Going to actually try and get my thoughts down on this after seeing it for a second time.

Overall, while I still found it mesmerizing and incredible, it didn't have as much oompf on the second watch for me. I feel like that's to be expected, since one, I knew what was coming, and two, I wasn't seeing it in IMAX again. I feel like both of these are fair reasons, so my overall opinion of this film doesn't really change much.

Dune: Part 2 is a monumental film. One of, if not the, greatest things about this film is that it's unapologetically an assault on the senses - in the best way possible. Visuals and audio in this are almost beyond compare. Definitely going down as one of my favorite theater experiences of all time - especially when I saw it in IMAX.

This film tackles themes of love at almost the level of the greats, and themes of religion better than any film I've seen so far. I think this can be credited to how good the source material is, and to how good of a director Denis is - both in how well he adapted this and in general how talented he is at writing/directing.

Let's talk characters. Performance-wise, I really don't think this has a single bad performance. Specific shoutouts to Timothee, Florence Pugh, and Zendaya. I'm incredibly excited to see more of Florence Pugh in Messiah because the only thing her character was lacking in this was screen time. My hot take for this film is that I really don't think Austin Butler is as amazing as people are saying in this. I love the guy, and he's still really good, but he's under-utilized and is definitely not Heath Ledger level like some people are saying. I found it extremely disappointing that our introduction to him was fighting people who were drugged. I understand the purpose of this, but when introducing someone who is supposed to be this amazing and terrifying fighter, I want to see him doing some bomb-ass fighting. Not sure if this is a hot take, but as a huge Star Wars fan, I would put Paul's arc right up there with Anakin. It's so well done, and while they are similar in many ways, they're different enough for each to stand out in their own regards. Can't wait to see how Paul's story ends in Messiah. I also think Denis did a fantastic job with the casting of this film in general. It's part of why I think this is going to be such a generation-defining film. So many amazing up-and-coming actors and actresses, and they're all utilized mostly very well.

This is hands down, along with Part 1, going to remain one of my favorite sci-fi films. I think it's important, it's creative, and it's an incredible spectacle. I would not say this is far better than Part 1. I think I enjoy Part 2 more, but in a lot of ways they are very different films. Both are incredible in their own regard, Part 1 being more political and world-building, and Part 2 being more action- and character- driven. This trilogy is clearly going to be a defining piece of the genre. Denis continues to impress me with Dune: Part 2, just as he already has with the majority of his films.