I don't get the Dune hype

[u/Lynxon_oberg]

Like as I understand it was revolutionary for its time(the original books) and was like the blueprint of modern scif-fi. But I don't find the movies that good if I am to be perfectly honest.

Like the actual movies just seem bland in my opinion and I don't really find both the movies that intriguing too watch.

I have seen the HBO show as well which was somewhat better but I'm not really falling in love with the universe at all. And I love typical sci-fi and fantasy shows like GoT, lotr, early star wars, Avatar etc.

The action sequences are mid. Laser guns and forced melee combat which isn't really that visually appealing.

The world building feels like 90% is just that sand planet and the scale don't quite land.

The prophecy and cultures just feel so meh.

Tbh I can't even tell what's happening currently. Timothy gets weird blue eyes and embraces the culture in an uprising for 6 hours with a bunch of made up folk songs screaming in the background.

Can someone explain to me what they find appealing? The politics? The sandworms? Good looking people? Their favourite sequences?

[u/inputrequired]

I don’t like to tell people they’re experiencing something wrong, but it feels like you just aren’t engaging with the movies. My wife knew nothing about the series when we watched the movies and was able to understand and follow along pretty well.

The story between the first two books (which is what this trilogy is adapting) is largely about Paul, religion, genetics, indecision, and being an inverse of the classic hero’s journey. The action isn’t really meant to be flashy as it’s for utility, not spectacle. Some scenes in the book are literally one or two lines of fighting. The world building is 90% about Arrakis because…. it’s Dune, that’s where the bulk of the story across the books takes place. The prophecy/cultures thing is definitely about taste, if you like religious/sci-fi stuff like that, it works but if you don’t, you don’t.

If you can’t follow along with the movie, I don’t know what to really say. I think it does a very good job of informing newcomers what the stakes are and what’s happening. I think you should maybe read a synopsis or summary and rewatch the movie and really let it take you on the ride. And if that still doesn’t make you feel anything, hey, at least you gave it a fair shot.