Dune Part Two Movie Review & Reaction | From a Lifelong Fan of Frank Herbert's Original Novel 

My wait has been over 40 years. I first read Dune at age 15 in 1980. I've read the 6 books by Frank. The first three multiple times each. I really relate to your thoughts about the book because it matches my own. I could go on and on about the 84 film, good, bad, and ugly, but I think I can finally breathe easy now that this current film has been made.

I'm 62 and read Dune in the early 70's. I saw part 2 last night and was thrilled with it. I will be waiting for your spoiler review so we can talk about the changes, but I still loved what we got. Hope to get "Messiah"!

One of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever laid eyes on! Just gorgeous and truly epic. I cannot wait to see it again.

I commented this on another Dune review, but I'm really just feeling thankful to have witnessed this spectacle. I cannot wait to see how the series plays out, and I am now enthralled by the idea of an HBO Bene Gesserit series. The scenes on Giedi Prime blew my mind.

Saw it yesterday and I'm seeing it again tomorrow. This movie is an epitome of what immersive cinema is all about. Nothing like that's ever been done before, not even by its old adaptation. I have the utmost respect for all cast and crews but especially Denis for taking the time to create such exceptional adaptation. This movie will be talked and studied about for decades to come.

Glad you loved it Mike, well deserved after 30 years of visualizing. I'm 200 pages from the end of my first read of Dune, timing it now with the movie release this Friday, just an all-around intense and immersive experience. Your #1 novel is well chosen. Exquisite writing, I'm late to the party but it's still raging at this late hour!

Seeing that in IMAX last night was one of the best movie experiences I've ever had.

Mike, I found myself getting emotional too, and not for what was on the screen, but for actually seeing one of my favorite books done so well up on the big screen. I'm 54 years old, and this has been an event I never thought I would live to see.

"Dune" was my very first leather bound book purchase. So worth the money. Can't wait to see this movie, specially with all this praise you've given it. I really want that shirt you got on.

Saw it yesterday and loved it!! Visually stunning, well acted, great action scenes!! I agree with the nit-picks, especially as a book reader!! He definitely made some interesting character choices. Can’t wait for your spoiler review. I’m surprised you and Quinn have never done a Dune review together.

I've been patiently waiting. DUNE is my favorite book ever. Everyone in high school thought I was insane talking about this book. It's actually my wife's (went to hs together) earliest memory of me, she remembers me loving this book. I just am so excited that people are experiencing this and getting excited. I've been waiting so long to share this with my friends who refuse to read the book

The visuals in this movie were among the greatest i have ever scene in a movie, i knew what was on the screen was fake but my eyes believed and were in awe. It does the book justice 1 change that left me slighty irked, but if Denis lands the final act of his trilogy i might honestly rank it above star wars and LotR trilogies personally.

I am so hyped!!! I have tickets to watch Imax this week NYC!!! I can't wait!!! So jealous you got early screening MIKE!!!!!!

Love your articulate reviews and genuine passion. Thank you for asking your comment crew to keep their input spoiler free…have pulled my wife out of work & 3 children out of school to see the first session in IMAX in Sydney come Thursday 🙏😍🚀

As soon as i heard Denis was going to direct a Dune adaptation, i teared up a little. My favorite working director adapting one of my favorite books. A dream come true ❤

Extremely delighted to hear that it lived up to your expectations! I am beyond excited to watch this second movie soon, even if the book wasn't entirely to my tastes. Hope we get to see the rest of this series come to life on the screen as well!

Mike, have you heard of the new Board Game by C’MON games called ‘Dune: War for Arrakis’? It’s a 2 player war strategy game. It’s brilliant! Gorgeous table presence, and rich gameplay, dripping with the theme from the book. It plays in about 3 hours. The Atreides player wins by raising a track called the Prescience Tracker. There are 3 markers the Atreides player has to work on raising: 1) Kwisatz Haderach, 2) Sand Dwellers, and the 3) Jihad marker. The Harkonnen player has to keep the spice flowing on board called ‘the spice must flow’. But the only can when by getting 10 points on their track. They get points by destroying Sietches. The Atreides player gets to ride sandworms, the Harkonnen player can fly in Ornithopters. As Paul gets more powerful he gets stronger desert power until he controls worms and becomes the Kwisatz Haderach. An amazing, well balanced game!

Thufir got the Tom Bombadil treatment

It does my heart good to see your joy for this film, Mike! I'm excited to see it!

