i love dune, it's one of my favorite movies and i dont give a shit what those pretentious fossils think. i thought it was dark and romantic and i love kyle maclachlan as paul atreides. i thought the whole cast was great and i loved the story. i guess the special effects werent mind blowing but they were organic to the story in a subtle way and it was after all 1984. art is objective and dune will always be one of my favorite movies
Saw it at age 11 - loved it then, love it now - story and movie. Love the complexity and love that it took a gamble at the box office making audiences use their brains instead of so many movies these days that are such utter tripe, and spoon feed the plot.
I remember watching Dune when I was a child on TV back in the late 80s, and for the life of me had no idea what was going on! I watched it again as a teenager and was blinded by my obsession with the SW trilogy, but then watched it in my very late teens and finally enjoyed it at face value: A costume and large-scale set epic with a beautiful soundtrack. Also, an excellent cast.
I have so many versions on VHS and DVD, I now want it on Blu-Ray. Excellent film.
This is so funny. Everything Siskel said about it was right on. As ever (it seems to me) we find Ebert kind of apologising for a really bad film and trying to find the good parts. Sometimes Roger's defense of bad movies is agreeable and admirable but here he's just defending one of the biggest turkeys ever.
The movie was utterly execrable. Just a bag of utter shit. But if you're a true film lover you should actually see it "just to see it". But don't pay oh god no.
I think that Frank Herbert was the worst science fiction writer- how people read this book, so many years on is insane-Get this, the entire universe is ruled over by Feudal Houses that do not operate computers, but instead need a special "spice"' that allows their space navigators to "see" through time and space. Oh, I forgot, they also have to give royalties (or whatever) to the spice guild, so they can use the spice ! This movie can be funny at times, but it's also very dull and lifeless !!
David Lynch is insane and took the film too far and changed too many things from the book....but aside from that this movie really should have been broken up into two films at least..the book is just too in depth with too many story lines to be interpreted to film easily...I loved the Sci-Fi mini-series, but then that was kind of low budget and they were still trying to live in the shadow of Lynch's shadow especially in re-creating the rich depth of atmosphere and backdrops.
I'll be honest...Dune does differ greatly from the book, but I didn't think it was a terrible movie (The book is better though. Plus David Lynch recorded at least 6 hours of footage, so it would seem it would've followed the book better.
I remember watching this. I was so pumped to see DUNE although i'd never read the book I was 12 year old a sci fi fan(and of course Sting was in it) and I was so disappointed that it was getting lousy reviews. I went anyway and I KNEW we were in trouble when they handed out these flyers with the names of the planets and their relation to the story. Needless to say,at the time I didn't care for it but it HAS grown on me and I think it's great. Would LOVE to see Lynch go back and fix it HIS way.
Thought I'd also ad that I first saw this movie at age 11 and was not confused by it, despite having not read the novel at the time. How is it these grown men could be so perplexed by it?
The movie was a mess. Too much reliance on narrative and dream sequences, to propel the story, that simply nullifies the purpose of film as a visual storytelling medium. The Alan Smithee TV-edit was more comprehensible; pity it loses the gorgeous visuals of the full ratio film: the sets were just the best. There needs to be some kind of combined version where Lynch has full control of it as I don't think he was pleased with the cinema edit either. But...I'll still watch it (yet) again. :)
They ejaculate all over "STARMAN", and defecate on "DUNE". How typical of them. History has proven them both asses.
I've observed that Ebert is a much more perceptive reviewer now...even more so now, with his voice so sadly silenced, but his heart and mind sharper than ever.
It's nasty to say this, but I think Siskel is about as perceptive then as he is in his current state.
Having read most of the novels both of these morons dont have any idea of what they are talking about. In the end the 1984 movie was great. In itself Dune is extremely complex they had 2 hours to tell the story and the first movie although not totally true to the book gets the message of the book out. Both of these clowns needed to have been run over by a large bus. If you like or dislike a movie thats cool but to tell me what I should like is wrong. And they made a living with crap.
Dune was awesome; both the book & the film. Those critics must've had somewhere to go while watching. It was a great story & great acting by the lead characters. Just goes to show: you can't rely on a critic who isn't you.
