Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two.
"Frankly, I hate dialogue," Denis Villeneuvesaid recently. "Dialogue is for theater and TV. I don't remember movies because of a good line [...] I'm not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound; that is the power of cinema." While it's true that Villeneuve's main strength is his talent for striking visuals, his Dune movies are still among the best-written sci-fi movies of the last decade. This reflects the solid source material by author Frank Herbert, which Villeneuve and co-writers Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth have polished to a shine.
Dune's dialogue is rich without being over the top.Importantly, it conveys a ton of information about this cinematic universe without feeling like an overwhelming info dump. On top of that, both Dune movies feature a bevy of quotable lines and phrases that are sure to become iconic. Whether it's Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) snarling a threat or Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) recognizing his destiny, these lines move the plot along, reveal something about the character, or simply sound badass. Here are Dune: Part Two's most memorable quotes, ranked.
Dune: Part Two
PG-13 Sci-FiDramaActionAdventure810Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
- Release Date
- March 1, 2024
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Cast
- Timothee Chalamet , Stellan Skarsgård , Florence Pugh , Zendaya , Rebecca Ferguson , Javier Bardem
- Runtime
- 166 minutes
10 "Take my life, Usul. It is the only way."
Stilgar
Javier Bardem delivers one of his most enjoyable performances in recent years as Stilgar, leader of the Fremen of Sietch Tabr. He's a fierce warrior and true son of the desert, but he's also loyal, kind, and surprisingly welcoming of Paul and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). He cares deeply for his people, so much so that he is willing to sacrifice himself for their benefit.
A pivotal scene in Dune: Part Two sees the Fremen gather for a council to discuss their response to the Harkonnen's onslaught. Paul has a plan, but by tradition, only Fremen leaders are allowed to speak at these gatherings. A wounded Stilgar tells Paul to kill him so that Paul will take over as leader and thus be given a platform to speak. Paul refuses, of course, but Stilgar's offer proves his devotion to his people. Where figures like Emperor Shaddam (Christopher Walken) and Baron Harkonnen are willing to kill anyone to save their own skin, Stilgar values his kin above himself. The line also shows Stilgar's blind fate on Paul and his sheer devotion to ensuring his ascension.
9 "SILENCE!"
Paul Atreides
Charlotte Rampling appears in the Dune movies as the intimidating Gaius Helen Mohiam, a senior member of the Benne Gesserit sisterhood, advisor to the Emperor, and an all-around devious schemer. When audiences meet her in the first movie, she orders Paul to place his hand in the box of pain, and also commands him using the power known as the Voice. This technique allows someone to control another's mind with their words. To have it done to you is a deep, deep violation.
This makes it all the more satisfying when the newly empowered Paul turns the tables on Mohiam in the second film. During a climactic scene, she appears and attempts to compel Paul once more, but instead, he uses the Voice on her, forcing her to shut up. Mohiam is utterly shocked as she has probably never been on the receiving end of this power. Dumbstruck, she does nothing except mutter the word "Abomination." Even behind her vain, Rampling does a stellar job portraying the Reverend Mother's shock and utter hate for Paul, while Chalamet's decisive performance goes a long way to sell Paul's new place as the Kwisatz Haderach.
8 "May thy knife chip and shatter."
Paul Atreides
One of the most intense sequences in the film is the climactic showdown between Paul and Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler), the psychopathic nephew of Baron Harkonnen. They have a duel to the death that has the potential to determine the fate of the whole universe. It's Paul's toughest physical challenge yet. Feyd-Rautha is a formidable opponent with extensive combat experience and insatiable blood lust. He's also totally merciless.
They have an intense, nail-biting fight, one of the best-choreographed scenes in the series and a worthy entry into the ever-expanding movie duels canon. However, the coolest moment is Paul's ominous declaration just before it begins: "May the knife chip and shatter." During Paul's duel with one of the Fremen in the first movie, the line is also spoken; however, while that version carries honorable undertones, the one spoken during Paul's duel with Feyd-Rautha is a warning, a stone-cold threat that shows how serious the stakes are and how much Paul has changed since the start of his journey.
7 "The Madhi is too humble to say He is the Madhi. Even more reason to know He is!"
Stilgar
Possibly the funniest moment in Dune: Part Two is Stilgar's response to Paul saying that he does not think he is the prophesized messiah. In a paraphrase of Monty Python'sLife of Brian, Stilgar gushes to a group of Fremen that Paul's denial of his divinity is yet more proof of his divinity. He looks practically childlike with glee, his eyes a glow, as he gushes, "As it is written!"
Stilgar has many hilarious lines like this throughout the films; he's easily the best character in Dune, and Bardem's performance is pitch-perfect. But this quote is also endearing in that it shows that Stilgar is hopeful and believes in a cause greater than himself, qualities which set him apart from most of Dune's scheming, power-mad characters. And yet, the quote is also terribly ominous, reinforcing Dune's messages of blind faith and extremism. Bardem's delivery might make it easy to overlook, but this single line shows the danger of prophecies and fanaticism.
6 "You may die. You may see. The beauty and the horror."
