Dune: Part Two: Denis Villeneuve picks up, essentially, where he left off in this continuation of his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s book. That’s when the protagonist’s journey becomes less political and more mystic and messianic, which makes it more tiresome. The film is unafraid to make him unlikeable, to its credit, but that doesn’t mean it is a pleasant film to watch; that also makes its long runtime more acutely felt. The cast is large (the crowded poster is far from exhaustive) and putting in good work; Timothée Chalamet is a fine choice for where his character starts in the franchise, but he isn’t fully convincing of the trajectory; Zendaya is quite good as the strong and young warrior that the protagonist falls in love with; Austin Butler imbues great snake-like physicality to his otherwise run-of-the-mill psychopath.

The film truly shines, however, with the craft. Cinematographer Greig Fraser’s images are very dynamically lit, and he captures both the wide expanses and the small details of faces and objects beautifully. Production designer Patrice Vermette and costume designer Jacqueline West contribute to create a visually rich and authentic-looking world. The sound design is top-notch, and composer Hans Zimmer’s musical score is again very unique-sounding.

Read also: Dune: Part One