First off - thank you all for watching! A bit of a disclaimer for anyone staying to watch the post-discussion: after reading the discussion in this thread, I'm seeing certain things in a new light and I've more or less backtracked on the idea of the prophecy/Lisan al Gaib as being "real" or legitimate. Keep in mind I never read past Dune 1 so I don't have the added context of what comes after, but I'm willing to admit I'm one of those people who "drank the Kool-Aid" and bought into the idea of the legend being real. While I didn't necessarily view Paul as this benevolent hero or savior, I did lean towards the liberation of the Fremen people as an overall good thing. So I think I bought into the idea of the story being about fighting for the freedom of one's people and standing up against the corruption of government/world powers. If anything, the prophecy ended up being self-fulfilling. In fairness, I never said I saw it as a good thing, since the destruction and war that Paul had foreseen ended up being inevitable (and the film really leaned into that idea). I did think Paul's warpath and desire for revenge was supposed to be seen in a negative light. Dune as a tragic cautionary tale makes complete sense (but I can see how many would come away with the wrong idea, myself included), and Denis' writing choices in this film really highlight that. I can't wait to read Dune Messiah.

“Every two minutes there’s a screensaver-worthy shot.” I’m pretty sure I said the same thing after seeing it opening night lol best way to sum up this masterpiece.

The arena scene was shot on black-and-white infrared to give the effect of what Geidi Prime's black sun would look like visually, and to suggest that this stark lighting situation would probably have on all inhabitants of that world psychologically.

11:33 I love that there’s a moment of silence and then you hear Chani laughing just before the ornithopter crashes.

51:59 "I feel like I need to...think..about..life." Couldn't relate to this thought more after watching this film for the first time 😂

"Rabban is not having a good time" could be an alternate tagline for this movie 😂

I love how Denis makes the world of Dune feel relatable by keeping the set designs simple, using mostly lighting to emphasize his characters. This makes the story feel grounded in both the future and the past in a way that I see certain reminders of Earth history and cultures (ancient Egypt, Spain, Asia, etc.).

Christopher Walken became Christopher Kneelin

8:18 Both that smile and the shy gesture just gave out so much excitement and relatable rapture. True fan there. The old Reverend Mother scene has the right energy, it's just done in way you would expect it to be as a reader.

Herbert wrote Dune with very much the "false prophet" idea, after the book came out he was dissapointed that most people didn't get what he intended, so he doubled down on it writing "Messiah".

The reveal of Alia about had me in tears in the theater. Denis knows what he's doing. That was for the fans of the books. 33:38

In the book, he was 15 when he joined the Freman. He then spent three years with them so by the time he confronted the Emperor, he was 18. The movie compresses all of that into a very short time frame. I understand why in the narrative of the story that Denis made that decision.

It's still in IMAX, it's worth a second viewing. Also, the shot's at the gladiator arena were shot in infrared or something, representing Geidi Prime's black sun.

It's probably mentioned by others, but Denis' change for Chani was so that we could have some sort of push back to Paul. Chani being a 'relatively' minor character in the book, not really having much to do , was co-opted to serve as our eyes and our viewpoint of Paul's journey. It's a common movie trick really to co opt characters or combine them to provide a neater screenplay. The book is obviously quite dense and a nightmare to turn into one film (lookin at you david lynch haha). Personally I LOVE Zendaya as Chani, her acting in this was subtle brilliance. So much conveyed in simple facial expressions and glances. That last scene with paul and the final scenes are honestly heartbreaking and tragic in context of what's happened and what is now to come. Cheers!

The Worm appearing in theaters was an absolute experience.

Great reaction, and I loved the discussion afterwards. It's been a rare treat to find these Dune reactions with a person that has read the books; and even better alongside with a person who hasn't which leads to a great conversation describing the contrasts between the films and book.

the greyscale on giede prime was filmed in infrared because of the “black sun” referenced at the beginning of the scene. If a white star emits visible light within the color spectrum, then a black star would absorb the colors, not emit them.

