Dune (1984) Review

 

Dune (1984)

We’re seeing a lot of David Lynch lately on here, and now we move into the infamously impossible to adapt to screen version of Frank Herbert’s 500+ page novel.

Dune, set in 10191, is centered on the war between House Atredies and House Harkonnens, as they try to seize control of the most valuable substance in the universe, spice, on the planet Arrakis.

There’s a reason no one comes near this project, as it’s insurmountable. But I have to give credit to Lynch, he put forth a very big effort and created a massive world for this movie to play around in. The world building was done really well, with me being a newcomer to this story and picking up rather quickly on the journey our characters will make. Normally I would give it a break for it’s horrendous special effects, given the time it was made, but if Star Wars which had wrapped up only a year prior, was able to do all of that, why couldn’t Dune on a significantly higher budget? It’s insistence on using unproven and awful looking special effects was rough and really made some parts stick out like a sore thumb. It’s also a cluttered mess of exposition and story, jumping around randomly in ways that really don’t make sense in context with everything happening.

The cast on the other hand is stellar, featuring veteran actors Everett McGill, Sean Young, Patrick Stewart, Max Von Sydow, and of course, Paul Atreides himself Kyle MacLauchlan. MacLauchlan takes center stage, playing the superhuman Paul in a calculating and extremely powerful way, which is a stark contrast to Kenneth McMillan’s Baron. He continuously ups the stakes, making for some really awesome set pieces surrounding Paul and his army of giant Tremor like worms and his 15 warriors.
The film is also bolstered by a terrific, rock soundtrack composed by Toto, making said set pieces and tense moments all the more powerful, especially come the third act which is where this movie really shines.

While it was a cluttered mess, given the circumstances with adapting an unadaptable book, I’d say it wasn’t bad by any means. It was enjoyable and one of the most thought provoking science fiction films of the past 50 years.

6.4/10