And these two are the famous critics? One who openly admits he did not get a thing and does not give a damn and another one who seemingly thinks that his shit cures cancer? These two are professional senseless bitchers who think that throwing dirt at something beyond their comprehension is a smart thing to do. Likeable maybe, after all they do work for the masses. Talk about subjective critics: "I didn't get it but I think it's all wrong"...
David Lynch's "Dune" differs from the book. That's why many people criticize it but I don't agree. The whole movie was very well done, visual effects were great for that time and the acting was brilliant. Kyle MacLachlan and Francesca Annis were stunning
@Magnolia296 Dune's visual effects are great even today, with all this modern square CGI crap they call "visual effects". Back in the day it was an art. Today it's just an overused sketch that is slightly altered and put into one movie after another without a further thought - and just to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible. Please note that there is another thing present in old good movies like Dune that are rarely found in modern ones - a plot.
@IP6000 100000000% agree with you. Modern stupid blockbusters only care about effects, brutal & bloody things while old school films cared about storyline first of all and the acting
@Magnolia296 I agree with you. I have never read the books so I can not compare the film to them. This movie really had amazing visual effects. It is a David Lynch film so of course it is going to be a little strange.
This version of Dune did have its good points, most obviously the actors -- who had more charisma and instant gravitas than any in the (otherwise good) Sci-Fi channel miniseries. Some of the styling is also cool. If we could only have these actors in the far more comprehensible and accurate to the book Sci-Fi miniseries then we'd have something great.
What about Children of Dune? improves over both movies but we have yet another adaptation of my fave Sci-fi novel on the big screen while Paramount is trying to sell the rights to another studio for this project. It needs to be a 3 part movie on the first book and with today's technology it can work better than the last two movies.
@Johnlindsey289 Hey, I thought both of the mini-series were quite good. My point is that they'd be even better with the actors seen in this version which are CLEARLY superior to those of the mini-series -- For example, Patrick Stewart runs rings around the guy who played Gurney from the mini-series (who was the worst actor of the lot, IMHO). However, most of the series actors were good to pretty good -- they just can't match the level of those from the movie.
COD had better acing than the first mini-series and better direction plus truly satisfies ever Dune fan. What do you think of the idea of another Dune movie? i still think it's an unfilmable book since it's political Sci-fi fantasy that changed my life since i read it at age 12 and grew up with Sci-fi books and movies since i saw Enemy Mine in theaters and Star Wars on video. I wanted God Emperor of Dune to be a mini-series and be as good as Children.
@Johnlindsey289 A Dune movie (as opposed to mini-series) probably wouldn't work as two-hours is just not enough time. Even a mini-series of "God Emperor" would need to be carefully made to be accessible to the non-fan whose isn't already steeped in the lore. But, I would certainly love to see it either way!
Muddled uninteresting plot, half of the stuff is explained through peoples thoughts in their mind like for instance in one scene a guy gets stabbed in the side and I'm like "how does he die from that quickly?" suddenly in the main characters mind he thinks "a poison blade!", I didn't care about the characters, honestly if the main guy died I wouldn't care, it wasn't entertaining, it's just a mess.
@legorocks3 Yes, I read the book, and they indeed turned this film into a summary of an adaption, but I watched it as a David Lynch film, and not an adaption to the book, and I overall enjoyed the film because I had good knowledge of the characters and the events surrounding them, but almost all Dune novel fans won't except it this way, but if you have watched the movie, I urge you to read the book and realize how misunderstood the film's plot and characters are, the book takes it's time with it
I agree with Siskel on this one---This movie grossed me out.The fat guy with all the big boils on his face was unwatchable. And the story is muddled.Never did understand the fascination with this movie or the Dune books.
@mrbrianmccarthy Well if you didn't read the book, then don't question's people's fascination on it because you'll never understand unless you read the thing
Well ok maybe i am hard on this movie but i did rented the extended cut and i gotta say it improved on the original cut i should say and makes more sense. It's a good cut i should say and re-ignited my opinion on the film but i still have this love-hate relationship with the film. But it's still kind of disgusting at times especially that zit extraction which was just tasteless and added by Lynch's imagination. What would have Jorowosoky's vision been like?
Lynch's film perfectly captured the alien and unsettling aspects of the first two books. Frank Herbert said so himself in the anthology "Eye". So far as visuals and music, the movie flat out trumps the Sci-Fi channel productions, and I doubt the remake will be able to evoke such an atmosphere. The reason the plot ended up such a mess was because of constant meddling from Dino and Raffaella DeLaurentiis, including post-production cuts without Lynch's knowledge.