HIGHLY recommend seeing this in Dolby or IMAX if you can. I saw it once in each and couldn't wait for it to come out. 11/10

Oh, in the book, the prophecy about the Lisan al-Gaib was planted by the Bene Gesserit (Missionara Protectiva) as well; by giving more agency to the Fremen and showing the whole thing from Chani's perspective, they just made it more clear in the movie. Btw, the Kwisatz Haderach (the real product of the BG breeding program) is not the same as the Lisan al-Gaib (the "fake Messiah" figure)

I love seeing people watch this movie! You guys are great, I could see you getting pumped and it’s like I’m watching it again for the first time. Good job boys, glad you enjoyed it too 👍

The black and white part was actually filmed in infrared. This is why the skin looks a bit translucent.

Denis Villeneuve wanted to convey Frank Herbert's warning about a charismatic leader, which a lot of readers of the first book missed. In the book, Chani is almost in the shadow, just following whatever Paul does. But, in the movie, Chani is used as some sort of resistance in order to show the danger of Paul and religious fanaticism to the audience. The next movie will conclude Paul's arc. After Dune Part 2 came out, some people thought the movie had a white savior narrative. But, that is the exact opposite of what the movie is about. Paul is no savior.

I do think another way part two emphasizes water's importance is another visual way (a lot of it is visual, not explained in exposition) ...but it's when you see Alia as an adult, and she's on Arrakis: but she's on a beach. It contrasts back to when Paul tells Chani that rain falls from the sky on Caladan & everywhere she sees sand, it's like an ocean of water...and she just cannot picture it. So then in the vision of the future, where in the near future Alia is on a terraformed Arrakis where there's maybe an entire ocean....that is powerful to me. In the novel, the prophecy is implanted as well over generations, even centuries. So, yes, it's like the book in being a question of how much the prophecy is self-fulfilling for the sisterhood to engineer a superbeing, and how much is propaganda.

The best reaction I've seen so far

My interpretation of Denis way to handle the importance of water through part 1&2 is that he shows it to us through the eyes of the Atreides. Easing it in as an experience more then bonking our heads with it, and I personally can appreciate this where the previous watch gives the rerun another experience. Replay value++.

Hey Manny, I definitely recommend reading the second book (Messiah) before the third movie comes out. Herbert's main motivation for the second book was that fans in the 1970s were misunderstanding the Paul Atreides arc as a hero's journey, when in fact it's a tragic cautionary tale about misplaced faith in saviors/cult leaders. And from what Villeneuve has said in interviews, he's very much leaning into this aspect of the story (main reason Chani was so different from the original book). And since the whole story in the first place is an allegory for western powers fighting to control oil in the middle east (meaning Fremen are stand-ins for Saudi Bedouins -- meaning their religion is a stand-in for Islam) there could be some controversy to be stirred up if any director of a western film went that direction with it. Notice how the word "jihad" never appeared in either film, even though it did many times in the book.

"drinking the cool-aid", Denis talked about how he tried to honor Frank Herbert's original plan for Dune which was to warn against charismatic messiah figures. Apparently Frank was annoyed that people didn't interpret it the way he intended, instead seeing Paul as a saviour figure, a hero, etc. I've read that he wrote Dune Messiah, the sequel, to double down on the idea that Paul is a warning, rather than a hero to celebrate. Denis Villeneuve has also talked about how his changes and adaptations are actually quite jarring for himself to get used to, as he's a mega fan of the books, but Movies gotta Movie so, stuff has to get altered. :) At least he's honest about it, can respect that.

In the book the prophesy is absolutely not real. It was created and spread by the Missionaria Protectiva, a group of ancient bene gesserit who seeded superstitions across the galaxy to help future bene gesserit in whatever their goals might be. In the book, Jessica ruminates about the ancient woman who must have given up everything for her benefit, a woman she'd never know, thousands of years in the future. What might be mixing you up, is that the bene gesserit are trying to create a Kwisatz Haderach, someone who can see the future and guide humanity, like Paul. This isn't prophesy either, they're literally making it happen with their breeding program, its a science to them. The Missionaria Protectiva knew that the subject of the Lisan Al-Gaib prophesy and the result of the Kwisatz Haderach plan would be the same person (I think), since the prophesy refers to a young man and his bene gesserit mother, and bene gesserit only very selectively have male children, and there's some other parts of the prophesies that most likely reference his limited prescience (like "he shall know your ways as if born to them"). Either way, its all constructed by the bene gesserit, no actual prophesy.

