• Release year: 1984
• Director: David Lynch.
• Producer: Raffaella De Laurentiis.
• Screenplay by: David Lynch.
• Cinematography by: Freddie Francis.
• Music by: TOTO and Marty Paich.

Shotgun Commentary: really aged film, but still quite fun tbh.

Review

It might be hard to imagine for some, but before Zendaya’s jaw-dropping fashion statements and Chalamet’s charm, there was a time when Dune was, other than a series of books, a David Lynch film protagonised by his favourite actor Kyle MacLachlan. A movie as insane as its decade hints, and as unhinged as any other Lynch feature, only a little easier to follow than most.

Context and star

The story begins with a woman narrating all the context you need to be able to understand the story without reading the books. Don’t worry though, as daunting as it is to have three thousand names thrown at you in less than a minute, the planets and bloodlines will be presented a few times throughout the feature so you don’t necessarily need to learn them straightaway. However, you won’t see that woman again, even though she is the emperor’s daughter. At least, not in any relevant capacity.

Who you will see often is Kyle MacLachlan playing Paul Atreides, a wonderful performance in which he comes across as a dutiful young man full of passion and a strong belief in morality. Whether he is supposed to be like that in the books or not, this critic can’t say.

However, it is undeniably more likeable than Chalamet’s portrayal of a conceited, impulsive child who never thinks about his actions before doing them. Sadly, while MacLachlan’s delivery is fantastic, as well as most of his counterparts, the same cannot be said for the female characters. A setback which seems more to do with the writing than the actresses themselves.

A long way to go

There are four women with relevant roles throughout the film, and none of them feel real at all. The first has already been mentioned and, since her appearance is reduced to narrating some context, she is barely a character at all. As for the other three, they could not be more clichéd or fake if they tried. The witch that advises the emperor is scheming, selfish and heartless.

Paul’s mother, who is supposed to be the best pupil of the most powerful witch, is the most acceptable character as she does showcase her powers and fight skills. And even so, she doesn’t even get to choose her own name when she gets accepted into the new tribe. Unlike Paul, she is barely taken into consideration for anything. Her being the most insightful character, if we don’t count post-water-of-life Paul, apparently being an irrelevant fact.

Lastly, there is Chani, the dessert girl and Paul’s love interest. A young woman who falls in love with the protagonist within the first five minutes of knowing him and gets incredibly dramatic at the slightest development. Now, their relationship is understandably not properly developed, as Lynch tries to tell a three-book story within an hour and a half. But is it really necessary for her to act hysterical 24/7? Have you ever meet a woman like that? Doubt.

Bad effects, terrible villains

Naturally, the special effects are very much at the level of Johnny Mnemonic (1995). Considering the time when it was made, this is not only acceptable, but actually adds character to the film. The hilarious effects are nothing if not testimony of the creativity of the professionals back then.

As for the villain, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, he was probably 90% of the mood board to create The People Eater (Mad Max: Fury Road, 2015), if not 100%. He is an obese man full of boils that look like they are about to pop. Plus, he surrounds himself of the most repulsive looking people possible. Of course, he also does the most revolting things possible to make it clear that he is the bad guy. Still, he is not nearly as shocking as Sting. The singer joined the cast as a villain too and rocks the weirdest, most futuristic looking swimsuit since Barbarella (1968). In fact, he could very well be Barbarella’s evil twin.

All in all, Dune is entertaining as hell. It has excentric characters, surprisingly great performances, and a production design so extra you can’t help but love. Sure, the adaptation is not as detailed or in-depth as the modern versions, but hell if it’s not ten times more fun.

Advice to take from this movie:

• A voice off for each of the characters’ thoughts saves a lot of time.
• Don’t ask for feminism in the 80s. Just feel lucky when you stumble upon it once in a thousand movies.
• If you make your character extra enough, it will grow on people.

What’s your take? Have you watched Dune? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