Dune Part II is the best of the two, but it did not quite win me over. The cinematography, sound and production design are undeniably astonishing and the film’s biggest accomplishments. The lore behind the Reverend Mother and Water of Life was endlessly fascinating. I think the sandworm sequences were pretty great, and the black & white arena scene was beautiful. There are so many moments of top-notch action that will still be ed 50 years from now. The story, however, was a bit flat for me, mostly because there was an air of familiarity to it but also because I was unconvinced by the central conflict between the factions. It felt somewhat one-sided, as if the opposition couldn’t quite match up. Unfortunately, the villains of this film were also one-sided and not very compelling. I get that this is the comeback film, whereas Part I was more of a tragic unfolding, but the setbacks still seemed minor. Ultimately, I had a hard time caring about most of the characters, and I wished there was a bit more to chew on, thematically.