Dune

Rating:
Summary: Still my favorite Movie.
Review: Dune was the first VHS, and now DVD, movie that I purchased. I am not exactly sure why this is my favorite movie. Even after all these years and mega-buck computer graphic assisted movies, I still prefer the depth and richness of Dune. I was not a book fan first. I did read the book after watching the movie, but I actually preferred the movie.

The movie spends quality time building the characters. The scenery in this movie is so detailed that it helps to provide a visual representation of the characters history and social context. This may seem over the top, but this is the best way I can verbalize why I like this movie. I would guess that someone who likes the movie Blade Runner would also like Dune.

However, if you enjoyed "Star Wars - Episode I, The Phantom Menace" please do not waste your time watching Dune. Instead, you may want to wait for George Lucas' next toy/video game promotional video.

Rating:
Summary: A Big Budget Fiasco
Review: I can sum up my critique of DUNE with a mere three words: don't watch it.

There are a number of marvelous things in this movie, but they are few enough to count, and each positive is ridiculously topped by a host of failures. Francesca Annis, Sian Phillips, Sting, and Linda Hunt are at worst interesting, at best quite good; the rest of the huge cast, with Kyle MacLachlan a case in point, is about as exciting as trailer park garage sale furniture. The art designs are interesting; the special effects, however, are ludicrously bad beyond all description. But the core problem is the script.

The novel is largely unfilmable, and unless you've actually read it (and I recommend it; it is an extraordinary work) you'll never be able to discern what is supposed to be going on. And "supposed to be going on" is a key phrase, for the very little that could be successfully transferred from the book actually was. If you're masochistic enough to actually want to sit through this extremely long, ponderous, self-important, and largely unintelligible movie, do yourself a favor and either catch it on the late-late show or rent it from your favorite video store when they have a dollar-day. At least that way you won't kick yourself for having wasted too much money.

Rating:
Summary: actually pretty good
Review: forget the embarrassing dumb music stupid monologues and the fatc that a lot of the movie was changed by Lynch. This is a nicely made movie. It is not the best adaptation of Herbert's novel no but a nice scifi adventure it is. Kyle Maclachlan is perfect for the role of Paul Atreides. It should be remembered not as a failure for an adaptation of Frank Herbert's epic novel but instead one of the better use of special effects and scifi movies of the early 1980's. The special effects of this movie in my opinion were not matched again until Steven Spielberg's dinosaur adventure Jurassic Park.

Rating:
Summary: A Timeless Triumph
Review: This movie is one that coerces you to use your mind and think. Having read Frank Herbert's Dune novels and being quite a fan of the movie, I was expecting a good time when I watched this DVD. What I got was an extraordinary time. The sound of the movie is fantastic. This is from the battle sequences, the musical score written by Toto to the mind-boggling scenery and extraordinary visuals on the screen. Even though the story may be hard to follow, almost all of it is taken from Herbert's first book, "Dune." Most of the movie Dune is effects laden and is very enjoyable. There are some great creatures created by Carlo Rambaldi. There are a large number of characters and a lot of big name actors on the bill. This sights and sounds on this DVD will astound you. Note : I saw the Region 1 DVD Version a year and a half ago in India, and it blew me away. The version available in the US is exactly the same.

Look & Listen:

The video transfer of the movie is quite good. Although not an anamorphic transfer, the quality of the picture is great. The unbelievable sets used are a wonder to behold. This movie has some very good looking shots in it. There are very few artifacts noticeable on the screen. Even though the movie is full of the color black and tan, the blue of the eyes of the Fremen stands out and looks beautiful. Certain reds jump off the screen. The special effects change the color of the sky from its usual light blue to the omnipresent tan.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound of this movie is absolutely wonderful. The voices are easily understandable and the music has a good ambient feel. When Paul uses "the Voice," the echo is very clear and understandable. In the battle scenes, the sound really is fantastic and engulfs the listener. You almost feel as if you are one of the Fremen following Paul Atreides in his quest to become the Kwisatz Haderach. The surround sound is fabulous and gave my home theater system a good workout.

Extras & Highlights:

The special features on the DVD are limited. There is the original motion picture trailer for the movie. The production notes are very complete and are ten menus in length, with different still photos in the background. There are cast and crew biographies and filmographies of certain characters in the movie.

Menus & Interface:

The menus are static pictures. The scene selection menus are very easy to use. With only 16 chapters on the DVD, it's quite difficult to find a specific spot in the movie without using your remote. Still, they are very functional and easy to navigate. There are different still photos from the movie used on the menus.

