Joe Kohle’s review published on Letterboxd:
The spice hits even harder a second time.
I want to focus on Timmy and Zendaya.
Timotheé is Himothée. The “I am Paul Muad’Dib Atreides” scene and Timmy’s performance in it remind me of the “I’m not leaving” scene in The Wolf of Wall Street and Leo’s performance. Both scenes have equal parts “hell yeah” and “oh no,” as both characters choose to fully embrace their power and influence, but at the cost of their humanity and morality. For the 10th anniversary of The Wolf of Wall Street, Esquire wrote about the “I’m not leaving” scene: “We aren’t meant to be rooting for Belfort (even if he does look like Leonardo DiCaprio). We’re meant to be horrified by his hubris, and by the cult-like devotion of his followers.” The same could definitely said for the Muad’Dib scene. We’re also not meant to be rooting for Paul (even if he does look like Timotheé Chalamet), as Herbert intended for the character to serve as a warning about charismatic leaders. Each scene also features an incredible monologue delivered by an actor who is the best of his generation. It’s wild that at such a young age Timmy was able to summon so much authority and gravity. And he had to do it in a fake language!
Zendaya gives the best performance of her career. She deftly and elegantly portrays the contradiction of her character’s strength and vulnerability. She is the heart and soul of the movie. It’s inconspicuously challenging to play a character who isn’t flashy, but still has to be compelling as the human and moral core of a film while also serving as the proxy for the audience (and Frank Herbert). Zendaya does it at such a high level in this. The last shot of her is already iconic.
I have really enjoyed following Timmy and Zendaya’s careers since Homeland and Homecoming, and I am incredibly proud of them for accomplishing what they did in this. They are the preeminent movie stars of their generation and I can’t wait to see them continue to grow as actors and artists.
