Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: DUNE (1984)

From: [email-masked] (Magus)
Date: 29 Jul 1996 20:39:18 GMT

DUNE
                       A film review by Magus
                        Copyright 1996 Magus

Starring: Patrick Stewart and Sting

Dune was first a book written in the early 1960's.  It did so well that its 
author, Frank Herbert, continued to write two more books and another trilogy 
after that.  A total of 6 Dune books.  A movie based on the first book, called 
Dune, was released in 1984.  I saw the movie after reading the book.  So let's 
get down to the point here- How is the movie?

First of all, Dune makes a lot more sense if you had read the book.  If you 
had not read the book, the movie is much more confusing and boring.  But 
anyway...

The plot of the movie Dune is fairly faithful to the original book.  It leaves 
out a few characters, but the basic point is made: Dune is a desert planet 
that has Spice.  Spice is used to fold space- travel without moving.  
Therefore Spice is valuable.  Spice is only on Dune.

Emperor Shaddam the IV is sending the Atreides to Dune and is moving out the 
Harkonnens at the same time.  The reason for this is that both "clans" are 
feuding.  The Atreides are supposed to go and live on Dune for a short bit, 
while the Emperor gives the Harkonnens extra troops to destroy the Atreides 
so there is no more feuding and fighting between the two.  The Atreides do not 
know this however...

That is basically the beginning of the plot of Dune.  I don't want to spoil 
any of the surprises, but other parts of the plot involve a traitor and the 
local people of Dune called the Fremen.

The actors they picked for this movie are ho-hum.  They have Patrick 
Stewart (Star Trek: Generations) as Gurney Halleck, the man who trained Duke 
Leto Atreides' son.  They have Sting as the son of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.  
They have a lot of no-name actors as well.  Some do a good job, but the 
majority of the script focuses on Paul Atreides and his mother Jessica.  They 
do an OK job.

The special effects for this movie are definitely dated.  The sets are very 
good.  The music score mainly by Toto is also excellent.  

But the movie itself drags on at 2 hours and 20 something minutes.  Even at 
that length, Dune fails to describe the characters and flesh them out as well 
as the book does.

So what is my reccomendation?  Watch this movie if you wanna see a slightly 
technical sci-fi movie or if you have read the book.

**1/2 out of ****
/\/\agus
"Evil is a point of view"
"Fear is the mind-killer"