X
- 1984
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 17 m
- 1984
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 17 m
Summary Set in far away future the year 10191 where life in the universe and space travel is reliant upon a spice Melange found only on the desert planet Arrakis or Dune; where the natives of the planet eagerly anticipate the arrival of their Messiah who will lead them into a holy war against the evil Harkonnen empire.
Directed By: David Lynch
Written By: Frank Herbert, David Lynch
- 1984
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 17 m
- 1984
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 2 h 17 m
Dune
41
6.4
Where to Watch
Summary Set in far away future the year 10191 where life in the universe and space travel is reliant upon a spice Melange found only on the desert planet Arrakis or Dune; where the natives of the planet eagerly anticipate the arrival of their Messiah who will lead them into a holy war against the evil Harkonnen empire.
Directed By: David Lynch
Written By: Frank Herbert, David Lynch
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
41
25% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
50% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
25% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 20 Critic Reviews
41
25% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
50% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
25% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
It is a dark, spellbinding dream, full of murmurs and whispers, byzantine plots and messianic fevers. It finds its iconography of the future deep in the past. It's not always easy to follow, but it's even harder to get out of your system. For better and for worse, it takes more artistic chances than any major American movie around. [10 Dec 1984, p.93]
For all its cumbersome scope (realized on a shimmeringly large scale by Lawrence of Arabia cinematographer Freddie Francis), the film remains an intensely personal epic, Lynch's uncommon emphasis on characters rather than effects lending his exposition a rather remarkable lucidity.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 147 User Ratings
6.4
51% Positive
75 Ratings
75 Ratings
35% Mixed
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
14% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 147 User Ratings
6.4
51% Positive
75 Ratings
75 Ratings
35% Mixed
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
14% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
This is where it's at; there was never a need for a remake. This isn't something David would have normally created, but it's such a bizarre science fiction anyhow, one that can easily bore most people.
When you add the amount of color and craziness that Lynch brings, it makes for a better experience!
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Dune is a huge, hollow, imaginative and cold sci-fi epic. Visually unique and teeming with incident, David Lynch's film holds the interest due to its abundant surface attractions but won't, of its own accord, create the sort of fanaticism which has made Frank Herbert's 1965 novel one of the all-time favorites in its genre.
DUNE is visually delightful but choppy, confusing, and overloaded with exposition. Moreover, most of the thematic material that made the novel work--subtexts involving incestuous desire, capitalism vs. environmentalism, and Middle East politics--is simply missing.
The problem is that the imagery—as Sadean as Pasolini's Salo—isn't rooted in any story impulse, and so its power dissipates quickly. The real venue for this film is either a grind house or the Whitney Museum.
SEVERAL of the characters in Dune are psychic, which puts them in the unique position of being able to understand what goes on in the movie.
David Lynch's disastrous film adaptation of Fank Herbert's science-fiction classic turns epic to myopic. [14 Dec 1984, p.31]
When Frank Herbert published Dune in 1965, it was considered unfilmable for a long time. In 1984, the young and highly talented David Lynch ventured into the film adaptation. The result was a real work of art and also a masterpiece. A flop at the box office, but over time, viewers noticed the ingenuity and high artistry of the movie. A real classic, fantastically made, it convinces with its high artistic standards. It's not for everyone. In my eyes, David Lynch is an underestimated (how can it also be in Hollywood) artistic genius. The Albert Einstein and Salvador Dali of cinematic art. Too bad he couldn't make a sequel. There are still many books by the great Frank Herbert waiting to be made into fantastic movies. BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO! AWESOME!
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While David Lynch's adaptation is not without admiration and ambition, it is ultimately only accessible to those already familiar with the source material. A fantastic cast is somewhat squandered with a lack of focus on character, while the pace of the film is all over the place with a slow, exposition heavy first half and a second half that races to get to the finish line. Though, special mention goes to Kenneth McMillan as the Baron, who steals every scene he's in.
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Fascinating yet messy storytelling with more exposition than action and some bizarre costume and visual effects concepts that push the boundaries of what was possible in 1984. Seems a bit of a missed opportunity as if they had dialled it back a notch this could've found commercial success rather than its niche cult slot. Very entertaining for fans of sci fi fantasy movies.
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Unfortunately, the film left me disoriented and unsatisfied. Along with great panaromas comes a story so difficuously told that it becomes an inexplicable mud puddle. On a planet that has no mud puddles.
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Although the visuals were interesting, this is an excellent lesson of what can go wrong when you try to create too close an adaptation between two different mediums. The movie tried to copy the famous sci-fi book it's based on very closely, and this resulted in scenes that were oddly paced and dialogue that was unnatural. A movie is not a book and, and you need to make adjustments to make something work from one medium to the next. The writers and directors didn't bother to do this and the result was a slow, boring film with unnatural sounding characters.
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Production Company
Dino De Laurentiis Company,
Estudios Churubusco Azteca S.A.
Release Date Dec 14, 1984
Duration 2 h 17 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline It is a world where sandworms 1,000 feet long guard creation's greatest treasure - the spice that prolongs life. And enables the mind to fold space and slow time. Where a prophecy will be fulfilled. And a young leader with incredible powers will emerge to command an army of five million warriors in the final battle for control of a universe and its source of ultimate power. The planet called Dune.
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 4 Nominations
The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