Lynch's film perfectly captured the alien and unsettling aspects of the first two books. Frank Herbert said so himself in the anthology "Eye". So far as visuals and music, the movie flat out trumps the Sci-Fi channel productions, and I doubt the remake will be able to evoke such an atmosphere. The reason the plot ended up such a mess was because of constant meddling from Dino and Raffaella DeLaurentiis, including post-production cuts without Lynch's knowledge.
But Dune was a deconstruction of the prince fable, and they left out action scenes because they overall weren't that important. No wait, that was the book. The movie was a complete piece of shit that made me realize Lynch is overrated.
Watch the 4-hour version. The problem this film had was the 2-hour cut it was given in theaters. The cut was done so poorly it prompted Lynch to take his name off of it.
Who thinks this movie is the "Heaven's Gate" of Sci-fi epics? even when it's considered a big budget stinker like that movie and one of the biggest cinematic/box-office disasters of all time. There were 2 warning signs why it was doomed: Pamphlets to educate audiences which isn't a good sign when audiences go to the movies to escape literacy and of course the second sign was the introduction of the movie, the film was in trouble with those 2 things.
@Johnlindsey289 I remember that pamphlet. It contained a glossary from one the Dun books and contained a lot of entries for people and things that weren't in the film.
I sure can't recall another film for which the audience was given a book to read to explain what they were about to see.
Just watched the movie, and I don't think it's possible to make dune into a movie that does the book justice. There are some things that books do better than movies, and those include inner dialog, and minor plot details, both of which dune is full of.
Also, the 2-hour movie did seem extremely rushed, and left out many important parts, blatantly rushed the parts it did have, and changed the story to make it more understandable to an audience that didn't spend 12 hours reading the book.
Well the Sci-fi Channel miniseries did some justice but had some major problems while the sequel is superior to both and fixed those problems. The new Dune movie coming to theaters should be 3 parts similar to how Lord of the Rings did in movies, i'll be happy with a new movie in that kind of vein as long as it ignores this 1984 space Trainwreck that even Lynch himself hates and disowns because it's an aborted fetus in his career.
@Johnlindsey289 Lynch knows nothing of Dune in the first place, why would you take his word for it? And Frank Herbert heavily approved of the film, and I'm sure his opinion is more important than hundreds of Dune novel fans who had WAY too much expectations for an adaption made in 1984
Honestly people, stick to the book for it's more rewarding and better than this mess of an adaptation. there were 2 warning signs why it was doomed, number 1 was that theaters had to give people pamphlets for people to research on the alien terms and people were pissed they had to read because people go to the movies to escape literacy and research, the second warning sign was the introduction of the film.
I was 14 when I saw it in the theater, and Siskle was right, it was tough to watch some scene. I was not able to finish my popcorn. (Hated looking at the floating fat man with the Pizza Face.) The fight scenes were fantastic for their time. When the directors cut came out it truly did fill in a lot of the blanks in the story. Before that, I had to watch it a few times to understand the story. The first time I watched it, I blown away by the action and special effects. (Thanks for the add.)
@Johnlindsey289 Respectfully, I’m not some Dune neophyte with whom you can play that game. I know the books (including those ghastly volumes by Anderson/Herbert) very well, and I still enjoy Lynch's film. It was true to the spirit of Frank Herbert’s vision and was a noble attempt.
@mapleavenue77 i think the only Dune movie to get it right was Children of Dune and it was better than both movies. I can't wait for the new 3 part movie which it needs 3 parts to do it justice like Jackson did with Lord of the Rings. Besides Star Wars and James Cameron's Avatar are already the same thing as Frank Herbert's Dune novel since both Lucas and Cameron are fans of the brilliant book and both pay tribute to that book as you'll find similarities. Alfonso Cuaron should direct.
What i'm saying it's impossible to put Dune in a 2 or 3 hour movie and that was a mistake Lynch made. Now with making movies based on books in seperate ways, it should do 3 movies to put the book to justice now. Peter Jackson did an amazing job of making an unfilmable book like Lord of the Rings into a movie but had a good choice to do 3 and he did them justice even which 3 movies based on Dune should be. Do you agree that SW and Avatar are the same as Dune?