Storyline & Syllabus:

Be forewarned! It is the year 10191 A.D. This is the story of Paul Atreides (McLachlan), son of Duke Leto Atreides (Proctnow) and Lady Jessica (Annis), a former Bene Gesserit nun. The Padashah Emperor Shaddam IV (Ferrer) has ordered House Atreides to go to the planet Arrakis. The planet Arrakis is also known as Dune. This is where House Atreides fights their mortal enemies, the House Harkonnen. House Harkonnen is led by the Vladimir Harkonnen (Williams), Feyd Rautha (Sting), and Piter DeVries (Dourif), the Mentat. House Atreides are also on Arrakis to mine spice, the life blood of the universe. Paul falls in love with Chani (Young), the daughter of Dr. Kynes (Von Sydow), the Imperial Biologist. This is Paul's story, mainly. You will enjoy as the transformation from the young man Paul Atreides into the honored Paul Muad'dib, eventually maturing into the Kwisatz Haderach, which is the hand of God.

Cast & Crew:

The movie Dune stars Kyle McLachlan, Jose Ferrer, Max Von Sydow, Linda Hunt, Francesca Annis, Sting, Dean Stockwell, Sean Young, Jürgen Proctnow, Kenneth Williams and Patrick Stewart. The movie was directed by David Lynch. The movie was produced by Raffaella DeLaurentiis. The screenplay was written by David Lynch based on the novel Dune, written by Frank Herbert. Most of the movie Dune is effects laden and is very enjoyable. There are some great creatures created by Carlo Rambaldi and the director of photography is Freddy Francis. The musical score was written by Toto and the Prophecy Theme was written by Brian Eno.

Conclusions & Afterthoughts:

A movie of such magnitude is very tough to follow. Based on the novel by Frank Herbert, it's not necessary to read the book but it certainly helps. There is a lot of the story line that you may lose in the movie, unless you already know the story. Certain characters aren't as well developed as others, making it tough to follow certain characters. Reading the book allows you to also learn the terminology of the movie, too. Director David Lynch does his best to explain the back story, which is very large. Most of the movie could roll along at a slow pace for the person who isn't familiar to the surroundings of Dune. For those who are familiar with the book, the movie may be a disappointment.

Dune was always considered a tough movie to make. Aside from the multifaceted plot to the gigantic sets, the movie also looks brilliant on the small screen. This DVD sounds wonderful and the picture isn't that bad of a transfer. This movie is an aural and visual delight. Made in 1984, this movie has some brilliant special effects for that time period. This is before most computer generated effects, too, and that makes the movie even more stunning. If you like the look of special effects in the mid-1980's, this movie is definitely for you.

The movie Dune was re-edited and released as a four hour television special. Director Lynch asked that his name be removed from that version. This is not that version. The additional length helped character development and the story, but Lynch and Universal had creative differences. This problem and others resulted in that version credited to Director Alan Smithee. Certain people prefer that version, but it's not available on DVD. The original is, and I'm very pleased that I watched it. Bring on the pastry!

Rating:
Summary: About as faithful to the book as some doodles I just made
Review: I'll be honest, I only watched the last half of this movie, and in that last half hour were about twice as many things that were made up, left out, or completely changed than the entire Sci-Fi miniseries. It's like he made a movie that was just a rip-off of Dune and then go the licnese for it. WTF is up with those stupid little sound guns!?!?!! They fricking changed how the main villian (the Baron) dies, for god sake. Alia acts like she is possessed by the Devil, she is supposed to be creepy, sure, but this is too much. They changed the sitautions about Paul becoming the Haderach. They changed how the last battle goes. THye changed how the Baron dies. They changed the ending, so much in fact, I actually felt anger. The ending is more disgraceful than all of BattleField Earth. The ending basicaly changes the whole Dune novel series. How come Paul can shatter stone by yelling at it? How come the Reverend Mother is bald and clad in Black Leather? If you haven't read the book, the plot makes no sense. If you have, you will realize how much of the plot has been butchered. There's a scene where the Guild approaches the Emperor and warns him of Paul drinking the water of life. Please explain to me how the Spacing Guild knows of Fremen Custom This movie is so bad, I wish there was a zero star rating. Ugh.

