Am I disappointed? Yes. Did I enjoy them? Yes.

I have read all of Frank Herbert's Dune books and nearly all of his son Brian Herbert's books as well. I have read other books, magazines, children's books and comics about Dune. I have played card games, board games, and computer games and role-playing games based on Dune. I have seen the TV shows and movies, including extended editions and fan cuts. I am a huge fan of the Dune universe.

This is what I think of the new movies.

The movies are visual marvels:

It makes sense, technology has improved.

It doesn't all come down to technology, but a lot of it does. It helps that there have been multiple versions of this story on screens, both TV and movie. A good director should learn from what has come before and make something better. Denis Villeneuve has done this.

These movies are Dune light: 

They are adaptations of the story; it isn't actually Dune.

When converting a story from print to screen, things change. Major parts get cut, or compromised, so that it works better for the new medium. This version of Dune is no exception. To get the entire story, read the books. A major joy of these movies for me is that it will probably inspire a bunch of people to read the books, where they will get the whole story.

Times change and so do movies: 

Movies are made to sell tickets and make money.

When the world changes, so must the storytellers, at least if they want to sell stories. There have been changes made to this version of Dune that I don't agree with. Several times I asked myself, "Why? Why was that change needed?" The answer: politics and societal change. As a long time Dune fan, they distracted from my enjoyment and caused me to shake my head in disappointment.

The movies are inspired by the books; they are not Dune from the book.

Despite the minor disappointments, I still think these movies are great! I recommend you watch them, then turn to the books and get the real story.