@Johnlindsey289 There are similar underlying themes in all three of the above stories. I'm not sure if I'd say they're the same, but I certainly see your point.
Lord of the Rings was good. The musical score still features prominently on my ipod. My only complaint is how the series grossly misrepresented Faramir – easily my favourite Tolkien character and a true Númenórean. But that's an issue for another time.
This movie is nothing but a bad parody of the awesome book, it works as a Lynch movie but it's terrible for being a Dune movie when Lynch was a very bad choice for director when it could have been Alejanadro Jorowosky who wanted to make a 13 hour movie based on the book or Ridley Scott to make a 9 hour Dune movie as inteneded since they are fans of the book but Lynch was miscast. He hates this movie and disowned it since it's a wound in his career that nearly killed it.
This really shows the change in moods over the decades. It seems like the chief problem both critics share over the film is its complex plot and lack of coordination. I feel like Ebert would completely dismiss this in a review today. Yes, the pacing was bad; yes, scenes were missing or incomplete, but it wasn't incomprehensible, even for a Dune-newcomer.
The only good thing about Dune was that there are two worse sci fi movies that have since been made. Transformers 2 and Battlefield Earth. For it's defenders, watch that Sting scene again.
TF 2 is a guilty pleasure but Battlefield Earth was an atrocity and this Dune movie was nothing more than an Ego-trip for Lynch than being true to Herbert's brilliant work
Btw...2001: A Space Odyssey was initially panned by critics when it was originally released. Now, its considered one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. In fact, it transcended the sci-fi category. 2001 is considered one of the greatest films of all time. I'm not comparing Dune to 2001 or even classifying it as a masterpiece. I'm just saying, critics (even great critics like Roger Ebert) are not infallible and get it wrong sometimes.
@txmoney You know man, I was about ready to rail on you because I hate this movie, but its cool to see someone who can realize that a critic can disagree with their opinion on something without feeling the need to crap on the critic.
Read the book of Dune instead of seeing this movie, Dune is a brilliant book of Sci-fi/fantasy that also deals with politics, redemption, heroic issues and that sort of thing. This glorious 47 million dollar trainwreck of a movie ignores some of the things in the books and this is the worst film of Lynch's career for he was a miscast director
My experience is that you will either love this film or absolutely hate it. I have grown to love this film. When recommending it to others who have never seen it, I always throw in a caveat. Watch it with an open mind and dont try to understand everything upon first viewing. Let the film wash over you. And even if you hate it upon initial viewing, you will be drawn back to watching it again over time.
David Lynch's Dune has become a cult classic since its initial theatrical run.
Read the fucking Dune books by Frank Herbert, they are brilliant and intelligent works of Sci-fi that are very inspirational, skip this mess of a movie. It's a cult classic alright, but for the WRONG reasons! it's one of those movies like Showgirls that gets a following for people to watch it always so that people can laugh at how bad it is.
reviewing the movie without knowing anything about the novels is like only watching The Empire Strikes Back and complaining because it doesnt make sense. but beside that i think the movie provides a fairly good exposition through the first part of the movie, but it would be far better if they had released the extended one in the begining.
You know, a group of fans got some footage and made the 'novel cut', which has the extended edition scenes but keeping the surrealism of the original. It's in YouTube, try searching it.
Lynch disowned this movie and refuses to talk about it for he calls it a painful memory and taught him never to do Hollywood movies again. I think Lynch was a bad choice to direct a Dune movie when he's not a fan of the novel or Sci-fi guy when he should be sticking to his own work and to think he turned down Return of the Jedi. Mention Dune to Mr. Lynch and he'll go nuts, show up at a festival where Lynch is there and you have his movies including dune, he'll refuse to sign Dune.
This film has a great cast, cool visual effects, a wonderful musical score and truly brilliant cinematography, so overall it works for me. The fact that Lynch himself hates and disowns the film doesn't bother me at all. Technically it isn't even his film anyway as he was basically just a hired gun for the project, much like Kubrick was for Spartacus, which Kubrick hated and disowned as well. And while it may not be a true Kubrick film, it is a cinematic masterpiece nevertheless, just as Dune is.
Ulitmately the thing that i admire the most about this film is the incredible sense of mood that it evokes. I love movies that have the power to hypnotize me and make me feel as though i'm dreaming everything i'm seeing on the screen. Very few films have ever been able to do this for me successfully and Dune is one of the best examples. Films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Dark City, Akira and Ghost in the Shell are other great examples of films that have had the same effect on me.
