An early David Lynch film adapting a Frank Herbert novel of the same name. Taking place in the distant future, it depicts young Paul Atreides's (Kyle MacLachlan) journey as his family takes up position as the rulers of the desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune, source of the drug melange, catalyst of space travel and source of eternal youth.

The original book is one of the great works of science fiction, still very popular even today and hauled as a masterpiece. It's a meditation on power, when and how to wield it and whether or not it should be wielded. It's also an epic in every meaning of the word.

And while Lynch's adaptation suffers somewhat due to limitations of the budget and the state of special effects at the time of its making, it's still more than valiant attempt. I especially like MacLachlan as Paul and Francesca Annis as Lady Jessica, his mother.

Then again, the rivals of Paul and his family, the Harkonnens, are way over the top goofy, whereas in the book they're coldblooded killers and menace beyond reason.

Likewise it's a tad weird to have Toto, the band, providing the soundtrack, but I can't say I minded it.

Not a perfect adaptation by any means, and I'd hazard that it'd be a bit difficult to follow if you haven't read the book, but even still it's pretty epic in its own right.

Dune (1984) is a movie I recently watched again for the first time in a long time on HBOMAX. The storyline follows an evil emperor who takes advantage of a planets inhabitants and takes their resources to fuel space travel. When the son of a new leader of the planet sees the ways of the local people he decides to join them to overthrow the emperor.

This movie is directed by David Lynch (Mulholland Drive) and stars Kyle MacLachlan (Show Girls),Virginia Madsen (Candyman),Leonardo Cimino (Monster Squad),Francesca Annis (Krull),Brad Dourif (Child's Play),Everett McGill (Silver Bullet),Patrick Stewart (X-man) and Sting (Cold Mountain).

The storyline for this is very intricate and contains great characters, setting and circumstances that really capture the imagination. The cast is brilliantly selected and the special effects are way better than they should be for 1984. I am always thoroughly impressed by the space special effects, the worms and the sets. They paid so much attention to detail on the makeup, attire and various props.

This really was a great movie. There's a lot to absorb and keep up with, but this is definitely worth your time. This is a science fiction masterpiece that I would strongly recommend and score a 9/10.

I first saw this in the late 80s n found it to be a confusing mess cos of not having read the books but still found it action packed.

Revisited it recently after hating the new version cos of its boredom n lack of action.

Well, none of em is closer to the books (having read the books now) but this older version shud be applauded for being a bit entertaining n having a big star cast for those days.

Was a bit disappointed to see the hottie Virginia Madsen in a tiny role.