5 films that influenced 'Dune: Part 2'

The first part of Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's cult novels won six Oscars and was a smash hit. The follow-up film has now delivered the best debut of 2024, raking in a whopping $81.5 million in North American theaters on its opening weekend. In an interview with "Esquire," the Canadian filmmaker discussed five films that inspired different aspects of his grand-scale epic.

Denis Villeneuve describes "Lawrence of Arabia" as a "masterclass in filmmaking" and as a movie that deals with "the impact of colonialism." The desert epic stars Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence. In Arabia, the British Lieutenant experiences the violence of war and faces an identity crisis, torn by conflicting loyalties between the British army and comrades within the Arabian desert tribes.

"Lawrence of Arabia" was based on the real T. E. Lawrence's life and his 1926 book, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," which was one of Frank Herbert's sources of inspiration. Similarly, in "Dune: Part 2," Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) goes through an identity shift. After finding shelter among the Fremen people, he feels torn between the expectations of his family and those of the Fremen tribe.

Denis Villeneuve also quotes Martin Scorsese's epic religious drama as a source of inspiration. In "The Last Temptation of Christ," Willem Dafoe portrays a fallible, self-doubting Jesus tempted by human desires, such as leading an ordinary life married to Mary Magdalene. In "Dune 2," Paul Atreides is a messianic figure who also struggles with doubt. And that complicates his romantic relationship.

Through his relationship with Fremen warrior Chani (Zendaya), Paul discovers the tensions within the tribe. Just like Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ," Denis Villeneuve offers an atmospheric and precisely-directed cinematic work, in which an otherworldly soundtrack plays a strong role. German-born composer Hans Zimmer penned the "Dune" score.

The cyberpunk Japanese anime "Akira" centers on a boy who acquires incredible psychic abilities who turns evil. It serves as a fable on the corrupting influence of power. Denis Villeneuve told "Esquire" that he was a huge fan of the film, and felt the story echoed Paul Atreides' transformation from a quiet humble character fighting for survival into a dark messianic figure.

Passion, power, corruption and oppression are all part of Villeneuve's new film. Paul Atreides' powers grow in "Dune 2," among others thanks to his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson, photo), who contributes to mythologizing her son as a messianic figure and ignites a holy war. Themes of fascism, religion and cultism are also woven into the narrative of the new film.

Another great influence for the "Dune" director is Swedish master Ingmar Bergman. Villeneuve says that "Persona" is by far one of his favorite movies ever. Even though the avant-garde psychological drama from 1966 is miles away from the sci-fi epic, Villeneuve was inspired by Bergman's incredible use of close-ups and by how he also let landscapes contribute to the characters' story.

Denis Villeneuve and Australian cinematographer Greig Fraser composed "Dune" as a series of wide desert landscape shots combined with uncluttered close-ups, such as this scene bringing together Paul Atreides and Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin), a weapons master of the House Atreides, who served as one of his mentors.

Perhaps the most surprising pick in his list of five inspirations discussed in the "Esquire" interview, Villeneuve said that in the second part of "Dune," he aimed to achieve the cinematic delivery found in the animated films starring the hungry Wile E. Coyote and his potential prey, the Road Runner. The slapstick characters first appeared in the 1949 Looney Tunes cartoon, "Fast and Furry-ous."