I have to start by saying that I absolutely loved the first movie. I wasn't familiar with the story and I went with zero expectations, only to be completely stunned by the masterful artwork that was Dune Part 1.

The music, the sound, the visuals, the entire world and its atmosphere, the characters even the plot, I found everything beautifully crafted and a breath of fresh air for the Sci-Fi genre.

I am not familiar with the source material so this is considering only the movies and while I had a deep desire to love this second part specially considering the reviews it has been getting and how much I loved the first one, I couldn't help but feel a slight disappointment... Let's start with the positives - the cinematography is consistently out of this world, it is a visual wonder, a mix of practical effects with CGI that blends in perfectly. The intense and dramatic sound effects associated with a thrilling and daunting soundtrack delivers! And of course the acting is consistently good, this time around it was great to see Javier Barden's character being developed and bringing some great topics to the table.

What makes me wonder the most to be honest is how different both the first movie and the second are being reviewed by the general public.. For once its running time is considerable (almost 3 hours) and somehow it feels strangely rushed... It's a bit odd to explain but in other words, we get so many scenes that feel that don't contribute at all to the narrative and out of the blue we transition to a scene where the main character changes the demeanor entirely without much build up leading to it.. The movie spends so much time trying to connect Paul to the Fremens, yet it fails to explore his own inner motivations, the moment we see his character changing, it gives you the feeling that you missed something.

Paul's betrayal to Chani also feels a bit irrelevant since the chemistry built on the first movie seems to just dissipate... The relationship with his mother is also very odd and inconsistent, her character becomes dark fairly early in the movie, in one moment she is her beloved mother and without much shared screen time he then seems to almost despise her by the end of the film without the audience having a deeper understanding of their relationship dynamic.

The newly introduced villains are one dimensional and having Austin Butler's character seemed pointless... there was no goal for him, he gets killed off almost instantly alongside with the Baron who got so much build from the first movie... An A list of actors like Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and Léa Seydoux, all of them could've been amazing characters but get zero chance of showing that.

An entire plot with Paul's sister goes out the drain as well... messing with time started to become promising but it leads nowhere... I mean I could go on, in short the movie had many plot gaps, didn't develop the characters properly, poorly introduced the newcomers and relied heavily on its outstanding cinematography and sound.

It's a shame because I can't tell you how excited I was to write a praising review, but this was my honest opinion which apparently doesn't seem to align with the majority.

A lot of scenes drag without much substance to it, the highlight of the film was Javier Barden's character and the messages behind the dangerous of the concept of a Messia.

I am of course hopeful for the third movie, maybe with my expectations now lowered it becomes a great experience all over again.

This is the kind of movie that is impossible to do justice, just by talking about it! It is the kind of experience you had once.. but you never thought you would get again.. until this movie proves you WRONG!!

This movie takes the aspects of the first movie and improves upon them in almost every way possible, already writing itself into the books of greatest sequels of ALL TIME!!

Everything in this movie was TOP notch! Dennis Villeneauve proves why he is not only a master of Sci-Fi movies, but just filmmaking in general! This was a demonstration of power, in what you can achieve with filmmaking!

I beg you to watch this on the biggest and best screen you can find! This will be an experience that will stick with you forever!

I thought the real Blockbuster was dead.. but I was wrong! This is the cinematic experience i craved!

Now I am gonna watch this movie again, and maybe again! Then I am gonna read the books!

Phenomenal stuff. I'll probably calm down tomorrow but right now my heart's beating like crazy and my brain's screaming it's a bloody masterpiece. This is one of the few movies that I didn't try to control my expectations beforehand and it still surpassed them in many ways.

"Power over spice is power over all"- that kinda turned out to be a lie at the end. As The movie starts, I felt an immediate sense of tension through its score. It's a cinematic experience; I can't imagine feeling the same lying at home in bed, watching in headphones. The resonating vibrations as the sounds reverberate through the theater created an epic atmosphere.

When Part One came out people said it was "game of thrones in space", I wasn't really taken by that as much, especially since people said the same about Apple TV's Foundation series. So I just enjoyed the movie as Dune and bore no comparisons. After watching part two however I see it; the world building, the politics, the epic grandeur of it all.

