Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve explains why audiences don't have to have seen the first film. After the success of his 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's source material, Villeneueve returns to the desert plant of Arrakis to continue the story of Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides. The film, which is now playing in theaters, has been met with glowing reviews from critics and audiences alike thus far.
"I think it's a good question. First, it was important for me that the movie would be kind of autonomous, meaning that someone who has not seen ‘Dune’ could still enjoy ‘Part Two.’ So, we gave enough hints at the beginning of the story to make sure that it was kind of autonomous. Of course, it's a better journey if you have seen ‘Dune,’ but I tried that."
Watching the first Dune makes Paul's character arc more powerful and more moving as he embraces a leadership role with the Fremen in the sequel. By skipping Dune and going straight to the sequel, one would essentially be jumping into the story half-way through. While Villeneuve does indeed explain more or less what happens in the first movie, orienting viewers, it's obviously much more effective to see this play out on screen over the film's 2-hour and 35-minute runtime.