I know what you mean, it left an impression on you when you were 5 years old seeing this on the big screen before Christmas. Did you ever had a Dune lunchbox or cards besides toys and coloring books? The other closet movies similar to this besides Avatar and Stargate or Star Wars is The Fifth Element, Dark City and The Matrix or even Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind or even The Dark Crystal which all share Dune-like similarities.
@Johnlindsey289 Yeah, my brother and i had lunchboxes and some trading cards as well as all of the toys and coloring books. This movie left a much bigger impression on my older brother when we saw it for the first time in the theater as kids. He kind of became obsessed with it for awhile, and it's still one of his all time favorite films. I'm sure whoever they finally choose to direct the new Dune movie will do a great job with it. I would love to see the novel finally done true justice as well.
That's awesome, when you took your brother to see Avatar was he also reminded of Dune? that stuff must have been cool Christmas presents and an introduction to Dune. Since you saw this, Gremlins, Dreamscape, Ghostbusters, Indy 2, Terminator, in theaters did you also see Star Trek 3, Neverending Story, Karate Kid, Splash, Muppets Take Manhattan, Night of the Comet, Starman, Supergirl, and Cloak and Dagger as well in theaters?
@Johnlindsey289 Well, my brother saw Avatar with his own family, but he did tell me that it reminded him a lot of the movies we grew up watching together like Star Wars and Dune. I saw all of those you mentioned in theaters except for Night of the Comet and Cloak and Dagger, which i later saw on cable.
This film is far from the greatest sci-fi/fantasy adaptation of all time, but it's also far from the worst and,despite it's many flaws, it is still a very unique and intriguing film that offers some strikingly powerful and truly unforgettably imagery throughout. On a purely visual, cinematic basis, this film is a stunning artistic masterpiece, but on an purely narrative one it's quite heavily flawed. Emotionally it's a very cold and distant film, to be sure, but so are so many other great films.
Well Alejandro Jorodowsky or Ridley Scott could have been better choices to do a Dune movie but be glad there is a new 3 part Dune movie coming soon, they are thinking of having Alfonso Cauron (Children of Men and Harry Potter 3), The Wachowskis, Guillermo Del Toro and Gore Verbinski as potential directors since they are fans of the book.
It's fairly obvious that these two guys weren't Dune fans to begin with anyway since neither one of them had apparently ever read the novel because they couldn't seem to even keep up with the character's names,let alone the plot of the film.And i honestly don't recall anyone ever getting their nipples ripped off either. WTF? lol. At least Ebert was able to recognize,to some degree anyway, the level of artistic merit inherit in the film's lavish production design,which i think is quite stunning.
Well when it came out in theaters, audiences were handed pamphlets of details on characters and terms as that is not a good sign and that's why it flopped at the box-office and got bad reviews. Well the Baron got his nipples ripped by Alia and sometimes i think he went too far with some disgusting stuff in this movie or wacky Dr. Seuss-esque ideas like Freddy Jones looking like a giant Wombat.
The problem with this movie is that David Lynch was a bad choice to do a movie based on the ultimate Sci-fi fantasy novel of all time when it could have been Alejandro Jorowosky or Ridley Scott who are true fans of the novel unlike Lynch who never cared or read it. It was a big expensive movie that became a box-office hit and got bad reviews as it's been called Sci-fi's Heaven's Gate. Lynch got carried away with some gross stuff like the heartplugs etc.
Before I even start talking I will say that I respect everyone's opinion and I know HOW siskel and Ebert hate this film.
Something is odd with this film that rarely happens with adaptations, Frank Herbert does like this movie, he said in one interview with 'People' magazine.
May I ask how many times has the cinema industry seen that?
David Lynch was not happy with this movie for he knew he was a bad choice to direct Dune and it taught him never to do big budget movies ever again after this movie was a box-office and critical bust, he refuses to talk about this movie to this day and would walk away if Dune is ever mentioned to him.
The point of my comment was to show that this in one of those odd films which the original author does like the movie. I don't know why you replied that. For what I know, Lynch didn't like the movie because all the restrictions the studio gave him. Meaning that directing it WAS a bad expereince. But that doesn't mean the movie is BAD, some people love it, some hate it, I prefer loving a film before hating. Don't you?
