A bit of a dumbed-down mess compared to Part One

The first film is masterful - it respects both its source material and the audience, doesn't feel rushed or unnatural in its presentation, there's no unnecessary comedy, and the emotional beats hit as they should. It's a damn piece of art, like watching some ancient otherworldly tome come to life in front of your eyes.

So what the hell happened with Part Two? It feels like a strange meld of Villeneuve and a blockbuster for the masses churned out by studio heads. The artful pacing is long gone, and I'm watching scenes quickly pass me by with little emotional connection to the characters within them. It often feels rushed (despite its length) and distant. The editing choppy.

Characters now overtly explain their actions and what's going on, sometimes multiple times, and I get the distinct impression that some asshole studio exec is barking in my ear to make sure my plebeian brain knows exactly what's going on at all times in the most obvious way possible. Visual storytelling and subtlety? It's taken a backseat.

And you have this quasi-Marvel humor that suddenly appears with Stilgar (who has also been dumbed down as a character), which is pretty jarring if you watch the two films back to back. There's other issues with the dialogue/characters I could mention as well, but regardless...

The brilliance of Villeneuve still shines through even when bogged down by these annoying fundamental flaws. I'm confident there must be a longer, superior cut of the film that exists. As it stands though, I'm actually not looking forward to the third installment if it continues in this direction. For shame.