I expected to dislike it. I've never really cared for the Bene Gesserit and I wasn't eager for another series about space witches and acolytes. The lackluster reviews were pretty discouraging, as well. I ended up not hating the first episode, though, and I genuinely enjoyed the second. I daresay that I'm actually liking the series so far.
I think that it helps that the sisters are more human and less creepy here and also that they're only half of the story. The other half is about the Emperor's court and political games, and I'm enjoying that aspect of the show the most. It does feel a bit like Game of Thrones, which I think is fine because I read that G.R.R. Martin was influenced by Dune.
I haven't really had any trouble following along so far. My understanding isn't 100%, but I'm not confused about what's going on. There are a lot of names, but they're not as challenging to keep straight as they were with Shogun, and that ended up becoming my favorite series of the year. Characters are often just referred to by title or description (ex. Emperor, princess, Mother Superior) and, even when not, it's usually not hard to put a face to them by the context of the conversation.
Some of the younger actors do feel a little weaker than the rest and a bit too "pretty" (like Cristin Cole in House of the Dragon). I understand the "CW" complaints. When it's just those characters in scenes together, especially when they're at the nightclub, it doesn't feel like Dune or even a serious sci-fi any more. That said, those characters and scenes have the least amount of screen time in the series, so it hasn't bothered me too much so far.
The production quality is fantastic and at the level of other top HBO shows. The visuals, especially, are impressive. As a sci-fi fan, I'm loving how it looks.
If you get through the introductions and laying of the groundwork in the first episode, the series gets rolling at the end and then the second episode is better, IMO.