Prior to George Lucas and the release of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), the genre of space related films had been out and about before. It just so happened that Lucas’ film brought it back by popular demand. While Lucas’ story was a culmination of ideas, it was still his original concept. There was however a popular story already written that was waiting to be adapted and that was Dune by Frank Herbert. With that said, who knows how it would have turned out if Lucas was in charge. For David Lynch who only directed Eraserhead (1977) and The Elephant Man (1980) before this, it seems to be clear perhaps he was not the strongest choice. That’s not to say Lynch isn’t a good director, but his previous projects were not in the same genre nor were they as big a production as this one. He also admits to not fighting for his vision.
Having written and directed this feature probably took a toll on Lynch as well. The plot for this feature is about a planet named Arrakis AKA Dune, which has a precious commodity called “spice”, everyone in the universe loves. On Dune where this good is sourced, are the natives who believe in a prophecy of someone freeing them and their planet from authoritarian control. The person whose plan is to inherit the current occupation of Dune is Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) the son of the Duke Leto Atreides (Jürgen Prochnow). They are not the only ones though seeking to control Dune. There’s also Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (José Ferrer) who’s competing with the Atreides dynasty and hopes to overthrow them with the help from Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan) and his nephews Feyd Rautha (Sting) and The Beast Rabban (Paul L. Smith). That’s about as condensed as it can get.
Sadly, the characters and writing suffer the worst in this science-fiction story. The characters and their respective actors mentioned above are only a small handful of those to appear in this film. There’s also appearances from Brad Dourif, Richard Jordan, Virginia Madsen, Everett McGill, Dean Stockwell, Max von Sydow, Sean Young, Linda Hunt, Silvana Mangano and Patrick Stewart. The value their characters add to the picture though is average at best. With that said, it doesn’t give the audience much more for the main characters. Very few of them have any kind of charm to them. It’s like the tone was to take it very seriously, as the amount of light hearted moments come far and few between. As the lead star, one would think Kyle MacLachlan as Paul Atreides would be someone to rally behind…not exactly.
Really, it’s the villains who expel the most energy on screen. Kenneth McMillan as the pus oozing floating fat man, as he’s referenced in this film by another character, looks to be enjoying every scene that he’s in. Paul L. Smith best known for his role in Robert Altman’s live-action version of Popeye (1980) comes in a close second here. Sting is also grinning in several shots…whether he needs to be or not. Why are they having a good time but no one else looks like they are? The worst offense this film commits is having in almost every scene having characters perform inner monologue whispering. To its credit, it works in some cases for context purposes. However, this movie just over does it; audiences don’t have to be told everything a character is thinking.
Visually speaking for 1984, the film looks good. The practical effects and small assortments of digital effects are unique for their time. The greatest prop of this feature everyone remembers are the gigantic sand worms. Wonder if that helped inspire the demonic ones from Beetlejuice (1988). Helping with the visuals was Freddie Francis who also shot for Lynch’s The Elephant Man (1980) and would later shoot for Glory (1989). Lastly the film score was composed by 80s icon band TOTO. While it seems to have been their only film to score by, TOTO deserves credit for creating and mixing a competent sounding tone for this futuristic movie. There are mixes of orchestra and electric guitar some would be surprised to hear actually work well off each other. Not to mention there’s a main theme for the film.
As grand as the look of the movie is, the stuffed screenplay, over serious tone and constant inner monologues make the experience long and boring. The special effects and music is crafted expertly, but that doesn’t add much when most of the characters are bland.
Points Earned --> 5:10
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