Well i can't wait for the big screen new Dune movie which will be more true to Herbert's novel. Although Star Wars and Avatar are already the closet movies of being like Dune on the big screen as they paid tribute to Herbert's novel.
It's pretty obvious that neither of these guys read Dune. Trust me , that helps. This movie cost 44 million to make, which was unheard of at the time and a total box office failure! Why? Well first of all you have David Lynch - what you never got confused by his other films? Try "Lost Highway". Dune is such an epic and complex tale it's almost impossible to compact into a two+ hour film. If you know the story, this is a visual treat considering it debuted in 1984.
@HardWarUK Oh I doubt that! The way Hollywood, err la-la-land. sells licences. This movie is still a bust - the only ones the like it are the few that understand it.
I've read DUNE the novel by Frank Herbert and it is a MASTERPIECE! The book is considerer by many critics to be the greatest science fiction novel ever written. Frank Herbert's Dune is the science fiction equivlent to the fantasy trilogy The Lord Of The Rings. I think the movie would have been easier to follow if it used a cinematic opening scene to explain the history of the worlds it takes place in. The movie The Fellowship of the Ring used narration and an epic cinematic opening.
siskel never liked a good movie. Every time i seen them vote a movie 2 thumbs down i go watch it because i knew it would be good because them 2 guys couldnt judge a good movie if it slaped them in the face
i dont know why anyone would take the opinion of someone who says they didnt understand the subject matter. "it sucked. i couldnt understand anything" "well... sucks for you then"
My father loves the book, and from what I've gathered, the movie isn't as good, but easier to understand. But if the movie makes no sense....should I see it anyways?
Since when did Dune have such a cult following? I thought most people considered it a mess and a half of a film that just happens to have some interesting sci-fi set-pieces here and there. I'm a massive Lynch fan but even he admits the film doesn't work.
Read the 6 books, Mr. Siskel, you bloody-butt fairy, if you want to understand the story. Frank Herbert was brilliant, one of my favorite writers alongside J.R.R. Tolkien. I've never seen the movie, except for this little clip, and don't want to now. There is no way to cram the story into a marketable time frame. My imagination works fine; I'll stick with that.
@morgmagg A movie should be able to stand on its own. Peter Jackson achieved that with the Lord of the Rings films; certainly the Harry Potter films would also fit that description (and to a lesser degree, the Narnia movies). Lynch's film was a mess from a narrative, structural, and dramatic point of view. The extended cut is slightly more coherent, but only slightly so. The TV series was 'eh.' It's one of those novels that doesn't translate well to the screen (so far anyway).
@jjobie Siskel was only bashing the movie, not Frank Herbert's novels. I understand that, but Siskel made it sound like the story itself was silly; that's what got under my skin. Very rarely do I like a movie based on a novel I enjoy. Only stopped by here to see if the movie looked worth watching. A lot of Dune fans agree with your point of view--that it's best to watch Dune between your ears rather than on a movie screen.
Read the book, it's way better than this mess of a movie which only grosses people out. Did you know that this movie was very expensive to make and was a big flop?
How in the HELL did those abortion/Constitution debates spring up? Also, I've never seen the film but Nostalgia Chick seemed as confused as Siskel... which she seemed to be catching flack for. I wonder if I'd be able to follow it.
These two were a joke. It was a sure bet if they gave a 2 thumbs up on a movie that it actually sucked. They always raved about a movieif it was a foriegn film but if it was a horror or science fiction it automatically got a bad review with with a lot of snide comments that only proved that the were only semi intellegent with very bad tastes in films.
too be honest I sorta felt the same way when I watched Dune but I was afraid I just didn't 'get it' and wasn't smart enough to follow the plot, but I guess it's cool now that they had the same reaction.
I was going to say how the movie could have been so much more, but after reading the comments, it seems that no matter what the video is about, there seems to always be a debate about abortion, the existence of God, and Left vs. Right politics in the US.
I remember this review! I was 14 and I loved this movie and listneing to this dope spew hatred about it always angered me. "What a load of junk we have to sit through, with people getting their nipples ripped off their chest..." ( 4:17 )They're heart plugs you bald hack! Finally I get my revenge! Thanks gradepoint and YouTube!