So glad you enjoyed it so much Mike. Looking forward to seeing it next weekend in imax.

Just booked our imax tickets for Sunday. Can’t wait. Super excited. Glad to hear you enjoyed it so much.

I watched your video of why you should read Dune, and i cant wait to start this journey for the first time ! Just waiting after my exams are done before starting to read. I have a feeling my schoolwork would be left off otherwise. Thank-you for the recommendation

I always watch your videos on release date, but this one I waited till I went to an IMAX theater and saw this masterpiece. My god, what a spectacle

Been waiting for this review. Thank you. 🙏🏽

Mike, thanks again so much for making me a fan of the Dune universe! I read the first three Herbert books and then went to see the movies in large part because you spoke so highly of them. Part 2 was absolutely incredible! IMAX is absolutely the way to go! I can't wait to see the next movie and series we get from this incredible world that Frank Herbert created.

I am so very relieved you enjoyed this. Praise the Maker and his water. I finally read Dune in early 2021. I had bought the book in my freshman year of high school, but when my mom saw it she made this horrible face and said she didn’t want to talk about that book. Something about it really disturbed her. I tried getting it out of her for years but she would never tell me so naturally I was scared to read it as mom usually isn’t that flappable. Then I stumbled on to this channel and saw Why You Should Read Dune. I really thought this book sounded like something I would love and I finally got mom to confess….she had been freaked out by the heart plug scene in the David Lynch movie, a scene that isn’t even in the book. When I told her that she agreed to read it after I finished it. She has now read the first three books and is now a huge fan! Question: Would you ever consider creating a video on what is wrong with the Brown Herbert books? I know you like to stay positive so this might be a topic to avoid for you, I just thought it might be an interesting short or something. I have no intention of buying any Brian books because he spends a significant hunk of the introduction to the latest paperback editions of the books whining about his dad not being perfect every single moment of his existence and saying how he didn’t like the book for a long time and refused to read it until someone he was hitchhiking with mentioned loving it. Sorry that was an unintended rant but it annoys me.

Glad you loved it! You’ve made me psyched to see it!

Like you, my best mate and I have been waiting for decades for Dune films this good. He came over last night, we turned the sound system up, and watched Dune 1 again, and tonight we’re seeing Dune 2. CAN’T WAIT! 😀

Ugh, Alia was my favorite character in the book because she was so weird. I personally don't think Denis needed to deviate from the weirdness of Dune at all.

I love this book "Dune", it is almost a spiritual work, and Frank Herbert was a modern classical author of great renown. I appreciate "Heretics of Dune" as the best of the Sequels.

Our fan event was sold out and I couldn’t get in. Alas, so many people won’t ever understand the movie

Awesome! Thank you for the review. Also, Andor is Star Wars for adults too! I hope someday you will warm to the thought of giving it the old college try! Mature storytelling, beautiful cinematography and dialogue, and the kind of story that had me viscerally engaged as the season ramped up to an amazing finale! Will definitely be seeing Dune this weekend.

Seeing Part One and this got me to read the book and I'm itching to rewatch the movies once I finish it (and the other Frank Herbert Dune books since I'm enjoying this first one enough that I'm all in on this series).

10/10 movie you convinced me to read the first book prior to the when the first movie came out and I’m so glad I did. This universe is amazing.

I haven't read the book and didn't think it was rushed at all! This was an incredible movie! Curious to hear about changes from the book.

I'm so excited to see it in Imax this weekend. I can't deny that I was a little terrified when it was announced that Denis was intending to do Dune in 2 parts. I've always loved his movies and was sure it was going to be great. But it always seems like his movies don't do as well as they should. And especially given that Part I was releasing while theaters still weren't entirely back from Covid, I'll admit that I was really scared that Part I would underperform and we wouldn't get a conclusion.

It’s great to get an adaptation that respects the source material. I love Messiah, but was a little disappointed that the big stuff that happened after the first book took place off page. If they adapt it into a third movie, I hope we get some “flashbacks” to all that stuff.

I’ll be seeing the movie in iMAX this Friday or Saturday. Can’t wait. I’ve been listening to the new soundtrack all week in preparation. This is going to be epic.

I think the ending echoed the last line of the book pretty well, centring the experience on Chani. If you take the last line, add the dimension of film Chani’s doubt, and decide to tell the story visually (as one should in movies), I think that last beat being hers is a pretty good homage to the line.

