Dune (1984)
65%RT Audience Score: 65%
Awards & Nominations: Won 6 Oscars
159 wins & 268 nominations total
This truncated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi masterwork is too dry to work as grand entertainment, but David Lynch’s flair for the surreal gives it some spice
Dune is like a futuristic fever dream that you can’t quite shake off. It’s a mishmash of confusing plotlines, bizarre rituals, and over-the-top special effects that somehow manage to be both dazzling and headache-inducing. But hey, at least the music is good, right? If you’re a die-hard fan of the book, you might find something to love here, but for the rest of us, it’s a bit of a slog. Still, there’s something undeniably fascinating about this mess of a movie, and it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re in the mood for something weird and wild.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Wadi Rum, Jordan
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material
Year of Release
1984
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Auro 11.1 Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos Dolby Digital IMAX 6-Track
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 17m
-
Language(s):English, Mandarin
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1984 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 16, 2011
Genre(s)
Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Francesca Annis, Leonardo Cimino, Brad Dourif, José Ferrer, directed by David Lynch, written by Frank Herbert and David Lynch, PG-13, Adventure, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Eric Shorter, Paul Taylor, Milton Shulman, Derek Malcolm, Peter Bradshaw, Kevin Maher, Kent Garrison, Alachia Queen, Philip French, Brian Eggert, Mike Massie, cult classic, sci-fi, epic novel, melange, Arrakis, Fremen, Harkonnens, Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV, Lady Jessica, Feyd-Rautha, Piter DeVries, Raffaella De Laurentiis, Universal Pictures, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Stereo, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track, 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)
Worldwide gross: $400,671,789
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $435,773,331
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 349
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 47,521,628
US/Canada gross: $108,327,830
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $117,818,076
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 647
US/Canada opening weekend: $41,011,174
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $44,604,028
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 270
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $165,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $179,455,109
Production budget ranking: 153
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $96,636,576
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $159,681,646
ROI to date (est.): 58%
ROI ranking: 1,109
Sting – Feyd-Rautha
Francesca Annis – Lady Jessica
Leonardo Cimino – The Baron’s Doctor
Brad Dourif – Piter DeVries
José Ferrer – Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV
Director(s)
David Lynch
Writer(s)
Frank Herbert, David Lynch
Producer(s)
Raffaella De Laurentiis
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 6 Oscars
159 wins & 268 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (72) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (41)
Unless you know the book you may be wondering what to make of all this electronic agitation.
May 4, 2022
Eric Shorter
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
For all my half-hearted hedging, I can see Lynch’s Dune lasting the repertory course a lot longer than Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings or Fred Haines’ Steppenwolf.
May 4, 2022
Paul Taylor
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Even if the plot has a serpentine complexity, the visual Impact of David Lynch s direction is never less than dazzling.
May 2, 2022
Milton Shulman
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
No matter how hard it tries to make Herbert understandable to those who find the saga resistible, or even to make Dune hang together for devoted fans, there is an overwhelming sense that this is familiar cinematic territory.
October 21, 2021
Derek Malcolm
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
This is a film that doesn’t dramatically harness the vast forces it’s gesturing at, but trundles determinedly along with very little variation of tone or pace.
September 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
The convoluted narrative ultimately slips away from Lynch and in that failure lives the suspicion that Frank Herbert’s novel is beyond adaptation.
September 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Kevin Maher
Times (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The only thing that works is the music.
June 9, 2022 | Rating: C-
Kent Garrison
Mad About Movies Podcast
Dune 1984 is a muddling, dull feudal drama dressed up in an elaborate sci-fi costume. The film tries desperately to elevate the basic messianic archetype with excess futurism in hopes to disguise its banal core.
May 10, 2022 | Rating: F
Alachia Queen
Alachia Queen
Under a barrage of incomprehensible dialogue, hieratic rites, inscrutable encounters, confused battles and cornea-peeling special effects, my mind steadily contracted, until at the end of the 135-minutes it felt like the fibre-dry centre of a bad walnut.
May 2, 2022
Philip French
Observer (UK)
Dune is ripe for cult adoration.
February 18, 2022 | Rating: 2.5/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
The onslaught of singular imagery is engaging, even if it’s unfocused and confused.
January 2, 2022 | Rating: 4/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
…a predominantly inert adaptation…
December 14, 2021 | Rating: 1.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews…
Plot
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for Dune (1984).
David-Lynch.jpg
