Dune: Part Two

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To quote Life of Brian: "He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy !" ;-)  

I would shorten the black-and-white scene in a certain arena (it doesn't add much to the story, drags on a bit, needlessly) and instead reinserted a few short scenes with Thufir back into the storyline. There was some good character material in those that also concerns the characterization of Paul. Other than that, a very solid adaptation of the second half of the book.  

I also appreciate that what Chani has doubts about in the source material, mostly in private, and keeps it to herself, she voices openly in this film, even if she pays a certain personal price for it. In a certain sense, from a particular point in the story onward, she becomes the real down-to-earth protagonist of the story, all the while the seemingly more typical "heroes" walk ever more cynical pathways. Chani's final scene in the film even evoked the proverbial "lone voice in the wilderness/desert".  

As in the novel, Paul has (likely) for the majority of Fremen become their Lawrence of Arabia and then promptly their very own reincarnated 'Outer Space Mohammed'. Even this was only thanks to fake folklore, implanted earlier among the more superstitious Fremen, and has nothing to do with their own original faith (a sort of far-future Islam-Buddhism-Animism combination). If we want to apply this on real world contexts, it's a contrast between the idea of faith accompanied with a conscience, and blind faith accompanied by nationalistic/tribalistic and hypocritical hijacking of faith as a topic and way of life.   

Paul has now given in to temptation, out of fear, doubt and anxieties, and turned to pridefulness. He appears self-important, throwing away the well-behaved sonny of nobility from a waterry planet, but he still doesn't truly realise that his psychedelic visions are no more accurate than before. The only change is that the visions have expanded their scope towards the past and the breadth of the universe, but nothing more. They're leading him by the nose and driving him increasingly to greater tragedies.  

The Dune series was always about the repercussions of people's actions and the dangers of the cynical shortcut. The sequel is (and will be) all about the repercussions of the decisions made by Paul and his followers.

Lawrence of Arabia was disappointed in his cofighters and protéges, realisinghe had won a Pyrrhic victory, and returned home. Paul of Arrakis isgoing to experience this too (for now, he still thinks that he can steer it somewhat, but it's not possible), and compared to  Lawrence, he will have no home to return to.     

Let's bear in mind that both book and film Paul is a barely adult lad that suddenly seizes immense political power. Even the most moral of high school graduate age persons doesn't have what it takes to peacefully lead a galactic empire inhabited by billions of people. Especially when his own followers consider him only a crutch for their own ambitions of power.

The timeless themes in the story of both Dune films (and their source material and its sequels) can also be interpreted as a warning against disinformation and emotional manipulation/processing of people, done in order to breed an unthinking fanaticism in them, under the weight of fear and false hopes. And the subsequent repercussions of those people's behaviour, repercussions that also harm those very people.