Dune: Part Two, a sequel to Dune, returns with undeniably stunning visuals and cinematography. It also comes back with a lot more violence and is more emotional. Is Dune: Part Two kid friendly? It depends what you consider appropriate for your kids. Expect minimal language, moderate to heavy violence, and mature themes and content in this PG-13 rated film, especially when it comes to religion and politics. Here’s what parents need to know in this Dune 2 Parents Guide.
Dune: Part Two Parents Guide
Director Denis Villeneuve continues to take audiences on this incredible sci-fi journey with Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) in Dune: Part Two. Paul unites with Chani and the Fremen and learns their ways in the desert to not only survive, but exact revenge against the Emperor and the Harkonnens, who destroyed his family.
Along the way he learns things that surprise him and change his course of action.He must choose between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, trying to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Dune: Part Two is not Rated R as some have thought.
Age Rating: Why is Dune 2 Rated PG-13?
Dune: Part Two is rated PG-13 for “strong violence, brief strong language, and some suggestive material” which means some content may not be appropriate for kids under 13.
Dune 2 is rated PG-13 by the MPA and parents are strongly cautioned as material may be inappropriate for children.
Language
Language was pretty mild for a PG-13 movie including a couple uses of sh*t, piss, and hell. I thought I maybe heard a use of f*ck, but I couldn’t tell.
Violence: Is Dune 2 Too Scary For Kids?
As with the first Dune, there is war, plenty of battles, and many fight scenes, but this film feels more extreme. Dune: Part Two is not for young kids.
Close up shots of hand-to-hand combat, knife fights, characters throats getting slit, and scenes of death and explosions can be gruesome. Bodies are seen falling from a cliff. Helicopters are shot down and many characters die. However, there isn’t much blood and gore. The scenes can just be flinch-worthy.
A child is seen with blood on his face. A character’s head is seen slammed against a hard surface repeatedly. Ants and insects are seen crawling on a deceased head. Giant worms are seen swallowing bodies. A character is shown drinking poison and in pain. Characters are drugged and forced to fight to the death in a colosseum. More killings, war weaponry, fires, stabbings, etc.
Mature Content: Is Dune Part Two Kid Friendly?
While there is no nudity in Dune 2, sex is implied. Characters kiss and a character is seen on top of another without clothes on, but the shot is from about chest level. There is also some heavy breathing.
Another character is impregnated, but it is only discussed, not shown. A character is described as sexually vulnerable.
An embryo and fetus are shown inside a pregnant woman’s belly, and it talks to the mother.
Dune: Part Two has some dark and mature themes including war, evil forces, rituals, witches, and religious extremism.
Is Dune 2 Appropriate for Kids Under 13?
With a runtime of 2 hours and 46 minutes, Dune 2 is going to be too long for kids. Dune: Part Two is more appropriate for teens than younger kids due to war violence and mature themes.
The film is stacked with teens’ favorite stars – Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Zendaya, Austin Butler, and more, so they’ll want to see it. But will they get it? This is a mature sci-fi adventure that Dune fans will love.
It’s the casual teen star fans I worry about unless close-up shots of Chalamet’s broody faces are going to be enough. And for some people it might be. Paul has matured since the first film.
Villeneuve takes his time with the story, allowing character development and connection to grow, unlike the first Dune. The world building is phenomenal, and the payoff is a thrilling third act. The buildup was slow, and sometimes I found myself nodding off in the beginning.
Everyone in this cast delivers with Rebecca Ferguson and Zendaya being the stand outs for me. Ferguson even scared me more than Austin Butler did. The battle sequences in Dune: Part Two are extraordinary and the score only adds to the intensity. My seat was shaking.
Some of the Fremen believe that Paul is the prophesied hero and Messiah who will lead them to freedom. Others (like Chani) think they’re crazy and that this prophesy business is just nonsense.
However, when Dune 2 commented on fundamentalism and/or religious extremism and fanaticism, I started to feel silly for being a believer – in anything. Remarks about faith or people being controlled for waiting for a Messiah almost made me feel ashamed in a belief of a Savior. Questions are good; blind faith can be dangerous, but also who am I to tell someone else in what they should or shouldn’t believe in? Perhaps I missed the point.
Dune: Part Two is better than the first and deserves to be seen on the big screen. It may be pretty to look at, but the judgments made the film less attractive.
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