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Dune 2 early reactions are in - this is what the critics are saying

Dune: Part 2 is a sci-fi epic for the ages according to early reviews

16 February 2024

Dune: Part Two is not out for another couple of weeks but some critics have already seen it and are posting reactions on social media.

Our usual caveat applies: these social media reviews typically don’t come from the folks who will form the critical consensus on a film. But it does not mean they can’t make some interesting points.

The overall vibe? It sounds like Dune: Part Two will be pretty awesome. It’s variously been called “a masterpiece,” a “cinematic epic,” a “blast” and “the definitive sci-fi epic of a generation.” Wowza.

While these social media takes can often be a little ripe, it’s unusual not to see even a hint of dissent among the ranks. And, well, we’ve been raking through X/Twitter and have yet to find much beyond TimeOut film editor Phil de Semlyen saying he “didn’t love *everything* about it” before calling it “the thunderously spectacular ‘Empire Strikes Back’ of the trilogy.”

Here are some of the key tweets to get the spice flowing through your veins.







These reactions followed the film’s world premiere at London’s Leicester Square.

Keen to see Dune: Part Two as soon as possible? Cinema chains have started selling tickets for showings already, should you want to secure a great seat.

Screenings begin on March 1 in the US and UK, although there are showings at one past midnight on February 29 — yep it’s a leap year, folks.

Dune: Part Two reportedly had a $122 million production budget, which makes it sound like a bargain compared to flicks like the $270 million The Marvels and Avatar: The Way of Water, budget estimates for which rise as high as $460 million.

It’s also significantly less than the $165 million of the first movie despite, according to these early reviews, coming across even more of an epic. Can’t wait.