Review of Jodorowsky's Dune (2013) by Robert H — 27 Jul 2014

I already was aware, through THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, that Alejandro Jodorowsky is a visionary when it comes to film. He has a unique way of combining surrealistic imagery and a spiritual aesthetic that is nearly unparalleled.

Watching one of his movies is an experience like no other, which makes just a bit sad that his DUNE never materialized into a film. However, there was a lot of pre-production work that went into it and that is what this documentary is about.

I was astonished at how much work actually went into this project before studio heads said no to it. Jodorowsky had recruited some of the greatest people in their fields to create for him: people like H.

R. Giger and Dan O'Bannon, who created some of the conceptual art for the film. In fact, the entire film exists on paper. There is a script, storyboards, concept art, the whole works. And even though the film was never made, it was a treat to hear all of these people talk about the project and the hopes they had for it.

DUNE was ambitious, and maybe just a bit too ambitious for its time. Still, as this documentary points out, it left its mark on science-fiction and its fingerprints can be seen in a lot of films that came after it, from ALIEN and BLADE RUNNER, to THE TERMINATOR, CONTACT and PROMETHEUS.

This documentary was fascinating to watch and I highly recommend you check it out.