Dune: Part 2″ Receives Steven Spielberg’s Acclaim Calling it “One of the Most Brilliant Sci-Fi Films I’ve Ever Seen”

Steven Spielberg Praises Dune – Part 2: Denis Villeneuve’s directed film, Dune: Part Two, has broken the box office record by becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year. The movie has been hailed for all sorts of good reasons. Critics and audiences both praised the epic sci-fi film for its pleasing visuals, which comes very close to realizing Frank Herbert’s vision. Last but not least, the ensemble cast gave a phenomenal performance.

The sci-fi film has caught the attention of some celebrated names from the industry, including Christopher Nolan, who compared the Dune sequel with the 1980 Star Wars sequel film The Empire Strikes Back, claiming it as his favorite Star Wars film. Now, renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg shared his insight into Villeneuve’s directorial masterpiece and complimented a particular scene in the film, which highly impressed him.

Steven Spielberg praised Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part 2

Steven Spielberg needs no introduction. He is one of the greatest filmmakers in the film industry whose career echoes glory. Throughout his career, the iconic filmmaker has delivered some incredible films which solidify his status in the cinematic world. Getting his opinion on a film indeed weighs a lot. However, Denis Villeneuve’s latest film, Dune: Part 2, not only caught his attention, but he also praised the filmmaker for his impeccable vision and shared that a particular scene in the film made a great impact on him.

Recently, Spielberg, along with Villeneuve, appeared on DGA’s Director’s Cut podcast, where Spielberg showered Villeneuve with praises. Emphasizing the perfect balance within the elements of the film, Spielberg said,

“This is truly a visual epic, and it’s also filled with deeply, deeply drawn characters. Yet the dialogue is very sparse when you look at it proportionately to the running time of the film. It’s such cinema. The shots are so painterly, yet there’s not an angle or single setup that’s pretentious … you have made one of the most brilliant science fiction films I have ever seen.”

He continued by beautifully describing the impression the blockbuster film left on him. He said,

“There is such a yearning for water in this movie. For all the sand you have in this film, it’s really about water — the sacred waters that you are yearning for; green meadows and the blue water of life. You filmed the desert to resemble an ocean, a sea. The sand worms were like sea serpents and that scene [of Paul] surfing the sand worm is one of the greatest things I have ever seen, ever. But you made the desert look like a liquid.”

Villeneuve, who was accompanying Spielberg during the podcast, reflected on how he shot specific scenes during specific times of the day. The scene where Paul [Timothée Chalamet] and Chani [Zendaya] kissed was shot over four days, always at the same hour each day, to maintain continuity. He added that sand dunes were “cast” for their orientation to each other within the frame. Villeneuve said, “It was the strangest casting I’ve done in my life.”

Dune: Part Two was released on March 1, 2024, and grossed over $579.7 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2024. The film is a sequel to the 2021 film Dune. Directed by Villeneuve, the film was based on a 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. Just like its successor film, Dune: Part One was a blockbuster hit, and it even won six awards at the 94th Academy Awards.