You’re scaring me and making me exited at the same time m. Watching it Thursday. 😅

Great to hear that you enjoyed it! I am a lover of superhero movies, but yes, I think Timothee should steer clear from that for his sake.

Man, I didn’t even read Dune until after watching Denis’ part one and I’m so hyped for this. Watching a double bill on Thursday with part two finishing at 3am.

I really had tears when i watched some of the scenes, So amazing !

Just saw part two last night! Truly epic!!! Time to finish the book now.

Seeing it on Friday in 4DX! May have to go back and see it in IMAX as well

We as Dune fans need to just accept Brian Herbert as Canon, he's not his father but he sure. I really did love what you did with the machine war stuff. Plus the editions of all the other books I mean I said keep it coming.

Can’t wait to see the spoiler chat. I watched the early screening and loved it. Agree with the rushed part, and I think I benefited from having distance from the book I also think they should stop after this movie. I think they could comfortably not make Messiah if they wanted to

I think I read Dune in the 1990s. Sadly, I never read the sequels. I saw (and kind of liked) the David Lynch movie, saw the SciFi channel miniseries (liked that too although the cinematography and effects never convinced me that they weren't on a sound stage). I really loved DV's Dune Part 1. I'm finally re-reading Dune with the plan to eventually read all the Frank Herbert Dune books. I don't want to see Part 2 until I finish reading the first half of the 1st book. I can't wait to see the movie!

So excited to watch this in IMAX. Little worried about some of the changes but I’m sure I’ll still love it

I can't wait to see this! I know I am going to love it. I actually never liked the book (blasphemy, I know), but I really liked the first movie and loved Zimmer's soundtrack. I'm a similar heretic about A Song of Ice and Fire: Didn't really like the first book, gave up halfway through the second, but really enjoyed the HBO series, or at least the first few years of it. I think it's because I do not like books that jump around between characters a lot.

Man,everything sounds so good,can't wait to see it,three more days 😅.

Coudnt see part1 in imax since we dont have one in my town but ill be damned if i dont get to see part2 at one this time. The spice must flow.

Yo man I NEED to know where you got that shirt, it looks AWESOME!

Cant wait to see it. Going Saturday

Just got out the theater had to check this out

Great review! I too feel blessed to have been able to see the best screen adaptations of this book and LOTR in my lifetime. Even at 3 hours, there is enough action to keep even the short attention span MCU fan engaged, and even though not completely faithful to the book, it does capture the essence of the story for fans of the book. 👍😎

AS a kid that grew up loving Dune back in the early 80's. This was a great adaption. Will book fans have an issue? I'm sure they will but this is the movie medium which I believe was well done. Yes, I agree the best way to tell a 100 percent faithful Dune story is in episode format but no way do I believe a series would get the same level of detail you get with the Dune movies. Plus remember they are trying to make money and appeal to a border audience. I believe the director hit the right balance that as a book reader I appreciate this great effort which I doubt we will ever see this level of commitment to a book ever again. APPRECIATE THE EFFORT AND ENJOY!!!!!!

The visuals are even more stunning on 70mm but going to see it again in imax

Adapting an iconic book is always going to involve some compromise because it you stick faithfully to the same narrative you will alienate most of the potential the audience. And you have to actually try to make money or you will never get backing for more. But overall, the whole premise of Herbert's novel was maintained closely enough to satisfy the readers, and a non reader will find enough quality epic movie magic to make them buy tickets. I was brown away by this and honestly left the theatre shunned and inspired and desperately wanting to see it again.

Ok, but did you get the popcorn bucket topper?!?! 😂

Love part one and two is even better! I can see why one is not for everyone but two will appeal to more

Love the book and loved the adaptation, but a few things that really stood out to me was how they changed warfare and the changes they made to Chani’s character. In the book Herbert focuses so much on the tactics of warfare, the benefits of shields and the pitfalls of advanced weaponry. It looked fantastic, but I kinda wanted to see the complexities that were originally imagined. And I’m honestly just not sure why they felt the need to change Chani’s arc. I didn’t really understand her characters dissonance with Paul in the movie.

I really enjoyed the movie, saw it last night on a previewing, amazing!

First read Dune when I was 11 or 12. Genuinely hyped for this movie now. Seeing it in IMAX on Friday. Counting the hours.

