The follow-up to his 2021 landmark sci-fi hit, Denis Villeneuve’sDune: Part Two, has dominated the box office and become a social media sensation following its recent release. The sequel, which adapts the second half of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, has quickly become thehighest-grossing movie of 2024, a title it is expected to keep long into the year.Dune: Part Twotakes the grand-scale storytelling and visuals that Villeneuve expertly brought to the original and takes them several steps further, introducing audiences to new planets and even grander action scenes.
As well as the original source material, Villeneuve drew inspiration from a plethora of his favorite movies and shared a few of them during the press tour for the film. There were some expected entries in his list for the top inspirations forDune: Part Two, with Villeneuve’s persistent love ofSwedish director Ingmar Bergmannand other desert set fables likeLawrence of Arabia, shining through. However, one film that many weren’t expecting the acclaimed director to mention, but in retrospect makes perfect sense, is a beloved anime movie from the ’80s.
Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira Inspired Dune: Part Two
Set in a dystopian version of 2019, Katsuhiro Otomo’sAkirafollows Shōtarō Kaneda, the leader of a Neo-Tokyo biker gang, whose life and reality are turned upside down when his childhood friend, Tetsuo, gains unexpected telekinetic powers.Akirais regarded as one of the best and most influential anime of all time, let alone within the sci-fi genre. The film has gone on to inspire countless cyberpunk landscapes in film, TV, and video games through its stunning exploration of neo-Tokyo and had itsfamous bike slide imitated and parodiedin hundreds of other movies and shows. However, for Villeneuve,Akira’s influence was more subtle, so subtle that the French-Canadian director didn’t realize he was even drawing from the film at first.
Dune 2’s Denis Villeneuve Grants Final Wish of a Dying Fan
Dune 2 director Denis Villeneuve brought comfort to a dying fan by letting him see the sequel before it hit the theater.
In an interview withEsquire UK, in which Villeneuve outlined the five films that inspiredDune: Part Two, he stated thatAkirahad a subconscious influence on the story he was telling:
“When I was directing it – the hair, the silhouettes, the way I was shooting him. It was not a conscious choice, and it reminded me of something, and suddenly it became obvious as I was storyboarding, ‘Okay, I’m doing Akira.'”
Villeneuve said that he feltAkira’s narrative was reflected in Paul Atreides’s transformation. At the start ofAkira, Kaneda, and Tetsuo are both layabout bikers with no real sense of direction or purpose. They simply do what they must to have fun and survive. However, as the film progresses and Tetsuo’s powers develop, the narrative becomes far darker as he begins to lose control, threatening to usher in a new Armageddon.
You could draw several parallels betweenAkiraand Paul Atreides inDune: Part Two, which Villeneuve might be referencing. First and foremost, neither of the film’s protagonists is your typical hero, withDune: Part Twosubverting the chosen one storyline. They aren’t muscle-bound, brawling action heroes. They are teenagers who desire normality but are forced down a darker path and must adapt and grow along the way.
Both films also feature heavy themes of religious fanaticism. As Tetsuo’s powers grow, he develops a cult following of die-hard religious zealots. The same goes for Paul, as (without spoilers)Dune: Part Twodelves deeper into the book’s thematic exploration of religious insurgency and messianic figures as Paul’s influence over the Fremen grows.
The Scale of Dune: Part Two Is Drawn From Japanese Cinema
Dune: Part Two
If there’s one thing to be said about Villeneuve’s visual style in both films, the French-Canadian director is a master of imposing scale through the camera. Thedesert of Arrakisfeels truly endless, and the sandworms that roam its barren landscape feel tangible and have weight despite audiences knowing they are CGI creations. In the same interview, Villeneuve went on to praise howAkira, and the wider scope of Japanese cinema, shows depth and scale in its framing.
The animation style ofAkiracan almost be said to replicate wide-angle lenses, as the sprawling vibrancy of Neo-Tokyo and the city’s darker underbelly are always lurking on the edges of the frame. The animators use this faux-wide lens to pack as much detail and scale into each shot as possible. The same can be said for Villeneuve’s own style of filmmaking, even beyond theDunefranchise. His previous foray into the sci-fi genre,Arrival, instilled a sense of verisimilitude as Amy Addams’s character, Dr. Louise Banks, paled in comparison to the sheer scale and size of the aliens within every shot.
The sense of scale and volume inDune: Part Tworepresents the film’s ode to the stylistic choices ofAkira. One of the standout scenes inDune: Part Twois the black-and-white arena fight scene, which introduces audiences to Austin Butler’s terrifying na-Baron Feyd-Rautha. At the scene’s close, Villeneuve cuts to a visually stark landscape shot of Giedi Prime’s capital city as strange fireworks celebrate the na-Baron’s birthday. Knowing that Villeneuve drew fromAkira, it’s hard not to compare the monochromatic landscape to the wide shots of neo-Tokyo inAkira.
There has been talk of alive-actionAkirafor years. At present, Taika Waititi is set to direct the project, which is reportedly still going ahead. However, following Villeneuve’s interview, many fans are now calling for Villeneuve to take over the project.Dune: Part Twois currently playing in theaters, whileAkirais available to stream on Hulu.