How did a movie review evoke an argument about abortion and federal legislative authority? WOW Dune is pretty good, if ya don't mind zoning out or dozing off a few times during the movie..Good clip of 1984, too!!
I love the book this film is based on - it's my favorite book of all time.
That being said, this film is the equivalent of swimming through an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of chocolate syrup. You know it's made of good stuff, but it's slow going and thoroughly unpleasant,and you're really not using the substance the way it's intended.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - "Dune," with its intricate plot and heavy reliance on internal monologue, is unfilmable, and this film is proof.
This must be one of the worst reviews ever! One of the reviewers said that he couldn't understand anything after 20 minutes. That tells us something about his intelligence and perception. How can you review a film if you don't understand it? He should have studied it more! And they don't even mention the fantastic costume/architecture design that can be seen in the film. Neither do they mention the deep philosophic aspects of it. Their brains must have a serious lack of intellect. Dune ftw!
Actually, I think that Dune might've been a better movie if the El Topo guy ( Alexandro Jodorowsky ) had done it unstead of Lynch ( as originaly slated ).
" suprisingly cheap, because this film cost a reported forty million dollars "
.. It's not so suprising really when you note that Dune was a DeLaurentis production ( Kng Kong '76, Flash Gordon '80 and Barbarella to name a few ). Big-budget movies with a "cheap" tacky quallity were sort of that companies specialty,.. or practicaly even their signature style.
i love dune, it's one of my favorite movies and i dont give a shit what those pretentious fossils think. i thought it was dark and romantic and i love kyle maclachlan as paul atreides. i thought the whole cast was great and i loved the story. i guess the special effects werent mind blowing but they were organic to the story in a subtle way and it was after all 1984. art is objective and dune will always be one of my favorite movies
SuperWonderface 2 weeks ago
wow can u see how the credit sequence was supposed to be hilarious
TURBODORK2 1 month ago in playlist siskel and ebert
Saw it at age 11 - loved it then, love it now - story and movie. Love the complexity and love that it took a gamble at the box office making audiences use their brains instead of so many movies these days that are such utter tripe, and spoon feed the plot.
March6371 2 months ago
I remember watching Dune when I was a child on TV back in the late 80s, and for the life of me had no idea what was going on! I watched it again as a teenager and was blinded by my obsession with the SW trilogy, but then watched it in my very late teens and finally enjoyed it at face value: A costume and large-scale set epic with a beautiful soundtrack. Also, an excellent cast.
I have so many versions on VHS and DVD, I now want it on Blu-Ray. Excellent film.
SamusDrake 2 months ago
This is so funny. Everything Siskel said about it was right on. As ever (it seems to me) we find Ebert kind of apologising for a really bad film and trying to find the good parts. Sometimes Roger's defense of bad movies is agreeable and admirable but here he's just defending one of the biggest turkeys ever.
The movie was utterly execrable. Just a bag of utter shit. But if you're a true film lover you should actually see it "just to see it". But don't pay oh god no.
Schlockenspiel 3 months ago
I think that Frank Herbert was the worst science fiction writer- how people read this book, so many years on is insane-Get this, the entire universe is ruled over by Feudal Houses that do not operate computers, but instead need a special "spice"' that allows their space navigators to "see" through time and space. Oh, I forgot, they also have to give royalties (or whatever) to the spice guild, so they can use the spice ! This movie can be funny at times, but it's also very dull and lifeless !!
lotuseater999 3 months ago
David Lynch is insane and took the film too far and changed too many things from the book....but aside from that this movie really should have been broken up into two films at least..the book is just too in depth with too many story lines to be interpreted to film easily...I loved the Sci-Fi mini-series, but then that was kind of low budget and they were still trying to live in the shadow of Lynch's shadow especially in re-creating the rich depth of atmosphere and backdrops.
tweezy100 4 months ago
I'll be honest...Dune does differ greatly from the book, but I didn't think it was a terrible movie (The book is better though. Plus David Lynch recorded at least 6 hours of footage, so it would seem it would've followed the book better.
Philosphyfanatic 4 months ago
I thought the movie was very decent. I love the books and don't expect to ever see them properly realized on screen and that's okay
farneyblakeley 4 months ago
I remember watching this. I was so pumped to see DUNE although i'd never read the book I was 12 year old a sci fi fan(and of course Sting was in it) and I was so disappointed that it was getting lousy reviews. I went anyway and I KNEW we were in trouble when they handed out these flyers with the names of the planets and their relation to the story. Needless to say,at the time I didn't care for it but it HAS grown on me and I think it's great. Would LOVE to see Lynch go back and fix it HIS way.