I've been looking forward to this! I'm in a weird position with Dune. I've tried to love the books, but they just don't click with me. But the first movie was highly enjoyable and I know I'm going to like Part 2.

Btw ….my close friends call me Spock or mentat Greek…and thank you!!! Great review! You rock bro!

Great review! 👏 🎉

I was hooked in the first movie and trusted the director once I saw a thopter. I relaxed and knew it was in the hands of someone who cared about the book.

I saw it yesterday. OMG Outstanding. I'm going back to see it a second time & paying for IMAX for a second time. It doesn't feel like a 3 hour movie. I was disappointed that there was only about 20 of us in the theater. I don't understand why the release date is posted as March 1st but every theater in my area - every theater - had the movie running on 29 Feb starting in the late afternoon on multiple screens.

mike back with the old school cut/beard

I didn't even know it was a three hour movie. I saw it last night and today when someone said it was three hours long, I thought, " no. Really? " That's how mesmerizing this movie was. If it had been an hour longer, I wouldn't have known or questioned it.

Mike, would you consider making a video about why the Brian Herbert books are considered so controversial? I'm a newbie to the series so I'm wondering if someone could explain this to me in layman's terms.

Where did you find you dune tee shirt?

Awesome you got it right

I'm so happy with your disputes against this movie because then I would've questioned if you even read the book.. I feel almost exactly the same about this movie. It was spectacular but the things they cut out in exchange for what they decided to focus on was mind boggling. The ending is the biggest thorn in my side right now. Was Denis pressured into making that change to her character? Now they have to spend more time in the next book reeling her character back in and support Paul again. Made me furious.

Just saw it on IMAX. It was great! I’m not biggest fan of the book but the movie was one of the best that I’ve seen.

Tymothee was scary as hell in the last minutes of the movie, he was the Paul we deserved. I was also sad that Thufir wasn't in the movie, his arc in the book made me cry. Also, do I need to read Messiah to watch the spoiler review?

The irony is that with the music/atmosphere/lighting/acting etc he managed to make part 2 almost feel like an actual religious experience.

These two movies made me want to read the book. I loved the movies.

It’s like lord of the rings, where the changes they made make sense, and you still get the essence of the story. I always look at movies as being a different universe, so why would it need to be exactly the same?

As a fellow book worm… read lord of the rings at 12 and teacher suggested dune …never reread Tolkien books…read all Herbert’s books and reread dune book 1,2,3 at least 10 plus …to many real life lessons learned from those books..as a fan of extreme sports,race car driver,being held hostage with gun to my head …I have used the litany against fear several times and it kept me alive more than once …

Nice. Can’t wait to see it

I liked the first movie a fair bit more, slower paced, better characters. Just kinda wow'd by the visuals seeing it all for the first time. Great movie though even if the ending was jarringly rushed.

Is there still going to be a Sisterhood of Dune series? The way Denis does the bene gesserit def feels like he still wants to do that series lol

Dune 3, and then Denis to tackle either The Sun Eater or The Culture :)

For sure one of the best Sci Fi movies of all time!!!!

They better not change Dune Messiah especially that last act don't change dune Messiah

I had a few issues with the second half of book 1. So far it feels like this one will be great

Really liked the movie overall but I agree about the pacing, too fast! I wish we had more time with Austen Butler !

Oh am I going to see this on the biggest imax screen in the world? You Bet I will. Literally! I am so looking forward to it!

Sounds like the 30 years was worth the wait, which is wonderful to hear.

I am going to see it this week ❤❤

Hi Mike, I was going to email you. But you really advertized yourself accurately when you said you respond to comments... wow. I'm getting ready to release a scifi/dystioan novel. Do you accept review copies? Thanks, Matt

Saw it twice because the first time was not at an Imax, might even go a third time!

It should have been made in three parts. The book has three very distinctive parts. That could have developed characters more and shown the growth better. The problem though might have been the mood. They would be three very different movies.

While I adore all 6 Dune books (the pulpy sewer that was written later is not worth mentioning), I do believe that the first three books are a nice whole and recently, when I re-read them, I prefer to end with Children of Dune, rather then continuing on. Would love to see them on the big screen, but they are, arguably, even more difficult to adapt than the first one.

Looking forward to it.

Tim is about to play Bob Dylan

I think the new Dune is visually stunning and with amazing sound design, but in many ways, the 1984 Lynch film was a better telling of the story for me.

I didn’t mind the choices.