Just watched this. Enjoyed it quite a bit, though it really left me wanting more.
I read the first 3 books in the series maybe 6-7 years ago. And then I re-read the first 3 and also book 4, about 2 years ago.
The thing about my time reading the Dune books was that it wasn't what I expected it to be. I thought it was going to be about sand worms and battles and space fights, and, well, it's much more introspective and philosophical.
I remember being sort of dissatisfied after finishing the first book. In my mind, Messiah was a very necessary extended epilogue. Based on people's reactions to this movie being "only" half a book, I'm interested to see what the reaction to the end of the next movie will be.
And then the thing is, yes, you could stop reading after Messiah, but the reality is that Children finishes Paul's arc. So, it's basically required reading. I just don't think we're going to get there with this movie series though.
God Emperor though....man that was something else. When I did my 2nd read through of the series, I had planned on reading all 6 of the OG books. But by the time I finished God Emperor my momentum had run out.
The last 2 books are the first 2/3 of an unfinished trilogy, so its not that bad to just stop at God Emperor.
And yes, Messiah isnt a terrible place to stop the films. but Children of Dune is the obvious natural end point, so Im somewhat surprised that Villenevue hasnt even floated the idea of filming that.
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It's like paying for bubble wrap. -transience on Final Fantasy: All the Bravest