I loved watching you watch and comment on this movie. Just an FYI: Denis revealed in Dune Part One interviews he restrained Timothee from being full on Maud'Dib. He diminished a lot of Paul's abilities because he wanted Paul in Part Two to have a steep arc. When they got the green light for Part Two Denis texted Timothee with "It's Maud'Dib time." Can't wait for Part Three to see what surprises Denis has for these characters.

You can still check out part 2 in theatres! Seeing it in the proper IMAX ratio is a completely different experience, this is like a weird cropped version

It’s still out in IMAX, I’m sure you can check it out one of these weekends

High key, go to your local theater on a weekday. Split the bill with a few friends or a group, and rent out a theater for the day. Worth it, I think usually it’s not to expensive to rent out a theater in most places. I would wager you could do a double header if it’s a place that serves food and do dune part 1&2 back to back (obv call ahead)

„what do you do?“ „die?“ 😂 Love your reaction!! It was fun to watch along with you guys

Chani is a true patriot! and her son will rule over mankind as God-Emperor for 3000 years! I love shit like this

Love y'all enthusiastic reaction!

The Kwisatz Haderach is a very real product of the Bene Gesserit breeding program and is not the same as the Mahdi/Lisan al Gaib (a "false messiah/prophet" figure)

I was rewatching Part 1 and I recognized the guy who ordered the soldiers to turn their shield on (maybe he was a captain or lieutenant idk) when they first land on Arrakis as the last Atreides fighter against Feyd. Amazing continuity.

27:40 the Fremen are now doing the same "disarming" spin move that Jessica used agaisnt Stilgar in part 1, a subtle way to show Jessica and Paul have been training the Fremen in the "weirding way"

You guys were great! Keep it up!

My son and I watched it in the fan early preview on IMAX and you could hear a pin drop on that theater when the final fight started. Two women audibly gasped “Noooo!” when he said “I’ll take the hand of your daughter.” They also left out that chani and Paul had a baby that was murdered, but with the timeline it makes sense since they definitely speed up the entire second half to avoid the Alia situation.

You have to see it in theaters for the sound alone. Loved your reaction.

The prophecy is a fabrication of the Bene Gesserit. Paul has real powers because he is the Kwisatz Haderch, the result of the BG breeding program but he is not a divine messiah. He ends up pretending that he is this messianic figure because that is the only way to use Fremen fanaticism as a weapon to defeat his enemies. But the terrible consequence of this choice is the triggering of this Holy War that Paul wanted to avoid and which will make him a more bloodthirsty tyrant than his enemies. Dune is a cautionary tale against charismatic leaders and messianic figures. One line from the book sums up well what is at the heart of the story of the tragedy of Paul's story - No more terrible disaster could befall your people than for them to fall into the hands of a Hero. Furthermore, most of the film's changes from the novel aim to adapt for a visual medium Paul's inner conflict, which is the main conflict of the story (between Paul's humanity and his terrible purpose which leads to the Holy War). In the book this conflict is mainly in Paul's internal monologues. The film depicts the conflict by the characters of Chani, Stilgar and Jessica and the North-South division between Fremens.

The weird guys in the arena are picadors. In corridas, they assist the matador by tiring the bull stabbing its back with a long pike. Same purpose here. The hook left in the slave is poisoned and therefore weakens them. That's why Feyd was angry, he wanted to fight him fair and square.

It is being brought back to IMAX past April 19 and you live nearby LA California it’s gonna be at the AMC universal city walk .

Stilgar is the master of glazing

Best reaction for dune 2 right now!

