Dune

Name: Dune
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Released: December 14, 1984
Duration: 137 min
Rating: 40
Cast: Brad Dourif, Francesca Annis, Freddie Jones, José Ferrer, Kyle MacLachlan

1984

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 49 Ratings

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Dune

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Movie Details & Credits

Universal Pictures | Release Date: December 14, 1984 | PG-13

Starring: Brad Dourif, Francesca Annis, Freddie Jones, José Ferrer, Kyle MacLachlan, Leonardo Cimino, Linda Hunt, Richard Jordan, Silvana Mangano, Virginia Madsen

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.

Director: David Lynch

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 137 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

David Ansen

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]

Kirk Ellis

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. Read full review

Ian Nathan

A most fascinating disaster of genre making. Read full review

Linda Deutsch

The only real heroes in this lumbering, over-inflated epic are the army of special effects coordinators and technicians who create a fantastic, otherworldly environment peopled by creatures more weird and threatening than Jabba The Hut. Freddie Francis' photography is constantly impressive. But technical wizardry alone cannot save Dune from a crash landing. [3 Jan 1985]

Dave Kehr

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. Read full review

Pauline Kael

The movie is heavy on exposition, and the story isn't dramatized - it's merely acted out (and hurried through), in a series of scenes that are like illustrations. And, despite the care that has gone into the sets and costumes and the staging, the editing rhythms are limp and choppy.

Rita Kempley

David Lynch's disastrous film adaptation of Fank Herbert's science-fiction classic turns epic to myopic. [14 Dec 1984, p.31]

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User Reviews

diralark

Nov 13, 2019

great actors, great stories, great SF, great text, great worms, great movie !

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Azertyvince

Aug 12, 2020

This film is for me one of the best science fiction films. I like this atmosphere on the border of the strange. The Midle Eastern inspired sets add a touch of originality and strangeness to this film. The actors are equiped with the necessary thickness for this great intergalactic epic. ItThis film is for me one of the best science fiction films. I like this atmosphere on the border of the strange. The Midle Eastern inspired sets add a touch of originality and strangeness to this film. The actors are equiped with the necessary thickness for this great intergalactic epic. It doesn't matter that this film doesn't not fully conform to Franck Herbert's story (I have not read). For me, David Lynch made a really great movie, which have not to be ashamed in front of Star Wars or Blade runner.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

pin97dew24

Jul 22, 2018

Depth: 2/2
Importance: 2/2
Relevance: 2/2
Artistry: 2/2
Imagination: 2/2

Total: 10/10

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

Andremax

Jun 17, 2019

Dune has clumsy special effects and fight scenes, some motivations are questionable but Lynch shows his versatility, his surreal trademark is latent and story is at least interesting.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

sachineldho

Jan 8, 2019

I don't know what happened to Lynch when he directed this movie. This is full of **** I somehow completed watching this movie. I would rather kill myself than watch this movie again.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

imthenoob

Jun 10, 2020

Dune is arguably one of the worst written films of all time. It was the equivalent of trying to cram the Lord of the Rings into 2 films rather than 3. There was just too much going on to warrant this being a single movie when it should have been broken up into two. Or they should haveDune is arguably one of the worst written films of all time. It was the equivalent of trying to cram the Lord of the Rings into 2 films rather than 3. There was just too much going on to warrant this being a single movie when it should have been broken up into two. Or they should have trimmed the story to focus more on certain characters over others.

Either way, It's still a nightmare of a script with way too many awful looking special effects and makeup designs that just don't work.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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