Lady Jessica
Paul's mother, Lady Jessica, is one of Dune's most intriguing characters. She is a member of the Bene Gesserit, with preternatural abilities and a firm belief in the prophecy of the Chosen One. She's also a consummate political schemer who uses threats and manipulation to strengthen Paul's position. It's not always clear if this is because she genuinely believes he will save the universe or if she simply wants to see him sitting on the Emperor's throne.
Jessica undergoes a further transformation in Dune: Part Two when she becomes a Reverend Mother, drinking the "water of life" and gaining the memories of hundreds of women who came before. Now fully leveraging her position to ensure Paul's ascendancy, she arranges for Paul to drink this position as well, hinting that he'll receive the clarity he's searching for. Like many other quotes in Dune: Part Two, this line is dripping with meaningful subtext, as Lady Jessica hints at Paul's grandiose future, which will come at the expense of millions of lives and countless pain.
5 "He was a man who believed in the rules of the heart, but the heart is not meant to rule."
Emperor Shaddam IV
Emperor Shaddam IV is the ruler of the known universe and the single most powerful political figure in Dune: Part Two, but even his position is not guaranteed. He, too, forever has to scheme and guard against challengers. This includes selling House Atreides to the Harkonnens to further his influence, even though he loved Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) like a son.
While Shaddam may not appear as cruel on the surface as the Harkonnens do, his heinous treatment of Leto shows that he's just as bad. There's a quiet ruthlessness to Shaddam's approach, as he openly congresses to Paul that Leto was a weak ruler. It's bad enough that he's suggesting Leto pretty much deserved to die, but his stoic, outright detached delivery hints at the numbness within. Unlike other figures who guide themselves by power lust, ambition, or pain, Shaddam is far more calculating, adding a disturbing layer to this already biting quote.
4 "I believe I matter to these people."
Paul Atreides
Much of the drama in Dune: Part Two revolves around whether Paul really is the messiah or not. The Fremen become split between those who think he is and those who think this is all some kind of trick. Chani (Zendaya), for example, belongs in the latter category, although she eventually comes to respect Paul as a fighter and ally and accepts that he really does want to help.
A key part of this is Paul himself denying his savior status and saying that his goal is simply to take revenge on House Harkonnen and win the Fremen their freedom. He tells them powerfully that he is on their side, after which they accept him as a brother. This line captures the ambiguity of Paul's nature; he wants to help the Fremen while still acknowledging his supposed importance. The tragedy of Paul's journey is that he starts as a well-meaning young man before descending into violence and ruthlessness after becoming convinced of his larger-than-life purpose.
3 "Tighten your grip, Rabban. Or feel mine on your neck."
Baron Harkonnen
Baron Harkonnen is one of the most iconic and scariest villains in all of sci-fi, and his depiction in Villeneuve's movies more than lives up to that status.The Baron is slimy and shockingly fat, to the point that he needs anti-gravity devices to move around. He's also evil to the core, the most dangerous possible combination of ruthlessness and cold intellect.
As a result, he has a number of hardcore quotes, like in the first movie when he hisses, "This is my dune. Kill them all." In one scene in Part Two, he threatens his nephew, Rabban (Dave Bautista), with death due to his repeated failures to bring the Fremen to heel. Rabban may be family, but this does not count for much with the Baron. Stellan Skarsgård's monotonous, creepy performance is already great, and stone-cold lines like this make his Baron Harkonnen all the more menacing.
2 "This prophecy is how they enslave us!"
Chani
Chani has an important role in Dune: Part Two as the only one of Paul's close allies who does not believe that he is the prophesized messiah. She values him for who he is, not because of anything some old legend says. Toward the end of Dune: Part Two, she grows concerned by Paul's rising status and his bold plans to take on the great Houses in intergalactic battle. She does not worship power and is wary of its corrosive effects.
Chani reveals this earlier in the movie when she says that the prophecy is a dangerous fiction. Whereas the rest of the Fremen come to see it as their salvation, she views the prophecy as yet another ploy to keep them in chains. Dune is full of colonialism metaphors, so it's refreshing to see a character not only acknowledging but openly defying them. Her words ring especially true, as the film shows just how easy it is to rally people behind a cause with a few well-chosen words. Chani's line about the dangers of prophecies might as well summarize the main themes throughout both Dune movies.
1 "Lead them to paradise."
Paul Atreides
Paul Atreides undergoes remarkable character development in Dune: Part Two, going from an untested aristocrat to a rebel warrior. He rides worms, gains new wisdom, plans military operations, and becomes the leader of a people. Most of all, he wrestles with his supposed status as the Chosen One. By the finale, he seems to accept it, flouting Fremen tradition to speak at the council, claiming that his powers as the Mahdi supersede any human laws.
He confronts the most intimidating foes in the known universe, from Mohiam to the Baron, Feyd-Rautha to the Emperor. He claims the title of ruler not just of Arrakis but of the entire Known Universe, a bold move if there ever was one. The other Houses reject Paul's ascendancy, and he responds with icy determination:"Lead them to paradise," he says, meaning simply: kill them all. If there was any doubt that Dune is not a typical hero story, this line pretty much throws it out the window. It seems the Madhi cannot permit nonbelievers to live, sounding more like the Harkonnens that he just dethroned than the boy he was at the start of the first film.
Dune: Part Two is now playing in theaters worldwide.
