Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Fragment Two Is a Superb Sci-Fi Villain

The following myth contains spoilers for Dune: Fragment Two.

EVEN SOME OF basically the most attention-grabbing motion pictures set up now not want memorable villains. Director Denis Villeneuve has scramble into this anguish ahead of—a creepy Jared Leto is basically the most straightforward the visually-shapely Blade Runner 2049 can build—but has clearly since figured it out. Not only has he now featured Stellan Skarsgård as the diabolical Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in two Dune movies, but Dune: Fragment Two introduces Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who, as conducted by Austin Butler, staunch now turns into no doubt one of basically the most dynamic and mighty antagonists in years.

Feyd-Rautha himself is nothing notably new. He’s fixed with the character from Frank Herbert’s traditional 1964 sci-fi fresh; the psychotic Harkonnen inheritor has even been depicted by musician Sting in David Lynch’s unfortunate 1984 adaptation. But Butler, who last twelve months become nominated and virtually received an Oscar for taking part in Elvis in Elvis, calls for every ounce of attention every time he’s inflicting mayhem.

He’s launched with very certain aim: as a foil to Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Paul himself is an eventual villain of kinds, however the full level of Feyd-Rautha is that as a minimum on this vacuum, Paul is the lesser of two evils. And Butler’s demeanor makes that distinction very, very obvious. Or now not it is the build of magnetic performance reminscent of oldsters esteem Heath Ledger (in The Sad Knight) and Butler’s Dune: Fragment Two castmate Javier Bardem (in No Nation for Oldschool Males).

Each and every Villeneuve and Butler deserve credit ranking for making Feyd-Rautha feel ever-most up-to-date in the movie, despite the reality that he doesn’t even appear till an hour and 10 minutes in. That is in because of of a vivid bit of sequencing: Feyd-Rautha is first teased in a scene between Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Reverend Mom Gaius Helen Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling), the set up the latter mentions that Paul is now not the Bene Gesserit’s only probability to manipulate the imperial vitality in the universe; Irulan staunch now responds, with emphasis, that Feyd-Rautha is psychotic. Our attention is piqued. “Psychotic” is a unpleasant thing for somebody to be, but it be no doubt a attention-grabbing trait for a character in a movie to like.

The very next scene offers us our first undercover agent at Butler in paunchy pasty white build, and while many jokes had been made about his that you would be capable to additionally imagine inability to tumble the Elvis persona, there’s now not a scent of The King in Dune: Fragment Two. In its place, we staunch now be taught the insinuated repute is somewhat precise (and even maybe an irony). Feyd-Rautha speaks nearly identically to Skarsgård’s Baron Harkonnen, is both very bald and genuinely jacked, and is willing to extinguish somebody in his path with the reckless abandon of a teen taking part in Monumental Theft Auto. After which there’s his collection of human cannibal “pets,” whom he feeds the bodies of his victims to. That’ll build it!

Feyd-Rautha is the superstar of what is doubtless to be the movie’s most memorable jam share: the Harkonnen’s dwelling planet of Giedi High depicted nearly totally in dusky and white/infrared imagery. He’s placed in a Gladiator-fashion stadium with the aim of declaring his champion set up of dwelling by butchering drugged up prisoners. This time around, The Baron decides to reward him for his birthday—and take a look at him of his worthiness—with a sober historical Atreides soldier to acquire on.

Or now not it is thrilling to undercover agent Feyd-Rautha realize in proper time that maybe for the first time ever, he’s in an attractive fight. Or now not it is disagreeable, then, to undercover agent him laughing when that prisoner has a knife to his face, refusing support when his servants strive to even the probabilities. Naturally, Feyd-Rautha beneficial properties the upper hand, uttering, “You fought effectively, Atreides,” ethical ahead of he ends the prisoner’s existence and leaves victorious.

The bouts of deranged laughter and barking infuriate are the closest we gain to feelings from Feyd-Rautha; he has no response, correct or unfriendly, to moral in regards to the rest. When his inappropriate uncle is murdered in entrance of him by Paul later in the movie, he doesn’t blink. When The Emperor (Christopher Walken) calls upon him for a fight-to-the-loss of life with Paul, his cool, stage-headedness doesn’t flinch.

Even all the formula down to his very remaining breath—Paul comes out on high, naturally, but now not with out suffering a number of stab wounds along the fashion—Feyd-Rautha offers away nothing. Butler plays the character with such an effortless, nearly rock superstar cool (Villeneuve at one level in comparison Feyd-Rautha to Mick Jagger) that watching him build very, very unfriendly things at some stage right during the 2d half of the movie are amongst basically the most energized moments.

The Reverend Mom tells Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) in no doubt one of many movie’s remaining scenes that “there don’t appear to be any aspects,” and maybe no character illustrates this greater than Feyd-Rautha; maybe that’s why he so completely fits into the parable arc. He’s killed his mother (we be taught 2d hand), he calls his brother (Dave Bautista) an embarrassment and forces him to kiss his toes, and he nearly appears to be like angry to undercover agent his uncle stabbed to loss of life ahead of his eyes. His title is “Harkonnen,” but that doesn’t appear to mean worthy on the cease of the day.

Dune: Fragment Two has a lot to claim about who’s “correct,” and who’s “unfriendly,” and that quote—”there don’t appear to be any aspects”—reigns, in the waste, over the entirety. The set up there is vitality, that is doubtless to be corrupted. But that does not imply there’s now not room for a rattling correct villain arc along the fashion. And the fashion Villeneuve and Butler introduced Feyd-Rautha to the cloak is something movie followers shall be brooding about for a actually very long time.