THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED,
From the 1960s to the 80s, it was the inventive time for the science fiction, making now iconic franchises like Planet of the Apes, Star Trek and Star Wars. When the latter wrapped its original trilogy with Return of the Jedi, many wondered what would be the next big thing. An early attempt came from first adapting the Frank Herbert novel Dune. While it was a bold choice, this was a story that was unable to hit the mark just yet.
PLOT
The 1984 film takes place in a fictional 10,191 AG, narrated by Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen). At this point in time, spice is the most precious substance in the universe for extending life and expand consciousnesses, while also being vital to space travel. The Spacing Guild use spice to fold space, as in travel to any part of the universe without moving. Four different planets draw the guild's attention: the desert planet Arrakis where the spice is present, Caladan the home of House Atreides, Giedi Prime the home of House Harkonnen and Kaitain, the home of House Shaddam. Emperor Shaddam IV (José Ferrer) has discovered that Duke Leto Atreides (Jürgen Prochnow) has developed a secret army with an unknown sound technique that would end the feud against House Harkonnen. The Emperor has ordered House Atreides to occupy Arrakis to mind the spice, believing they'll gain more power. However, he has also granted House Harkonnen five legions of Sardaukar troops to sneak attack Atreides. His master, The Guild Navigator, orders for Prince Paul Atreides to be eliminated because he has prophetic visions of his purposes. On Arrakis, Paul has passed the Gom Jabbar test, where he had to place in a box and deal with great pain. Had he removed it too soon, he would've died. It does impress Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohaim (Siân Phillips) because he lasted longer than others before him. On Giedi Prime, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen shares with his nephews Rabban and Feyd-Rautha that he has manipulated someone close to Leto to betray him, which will hopefully end the war. House Atreides does move forward by moving into Arrakis. Aside being filled with giant sand worms that travel through the planet's vast deserts, the population consists of the Fremen. They are people who have long held a prophecy that a messiah would lead them to freedom. Upon arrival, Leto meets up with his right hand man Duncan Idaho (Richard Jordan), believing that the Fremen could be powerful allies as they exist in vast numbers. He and his son meet Dr Kynes (Max Von Sydow) and are equipped with stillsuits designed to preserve the body's moisture, before they explore the deserts. When seeing a sand worm, he orders a mining facility to be evacuated in order to save lives before its destruction. Just before an alliance could be made between House Atreides and the Fremen, House Harkonnen attacks the planet. Despite the fact that Leto anticipated a trap, he is outnumbered by rival. This attack was a success thanks to the traitor Dr Yeuh (Dean Stockwell). He chooses to do this in hopes to get close to Vladimir for killing his wife. He does poison the Duke but before he succumbs to it, he is able to kill the Baron's twisted mentat Piter. As Paul and his mother Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis) get taken, Duncan gets killed, Thufir Hawat (Freddie Jones) is forced to take over as a spine mining director for House Harkonnen. With Piter dead, Captain Iakin Nefud (Jack Nance) takes as the Baron's valet/aide and Rabban becomes de facto governor of Arrakis. Yueh does die in a failed attempt to avenge his wife. Paul and Jessica do break from captivity, but crash into the desert. As they wait for help to come their way, Paul has more visions, including that his mother is pregnant with his sister. Rabban finds Dr Kynes, only to damage his still suit and abandon him in the desert. When Paul and Jessica move forward, they do avoid a worm and encounter a band of Fremen led by Stilgar (Everett McGill). There, Paul meets Kynes' daughter Chani (Sean Young), a woman he dreamt of. He would then take the name "Muad'Dib", after the planet's second moon. This makes the Fremen believe him to be the leader they've been waiting for. During their stay, Jessica becomes the new reverend mother and gives birth to her daughter Alia (Alicia Witt). Paul would also step up as the leader the Fremens see him to as, training 100 of them how to use sonic beam weapon, weirding modules. He would develop a relationship with Chani. At the desert, he is able to kill a sand worm and discovers that the Fremen water can destroy the spice. When he brings spice production to a still, Paul eventually reunites with Gurney Halleck, his house's former Warmaster. Everything that transpired get the Emperor's attention and enforces the Guild to order him to take action, or he will suffer consequences. Paul sees that the Guild fears of him taking the Water of Life, a sacred yet lethal substance that can turn women into reverend mothers. He does get a taste of it and is able to control all of the worms. He would also see the future, where the Emperor will regain control of Arrakis and the planet's spice. This inspires him to charge his way to House Harkonnen with his army. As this happens, the Emperor kills Rabban for his incompetence and Alia kills the Baron. After gaining control of the planet, he confronts the Emperor, only to be challenged by Feyd who he defeats. The film ends with Alia announcing her brother as the chosen one, 'Kwisatz Haderach'.
THOUGHTS
I got to check this out in time before the 2021 remake and for someone who got the chance to read the book in advance, it disappoints me to say that this film is not so good. You can honestly tell that David Lynch was close to making something special but due to studio interference, he is not given that chance. Because of that, we get nothing but a condensed story that doesn't give us enough time to connect with any supporting character. The only performance I dug came from Sir Patrick Stewart because nothing but the nobility that Gurney is all about. I want to appreciate Kyle MacLachlan as the stoic Paul, but what distracts me from it is that he is too old for the role. Many adult actors have played teenage characters, but he looks nothing close to one. Kenneth McMillan, Paul L Smith and Gordon Summer/Sting are far from menacing in their villainous roles of Vladimir, Rabban and Feyd because there was nothing but the feeling of pure wackiness coming from him. The only other actor I can give credit to was Brad Dourif because he actually owns the wackiness as Piter. That was disappointing because they were always described as the most frightening as written in the books. Even though the set pieces were outstanding to behold and the practical effects of the sand worms hold up, the condensed story still ruins investment, leaving many confusing plot points throughout. For example, the romance between Paul and Chani is unearned because we don't get to understand why they love each other than that the fact that the protagonist dreamed of it to be so. You want to talk about pointless? We get three different expositions sequences of the Atreides/Harkonnen rivalry and it takes the third one to get the story in motion. It literally could've started with the Emperor and the pacing would have not been slowed down. Also, is there some sort of childbirth law that prevents people from having multiple children? If that is why Mother Maiham is complaining, then that should've been more clear. It was so weird for Lady Jessica to tell Paul that the test is important, only to not give advice, walk away and let him deal with it on his own. I know she cares in her own way but if she wasn't gonna give advice, she should've not said how important it is. When I think of terrible plans, I think of Yueh using the poisoned Leto to get to Vladimir. He honestly could've lied and said he gave him the poison, only to give the Duke a blade to stab the Baron. And why didn't the thumper divert the sand worm when Paul and Jessica were making a run for it? It is suspenseful, but it pays off better when explaining why things happen the way it did. I also think it would've been more intense if more worms came out during the day Paul reunited with Gurney. That would've been a much more insane moment. I've said before on how much I hate continuity errors, and I swear I was losing it when Paul briefly has blue eyes when first meeting Stilgar. It bothers me because he doesn't truly get it until later, after a larger exposure to spice. To get this over with, 1984's Dune is an unsatisfying sci fi film for not letting the story breathe. If you are a fan of the book series, please avoid this and check out the remake instead.
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