Dune: Part Two just became the biggest hit movie of 2024 in a matter of days, and no wonder: It’s a major achievement in the fields of visual effects, production design, and sci-fi spectacle on a convincingly massive scale. And just look at the cast! Director Denis Villeneuve has assembled a group that includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Javier Bardem, Léa Seydoux, Josh Brolin, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Have you ever seen a sci-fi movie with an ensemble so talented, so hot, and so utterly and maddeningly lacking in any kind of sexual chemistry? Seriously, how can a movie this cool have so little in the way of sex and nudity — especially when the movie’s viral popcorn bucket is practically begging for a romp in the proverbial hay? ...

The whole vibe of Dune 2 is unmistakably unkinky. There’s very little exhibited lust in the film, whether for power or bodies or spice; plot machinations are carried out with utmost seriousness, but a short supply of passion, with occasional moments of grotesquerie pushing against the general sense of reserve.