I liked the book. I liked several more of the books, too: I thought the second and third books were better than the first, to be honest.
I think that the book series (or at least the original series, before the family turned it into a soap opera) would lend itself to a long-term six/ seven/ eight season show to take us from the beginning and then quite a long way into the saga. It doesn't really have enough pizzazz to be like the MCU movies, but has plenty enough interest to be a Babylon 9/ BSG style long form event.
I think the movie is doomed, regardless of quality, because in this age of internet annihilation it will get destroyed by whichever set of "fans" it disappoints, and there are too many disparate group to satisfy all of them.
I made the mistake of reading Dune Messiah before I read Dune. In retrospect, that was not the best way to be introduced to the series. I didn't think much of DM, but maybe after reading Dune, it would make more sense. As a standalone effort, though, I can't say I was impressed with DM. It was only through the recommendations of friends that I read the first book. It's been years since I read DM, so maybe it's time to revisit it. After I finish the Decameron, which I'm a bit over halfway through--good plague time reading.
I had no idea what the backstory of the Lynch movie was. My brother suggested it, so I watched it without any idea of who was responsible for it. I was intrigued by the presence of young Kyle MacLachlan, who went on to work with Lynch in several other films, but I hadn't realized they had such an early connection.
It will be interesting to see what another director does with the same material. The improvement in CGI and related special effects that have occurred in the interim should also add to the production.
