to face off with the Great Houses, who refuse to accept Paul as Emperor, Dune: Part Two ends with a literal new beginning. Jessica is the perfect person to introduce this new beginning, as Chani had already said earlier that she had won her battle, which was true. Jessica wanted to turn Paul into exactly what he became by the end of the film. She led him to this war, and it had begun in earnest.
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