I saw Dune with my family when it came out on HBO Max two days ago, and this is such an exhilarating movie. I never read the novel or seen the original 1984 movie, so even though I have little knowledge about this franchise, I expected it to be fun. And it was more than fun. This is a fairly slow paced and philosophical journey. Unlike something like Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dune doesn't focus on dazzling visuals and action spectacle to entertain. It focuses more on building its giant, ambitious scope and exploring the many characters. Denis Villeneuve is definitely becoming one of my favorite directors, because after watching Arrival, Sicario and now this, he truly is a mastermind with visual storytelling and world building just like Christopher Nolan. The visual effects are so incredibly mind blowing. I mean, you have to give the crew props for crafting these effects and the set pieces. When it comes to the action sequences, they're really cool and don't distract from the compelling story and the well developed characters.
Now, granted, the story here is intended to be the start of a two-parter, so it feels almost incomplete, especially with that cliffhanger ending. But depending on how well it does in the box office (which, so far, it's great as it's number one during its opening weekend showing) Part Two will definitely be coming as soon as possible.
To me, Dune is a super great film despite the way how its story is structured. It reminds me of films like 2001. These are the kind of films that are misunderstood because of their content and slower pace. Yes, big budget blockbusters are cool and all, but these movies are the kind that need to seen more in the cinemas. Forget HBO Max. See Dune at your local theater as its deserves that experience to become a huge box office success.