This is a beautiful film, I think this will be a classic. very good reaction guy’s

Great reaction you're the first person who is read the book that I've seen a reaction from. And you get what's going on it's really great to watch someone just fall in love with this movie. I agree with you the changes that they made and the things they left out fit the movie as a story. Having read the book way back in the late 70s I thought this couldn't be made into a decent movie. They tried it in 1984 and it didn't work for me. They made a miniseries out of it but the casting and the special effects were not there. And frankly it didn't feel like the book. This captures the spirit of the book. 45:12 holy shit I missed The line where Paul kills the baron, You die like an animal, Paul of course was proved human. The Baron not so. The ultimate Dume diss.

Feyd Rautha was an incredible character, almost had me rooting for him to win the fights.

great reaction!

Watching this movie in IMAX was a totally different experience. I was completely immersed in the movie at times. The only downside to this movie is you cant watch it for the first time again.

Wonderful reaction! Hot foot it to the IMAX while you can, it’s absolutely worth it.

this was a great movie theater experience! I wish yall could’ve seen it in theaters

Now I can't stop thinking of Spider-Man fighting Paul Atreides over Chani/MJ!😅

good news, dune 2 is still in theaters!

56:31 You’re right…and that comes back to bite her, later down the line.

Loved this reaction. Insightful comments, not needless talking

Paul turned Christopher Walkin into Christopher Kneelin.

19:01 I don’t know if you saw the 1984 movie, but the Harkonnens all had red hair in that version.

The crazy black costumed attendants in the arena on Giedi Prime are picadores, like in a bull fight, wounding the victims.

As it was written!

21:33 Austin Butler. He was in the Elvis biopic.

Timothy C was also GREAT in "The King"...the sad part about gladiators is the majority (if not all) of them were slaves, not many people would fight to the death willingly but there is probably some🤔

I'm sad that they didn't incorporate the death of their son into the story... It would have deepend Chani and Paul relationship. I know that the timeline is shortened, but they could have make her at least have miscarriage. It would have worked great within this adaptation.

Paul is older in the movies than the book.

One of the interesting things is to watch the different reactions of reactors on the movie one and two Dune. Those who read the books tend to want to see the exact book on screen, and those who have never read the book are not always particularly capable of Understanding the nuances of both films. Mostly I don’t want to hear about the book during the film. Denis, Who is the fan of the books For many many years before he made these films has taken the time to mix content of the book with good filmmaking. Internal conversations cannot make a full film. It has to be a mix, and I think Denis has done a beautiful job.

Guy on the right has a great voice for voice acting.

Even wide screen tv's don't even come close. It's an injustice to watch Dune 2 other vmax

2:11 You should see king.

What digital version of the movie is this?

third movie coming up!

do they go back to Caladan? when he says lead them to paradise?

In the book, Paul was with the Fremen for years. Him and Chani had a kid. And the thing that made him embrace the prophecy is that the kid got killed. I felt that they could have done a small time jump and included that. Along with Paul’s sister. I didn’t like that changes to Chani, and her relationship with Paul. Other than that. It was a fantastic movie. The Feyd part was amazing.

Really? Interesting. I never thought of Paul the way you did when I read the books. He was a very privileged, intelligent, educated, talented, and charismatic teenager, but not intimidating, especially before the water of life.That said, when your and your entire immediate family become reverend mothers, that's another beast entirely.

1000 times better in VMAX or the equivalent from other theatres.

Keep reading the books, man. It's not a supernatural universe.

you have been pronouncing them correctly ( at least according to the arabic pronounciation ) the actors are not all pronouncing the arabic words correctly

Rabban is a bad boss. Stilgar is my favorite.

Too many reactors do not give Paoul’s walk up the stairs to kill his grandfather its full view. it is too often edited.

Bad audio

How do you guys suck at remembering actors’ names??

Celebrity brain rot lmao when watching a movie disregard the actors until the credits are finished, when the curtains close.

I like Dune part 2 and how it allowed the audience to question what was going on in the story through Paul’s resistance at first and especially through Chani. I came out of the theater extremely disliking Jessica, distrusting Paul and siding with Chani. I am interested to see what will be portrayed in a part 3 and what my takeaway will be from the story portrayed