MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #4 - 'Dune'

'Dune' (1984)

It’s time for another edition of “Middle-Aged Matinee!” This time, I’ve decided to take a look at the original big screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel, “Dune”. I’m doing this not just because David Lynch’s version of “Dune” came out during the year of my birth, 1984, but also because we have “Dune: Part Two”, the sequel to the 2021 version of “Dune”, hitting theaters soon on March 1.

In this version of the movie, things play out a lot like they do in the novel, at least with the broad strokes. Duke Leto Atreides of House Atreides has been ordered by the Emperor to take over Arrakis, also known as Dune. The planet is a desert for the most part, but there is a valuable spice known as melange that is used to help power starships so they can travel the Known Universe.

Meanwhile, the evil Baron Harkonnen is the head of the House that Leto is replacing and he has devised a dastardly plot to kill Leto and take over Arrakis by force. What neither side knows is that the Emperor himself made these moves so that House Harkonnen would destroy House Atreides due to Leto’s growing popularity throughout the Universe.

At the same time, several parties are worried about Leto’s son, Paul Atreides, due to the fact that he may be one that was foretold in prophecy to become a powerful leader. Beyond these plot points, though, the rest of the movie deviates pretty far from the book. The movie is only two hours long and the third act is not only rushed, it completely deviates from the direction of the book.

Paul Atreides may be the 'Chosen One' in "Dune"!

This is why the movie has developed something of a cult following among David Lynch fans while fans of the book tend to dismiss it. It also doesn’t help that this movie has plenty of aged special-effect that just don’t hold up to today’s scrutiny. Especially the shields that the characters use to defend themselves that are simply blocks that obscure our characters and the action.

I will admit that there are plenty of things that bugged me, including how they simply changed the Weirding Way from a fast hand-to-hand combat style from the book to strange sound weapons. However, I must also admit that the movie did not bug me nearly as much as I thought it would due to the differences between the book and the movie.

Perhaps it is because I have a better adaptation (so far) with the films that are currently coming out that I can accept this weirder version. There are some impressive practical and makeup effects in spite of the aged special-effects, the performances are not bad, and the cast is stacked with notable actors including Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Virginia Madsen, Everett McGill, and Max von Sydow.

I can’t say that the movie ever got me to the point where I can truly recommend it, so I’m going to have to give it a “SKIP IT!” rating. Still, if you’re ever curious to try out this original adaptation of Herbert’s novel, you could admittedly do a lot worse.