A world beyond your experience, beyond your imagination. -Tagline

A Duke’s son leads desert warriors against the galactic emperor and his father’s evil nemesis to free their desert world from the emperor’s rule. -Synopsis

I know what some of you MAY be thinking: Can I watch this movie sober? LOL… I sure did! It was an unique experience- to keep it brief/spoiler free. I’m NOT a fan of director David Lynch’s style, BUT I decided to give this a look (since a LOT of ppl were discussing Frank Herbert’s sci-fi universe in 2023). Though Paul Atreides is supposed to be an older teen, Kyle MacLachlan (looking good- no doubt) is a grown-ass man (at age 25)! Yup, back in the ’80s, aging was different (I was there). Lady Jessica is played by Francesca Annis (who was NOT yet 40); she’s a tall/elegant/theatrically-trained British actress. The other two women in the movie (Virginia Madsen and Sean Young) get V little character development. I got a big kick out of seeing (another theater actor) Patrick Stewart before ST: TNG fame; he plays the experienced warrior/mentor to Paul, Gurney Halleck. Dean Stockwell (best known to my gen for Quantum Leap and BSG) plays Dr. Yueh, a man w/ a tragic past who has a big secret. Sting (the rock star- in a bit of stunt casting) plays gleeful/young warrior/villain Feyd Rautha; he appears shirtless (or wearing V tight costumes), though his role is small.

Paul: I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me. And when it has passed I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where it has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

In today’s media landscape, this would’ve become a limited series on streaming w/ high production values, instead of SO much plot/many characters packed into 2 hrs. 17 mins. Some of you may’ve seen the Sci-Fi channel miniseries from 2001- Dune and Children of Dune (where I 1st saw Scottish actor James McAvoy). Yup, this was a few yrs before McAvoy won the 1st BAFTA Rising Star award (2006). Lynch’s vision strongly clashed w/ what the studio had in mind, which is NOT hard to imagine. As one viewer (who saw the 3 hr. version on TV) noted: “It seems more a DeLaurentis film than a Lynch film.” The Young’uns may be put off by a repetitive soundtrack and heavy use of voice-over. Some of the acting (esp. by the villains) is laughably over-the-top. Many viewers appreciated the costumes, sets, and visual effects (which are a different category from SFX).