Films and Fiction

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I first saw David Lynch’s Dune several years ago, and let’s just say that I was unimpressed. But, after watching Dune: Part Two, I rewatched it, wondering if it was really as bad as I remembered. It was.

It’s hard to know where this movie actually goes right, there’s just so much bad stuff clogging everything up. I’m not sure where to start. There are some things which are not necessarily David Lynch’s fault. For a start it’s too short, shorter even than Dune from 2021. And in some ways it tries to stuff in far too much stuff that was wisely cut from the modern versions.

There’s so much clutter in the script, like the Spacing Guild and the birth of Paul’s sister. No doubt these were central part of the Frank Herbert novel, but there’s nowhere near enough screen time to do them justice. Everything after Paul meets the Fremen is hopelessly rushed and we get no reason to believe an entire society decided to embrace him as a messiah.

On the same note, there are too many characters. Duncan Idaho is less than useless, and others are set up as central characters then given little to do like Freddy Jones. Trimming these back would have led to a leaner cast which would have meant more focus on Paul, Stilgar, and his mother.

A lot of these characters are too overdone anyway. All the villains look and act in a cartoonish way which doesn’t convey terror or danger. They are also miscast too. Who ever thought Sting would be a good fit as Feyd Rautha I don’t know. He’s not a great presence at the best of times and is hopelessly out of his depth here.

Likewise, the Emperor isn’t up to much as the supposed ruler of the universe. Barron Harkonnen is at best creepy, and Patrick Stewart doesn’t have the look of a hard, experienced warrior. Lastly, Kyle McLachlan doesn’t fit into the role of Paul Atriedes at all, even when he’s given the chance to build character, which isn’t often. I have to say that the dialogue they’re expected to say (and ‘think’) would make the best actor tremble with fear.

Some things have to be placed firmly in front of David Lynch, though. The constant introspective voice, where characters think their thoughts ‘out loud’ is a poor gimmick that gets old quick, especially as it isn’t even confined to the main character. It feels like a cheap way to avoid writing slick dialogue and useful exposition scenes, simply saying it all out loud with excruciating frequency. Trust your audience to pick up on the plot.

Production design isn’t brilliant. A lot of it looks very Flash Gordon, though I do give credit for the scale of some of the sets and miniatures. The sandworms (which are used a lot) are excellent models, but so much of the other effects, like the terrible Minecraft shields really don’t have much going for them. It should be pointed out this film was made at the same time as Return of the Jedi and for a similar amount of money.

I guess one thing about it is the unsettling feel of it all. That strange, unnatural sense that all of the characters are not quite sane, and that this is a far more brutal, unpleasant and unappealing world than most other sci-fi settings.

I wouldn’t call it a wasted opportunity because I’m not sure the film could do justice to its story until more recently, much like The Lord of the Rings really wouldn’t have worked if it was made in the ’80s. Nevertheless, I feel like it could have been a lot better, and maybe have received more praise just as a standard sci-fi movie when it was released.

It’s not an underappreciated gem due for a reappraisal, more a lesson in how not to make a film, but if nothing else it offers an interesting comparison between it and the two recent adaptations.

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