
Back in 2024, Dune: Part Two hit theaters and smashed records, solidifying itself as one of the biggest films of the year. A sci-fi movie this well-crafted and faithful to Frank Herbert’s classic – while still managing to connect with general audiences – is no easy feat. So naturally, everyone expected Denis Villeneuve’s film to get some serious recognition at major awards like the Golden Globes and the Oscars. The problem? That didn’t happen. While the film only got two Golden Globe nominations, it managed to land a few more at the biggest film awards of the year, bringing its total Oscar nominations to five. A step up? Yes, but I still don’t think it was enough.
Like every other Dune fan, I can’t wrap my head around why the Academy seems to think that the biggest sci-fi event of 2024 didn’t deserve more nominations. Sure, the sequel got a nod for Best Picture, but with 10 films in the running, it just feels like a consolation prize.
Looking at worldwide recognition, I can’t help but compare Dune: Part Two to one of the Golden Globe winners. Emilia Pérez racked up 13 Oscar nominations and has been a hot topic online, also because not that many people have even heard of it. Obviously, awards aren’t based on how many screenings a movie gets, but it’s still something to consider. If Dune was widely praised and even landed a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, how does it make sense to leave it with just five nominations? It’s like the Academy wanted to ignore it altogether.

For context, Dune: Part Two got nominated for Best Picture, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound. Right off the bat, it’s wild that the score wasn’t even considered, especially when Hans Zimmer is one of the greatest composers of all time. Turns out, a lot of the film’s soundtrack reworks elements from the first Dune, which disqualified it under the Academy’s eligibility rules. But Villeneuve didn’t hold back on calling it out, and neither did Zimmer, who straight-up said these rules end up “influencing the way you are saying whether we can create art or not.” Honestly? I couldn’t agree more.
[RELATED: It’s Not Just Dune 2: The Oscars Have Been Wrongly Excluding Films for Years]
Apart from that, I also have to mention the completely phenomenal aesthetics of the movie, which makes me very uncomfortable when I think that Costume Design and Makeup and Hairstyling were other categories that were completely snubbed. The fact that there are awards like these at the Oscars proves that telling a story goes far beyond a script and direction. So I also wonder what was going through the Academy’s head when they thought that Florence Pugh’s impeccable costume design as Princess Irulan, for example, was irrelevant. The impressive transformations of Austin Butler and Stellan Skarsgård as members of the Harkonnen family were also overlooked.
It’s impossible for me to understand the point of this, given that these elements were essential to the immersion and visual impact of the film, which was completely praised. Truth be told, it may even be understandable to leave out categories for best acting in relation to Dune, but it’s unreasonable to snub the obvious. The Academy chose to turn a blind eye to what was one of the greatest cinematic spectacles of the year, strongly thanks to the look of the characters too.
But the biggest issue of all, which may never be understood, is Villeneuve’s absence from the Best Director category. With his adaptation of Dune, many critics have established him as a giant of cinema for knowing how to do something perfectly that even David Lynch failed to do with the first version of Dune (1984). The original material can be very complex in terms of narrative, so to put the story on screen without it seeming strange and complicated is, in fact, a stroke of genius. The same applies to the Adapted Screenplay category, as Villeneuve also gets credit for this. Josh Brolin, who also took part in the movie, even commented on it – his incredulity was such that he suggested giving up his career.

At the end of the day, I just don’t get it – even with specialized critics praising every aspect of the movie, why doesn’t the Academy have the same thought? What makes this institution, considered to be the ultimate reference point for cinema, disagree so much with everyone? The release date could be an answer, although it’s strange that it should even be a point of discussion for the Dune sequel not to carry so much Oscar prestige. Of all the films, being the first of 2024 to open at the beginning of March, in theory, it may not be the most remembered by the majority, but that should never be a reason for the Academy. It’s difficult to have an answer to confirm this, but yes, I don’t rule out this possibility, however crazy it may be.
Also, as a reminder, all of this didn’t happen in 2021. The first Dune movie got 10 nominations. Why didn’t its sequel get the same amount, when it was considered the better movie of the two? It’s very difficult to try to find plausible reasons for such a strong snub of Dune: Part 2, simply because it doesn’t make any sense. Of course, the Oscars have always been the subject of countless controversies relating to nominations, bribery, and prejudice. Could this be another option? Who knows? It’s just hard to understand what the future of cinema will be like with this kind of situation happening – Dune: Messiah is on the way. While the world acclaims the film, the industry’s biggest award does the opposite. It’s insane.
Dune: Part 2 is available to stream on Max.
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