The trailer for Dune: Part Three is finally here, and it looks absolutely incredible.
This is the epic conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, and if this trailer is any indication, he’s not interested in simply wrapping things up. He’s trying to make the biggest, boldest movie of the entire trilogy.
The opening almost has a Saving Private Ryan in space vibe. Massive-scale warfare, chaos, and an overwhelming sense that everything is about to come crashing together. That’s the feeling I got immediately, and if that’s how this movie starts, we’re in for something special.
The hardest thing to pull off in Hollywood is ending a trilogy. So many franchises stumble at the finish line. The Lord of the Rings managed to do it perfectly. The Dark Knight Rises never quite reached the heights of the first two movies. Even the modern Planet of the Apes films finished on a strong note. But sticking the landing is incredibly difficult.
That’s why this trailer is so exciting.
It doesn’t feel like a franchise running out of steam. It feels like one that’s somehow getting even bigger.
One thing I’ve always appreciated is how quickly Villeneuve made these movies. In an era where audiences wait four or five years between sequels, this trilogy has kept its momentum. Compare that to the gap between The Batman and its sequel. Villeneuve basically said, “Let’s make these movies,” and kept pushing forward.
I still think Dune: Part Two is an incredible film, and it may end up remaining my favorite. But Part Three doesn’t look like it’s trying to repeat what came before. It looks like it’s escalating everything.
The cast alone is ridiculous.
Jason Momoa is back. Robert Pattinson stepping in as the villain is an unbelievable addition. Anya Taylor-Joy gets a much larger role. Somehow this franchise managed to inject itself with even more star power than it already had.
What’s also been fun to watch is Timothée Chalamet’s evolution throughout these movies. He wasn’t the kind of established movie star who reluctantly showed up for a blockbuster paycheck. He became an even bigger star while making these films, and every time he talks about Dune, you can tell how passionate he is about the project. It feels like he’s making the kind of ambitious science-fiction epic he genuinely wants to be part of.
That’s part of what makes this trilogy feel different.
It doesn’t have the feeling of a studio assembly line. It feels like filmmakers and actors who genuinely care about creating something ambitious.
The trailer also hints at everything you’d want from the finale: massive battles, political intrigue, betrayal, shifting alliances, and spectacle on a scale that somehow looks even larger than Part Two.
What’s funny is that we’re getting Dune: Part Three and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey within a relatively short window of each other. Those are two gigantic cinematic events.
Meanwhile, another Avengers movie is on the horizon and, personally, it almost feels like child’s play compared to what these two films are attempting artistically. It’ll probably make more money because superhero movies have an enormous built-in audience, but from a filmmaking perspective, Dune feels like it’s operating on another level.
That’s what excites me most.
Denis Villeneuve has somehow leveled up with every single installment instead of playing it safe. By the third movie, a lot of franchises are just trying to survive and get across the finish line.
This one looks like it’s hitting the accelerator.
December can’t get here fast enough. The wait is going to be painful, but if this trailer is any indication, it’ll be worth every second.
This isn’t just shaping up to complete an incredible trilogy.
It looks like it’s aiming to become one of the greatest science-fiction trilogies ever made.
