Review of Dune (1984) by Manicure — 22 Nov 2020

I have been escaping from this film for decades, but it was about time. Lynch blames not having final cut, but I don’t think an extended cut would have made this much better. The producers wanted to make “Star Wars for grown-ups” but clearly didn’t have the money and resources.

And seriously, just look at the villain. How can this even remotely be a mature take on space opera? I liked some of the sets and costumes, but the special effects are truly hideous (God, those shields!!), and the acting is atrocious.

Exaggerated acting is recurrent in Lynch’s works, it creates that particular eccentric mood that makes his film peculiar, but combined with such a cartoony setting and sketchy plot, it just feels like a corny B-movie like many others.

I appreciate Lynch’s touch in the script and cinematography here and there (especially in the first act), but overall it’s just too slow-paced and incoherent to be worth two hours of your life. Liked how they filled it with voice-overs to explain what the hell is going on, what the characters are thinking, and pretty much everything that they couldn’t shoot or include in the final cut.

Must-watch if you are into worm surfing and floating fatties.