Rating:
Summary: David Lynch and science fiction on a scale such as this?
Review: First off, I'm not much of a fan of Herbert's novel, "Dune"; just as I am not much of a fan of the book "A Clockwork Orange". However in both cases I am a fan of the movies that were based on the literary works of the aforementioned, and feel that the films are actually much better than the books. That isn't to say that I prefer films based on literature more so than the literature itself - in the case of Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings", I feel no film can compete or be compared. That said the 1984 film, Dune, is as unique, intense, and brilliant a film as can be. Visually, this film is absolutely remarkable. I only read the book once, but this film really brought to life the images I had conjured. The acting talents are equally remarkable, and there are some big, seasoned names here. The special efects are wonderful, especially for the time of its release. The costuming and characters are fairly accurate to the literature, if not originally imaginative. The differences to the literature that are presented in the film work extremely well to complement the overall viewing within the time constraints, especially if one hasn't read the book. Even Toto's musical score (although I could've done without the electric guitar) is terrific. There is little about this film I dislike.

I suppose the only draw back to this film would be that it may seem confusing and not descriptive enough in its story telling to certain viewers who haven't read the book - hence the TV version with deleted scenes and narrative added. Frankly, though, I really don't see what people find so confusing about this film. Read the book. I can tell you you'll be a lot more confused by the literature than this film! Besides, mystery makes for a much better experience.

The big question I have about this marvelous film is how much responsibility did David Lynch exercise in his direction? I heard from a previous employee of Mr. Lynch's that David was called in at "the last minute" to piece everything together. The sets, storyboard, costuming, actors, production and effects staff, etc. had already been assembled ere he arrived. Hmmmm....

If you're a fan of fantasy and science fiction, Dune the film is a must see, no matter who directed it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Sci-Fi, but read the book
Review: In an age when science fiction movies are exercises computer generated graphics and muppet shows gone wild, this film stands out. The acting is first class. The director never lost focus. The plot follows Frank Herbert's masterpiece to a "T."

My only criticism is that the producers or the studio left out much of the background from book. Of course, it would have been as long as "Shogun" in that case.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing sharpness and clarity
Review: Well, you may nitpick this DVD with "weak blacks", etc., etc., but the bottom line is that if you watch the VHS and then slap in the DVD, you'll notice about a 500% difference in clarity and sharpness. This DVD is a MUST for anyone who has watched the VHS for the past few years and want to upgrade!

Rating:
Summary: A Good Book Gone Wrong
Review: DUNE.... say that name. Say it again.

Okay, now, go read the book and throw that rental of the movie into the fire. If there was ever a better example of how the movie industry almost always manages to screw up a good book, I have absolutely no idea what it is.

Dune, the book, was a remarkable experience in reading pleasure. It took a great plot, spiced it up a lot with superb characters, and powered it with the reader's imagination. The result was a modern classic that nobody could say a word against. So, naturally, when I heard about the movie, I figured that it would top everything that I had seen - Alien, Saving Private Ryan, The Matrix, you name it. I was dead wrong.

Dune is a story about young Paul Atreides, son of a duke and a distant cousin of the Lion Throne, the highest ranking in the known universe. In a political move, the Emperor recently gave the Atreides house control of the planet Arrakis, or Dune. Arrakis is the only known planet that produces melange, a rare spice that is supposed to enhance the senses and can form a deadly addiction. This makes it valuable beyond belief. This is good for Paul and his father, Duke Atreides, because it means profits galore, but the evil House Harkonnen has their eye on it too - and they will do anything to take it. This leads off to a huge battle between the houses and the utter annhilation of the Atreides, save for Paul and a few others. Now, after learning of the true nature of the invasion and the traitor that helped destroy his family, Paul has started a quest for revenge.

This premise worked great for the book. Herbert managed to fill it with a multitude of twists and turns and packed it with detail. The movie, however, leaves a lot of huge plot holes; obviously, director Dino de Laurentiis (or however it's spelt) assumed that everybody had read the book and would be able to figure it out. However, the only reason I understood much of the movie is because I'd practically memorized the book; the presentation is that bad. It gets worse, too - the acting is absolutely atrocious. Paul Atreides is prone to severe overacting; Chani is very bland; heck, even Patrick Stewart, who normally steals the show in everything he is in, did a terrible job. Of course, they probably would have done better if the script wasn't [terrible]

Do you owe it to yourself to get the book? Yes. Do you owe it to yourself to never even have to watch the movie? Yes, you sure as heck do.

PROS: Some decent special effects.

CONS: Just about everything else. Abysmal writing, abysmal acting, abysmal directing, and horrible omissions from the book.

BOTTOM LINE: STAY AWAY.

Rating:
Summary: Dune, Arrakis, Dessert Planet...
Review: Well, I have to say this is heck of a good movie. I like it becaus I just like it. Maybe it would even be better if they'd
skipped the 'child-in-the-womb' scenes, becous that was discusting.

The movie itself are as I expected. The characters and suits and
ships AND all that stuff fit perfectly, as in the book. If you
want to see Dune:Miniseries, do not, it will ruin Dune. Trust me.