However, the first half of Dune Part Two is pretty grounded and calm, delving into the lives of the Fremen. It almost feels like two distinct movies, the first half intricately setting the stage for the climactic third act and reinforcing character connections established in Dune Part One. Unlike the Part One's focus on lore, this movie is more devotion-driven, also resembling a political narrative, especially knowing of the hidden puppeteers behind the empire. The result appears to be an intricate web of schemes involving the empire, the witch-advisor women(can't spell their names lol), and the Baron's family. Despite the emperor's pulling the strings, the Baron's family still felt like main antagonist to me.

The second half of the movie is where we see the epic scale of dune. The movies not quick paced but you couldn't tell, I was absolutely immersed in it.

I absolutely loved the kind "The mahdi is too humble to say he is the mahdi." Theatre burst out in laughter. It felt weird, I wasn't expecting any humour. It's funnier than I expected. More lively than the first Dune movie. I'd already seen the Usul-worm-riding scene from the Dune Part One reopening bonus content. I was still just as excited and it didn't spoil a thing.

The visual brilliance, as expected was stunning, elevating every aspect. The authenticity of the scenes made it feel as if characters were immersed in the environment, rather than merely placed against a green screen. I loved the portrayal of time passing through Paul's changing eyes; the longer he stays the bluer his eyes get. Despite how lively it is, the plot, while progressing at a measured pace, remains engaging, drawing attention away from its deliberate slowness. It has much more action, the battles were absolutely epic, I feel like they could have been longer but they still captivated me.

Jessica disappears for a while, but just when I thought that, she showed up. Other than Paul and Zendeya, the rest of the cast doesn't really get as much screen time as you'd think. I loved the baby/embryo/featus scenes. Batista with no mask in the desert while his whole team's suited up was badass. I love him in darker roles, although I think some moments felt overly animated. But it gave an effective contrast to Austin Butler though, I couldn't wait to see what his character was like. Very fierce, intimidating and psycho. The girl shivering with the plate in her hands before the gladiator games made me chuckle. Butler did also sound like the baron at times.

Dune: Part Two stands steady on its own, it felt complete compared to the more introductory feel of Part One. Despite this, I still felt like it lays groundwork for Dune: Part Three/Messiah, leaving a sense of setup. The movie, while feeling like a precursor, still manages to provide a more conclusive ending. I also think you should watch Part One first, if that has to be said; and the prospect of a back-to-back viewing sounds like a fun afternoon.

One thing I can complain about is Stilger. I have mixed feelings. In Part One, Javier was fierce and was my favorite character, in this movie though he's depicted as a religious fanatic for the most part. It was done well, but I still miss the Stilgar who walked up to Duke Leto Atreides with no disregard. This felt like a different person, still fierce, just different.

Loved Austin butler though, I wasn't sure what to expect as I tried my best to avoid trailers and teasers apart from the Dune part one bonus content. That short lady in charge of extracting 'the water of life' had some insane calves on her, I'm extremely jealous.

While I was initially not convinced about Timothée Chalamet as the lead, he truly owns the role in the sequel, displayed acting facets I'd not seen before from him. The movie essentially unfolds as Paul Atreides' coming-of-age story, with Zendaya delivering an amazing performance. The first act, focusing on their love story, adds depth to the events at the movie's end. Zendaya's portrayal transcends the typical love story, I hope her role extends into Dune: Messiah, and hopefully adds further complexity to her character.

We see Paul undergo some transformations. From being the son of royalty to experiencing love, the narrative takes a surprising turn when he assumes authority in the third act. Although I liked it, it felt a bit rushed. But, I found solace/logic with the "water of life" spiritual poison, where drinking it resulted in a profound shift in your personality. The contrast between the before and after versions of Paul, as well as Jessica, is striking so it kinda made sense to me.

I think watching this movie at home won't do it justice, it's clearly made for the big screens if you can. It's pretty epic and I think it'll remain memorable as one of 2024's best movies, despite only being February. I absolutely loved it.