Chrisdrumz 4 months ago
Its about European Imperialism in the Middle East motivated by Primordial Desires.
lazyfreedom98 4 months ago
What's wrong with films being gory?
HawaiiKnut 5 months ago
Thought I'd also ad that I first saw this movie at age 11 and was not confused by it, despite having not read the novel at the time. How is it these grown men could be so perplexed by it?
CodyRicheson 5 months ago
Bring me that floating fat man...The Ebert.
CodyRicheson 5 months ago
These critics should find new jobs...if nobody gets David Lynch,then they're retarded wannabes!!
bhagavan65 5 months ago
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siskel never read the books i think
zee339 5 months ago
according to me you guys are a-holes
peninsularat 6 months ago
The movie was a mess. Too much reliance on narrative and dream sequences, to propel the story, that simply nullifies the purpose of film as a visual storytelling medium. The Alan Smithee TV-edit was more comprehensible; pity it loses the gorgeous visuals of the full ratio film: the sets were just the best. There needs to be some kind of combined version where Lynch has full control of it as I don't think he was pleased with the cinema edit either. But...I'll still watch it (yet) again. :)
horsie111 6 months ago
Terrible movie... but damn, those sandworms rock ! 8)
Peroy1 6 months ago
They ejaculate all over "STARMAN", and defecate on "DUNE". How typical of them. History has proven them both asses.
I've observed that Ebert is a much more perceptive reviewer now...even more so now, with his voice so sadly silenced, but his heart and mind sharper than ever.
It's nasty to say this, but I think Siskel is about as perceptive then as he is in his current state.
Chuckqnit 6 months ago
Having read most of the novels both of these morons dont have any idea of what they are talking about. In the end the 1984 movie was great. In itself Dune is extremely complex they had 2 hours to tell the story and the first movie although not totally true to the book gets the message of the book out. Both of these clowns needed to have been run over by a large bus. If you like or dislike a movie thats cool but to tell me what I should like is wrong. And they made a living with crap.
bluetardis40 6 months ago
Dune was awesome; both the book & the film. Those critics must've had somewhere to go while watching. It was a great story & great acting by the lead characters. Just goes to show: you can't rely on a critic who isn't you.
ThatguyNice 6 months ago
Who would have thought that of the two of them, the fat one would live so long...
captainkerker 6 months ago
I'm surprised Siskel and Ebert never read the book.
DoctorHello 6 months ago
And these two are the famous critics? One who openly admits he did not get a thing and does not give a damn and another one who seemingly thinks that his shit cures cancer? These two are professional senseless bitchers who think that throwing dirt at something beyond their comprehension is a smart thing to do. Likeable maybe, after all they do work for the masses. Talk about subjective critics: "I didn't get it but I think it's all wrong"...
IP6000 7 months ago
David Lynch's "Dune" differs from the book. That's why many people criticize it but I don't agree. The whole movie was very well done, visual effects were great for that time and the acting was brilliant. Kyle MacLachlan and Francesca Annis were stunning
Magnolia296 7 months ago 5
@Magnolia296 Dune's visual effects are great even today, with all this modern square CGI crap they call "visual effects". Back in the day it was an art. Today it's just an overused sketch that is slightly altered and put into one movie after another without a further thought - and just to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible. Please note that there is another thing present in old good movies like Dune that are rarely found in modern ones - a plot.
IP6000 7 months ago
@IP6000 100000000% agree with you. Modern stupid blockbusters only care about effects, brutal & bloody things while old school films cared about storyline first of all and the acting
Magnolia296 7 months ago
@Magnolia296 I agree with you. I have never read the books so I can not compare the film to them. This movie really had amazing visual effects. It is a David Lynch film so of course it is going to be a little strange.
Chaoitcme 6 months ago
This movie is kind of like cats or feet, you either love em or hate em but nothing in between.
LetsGo6009 7 months ago
these two are unintelligent
MrTwistopen 7 months ago
I usually like(ed) these guys` reviews but I think they were WAY off base with DUNE. Some people just don`t get it...
BigHosMan 8 months ago
two fags jerking each other off? no thanks
killerbee2k 8 months ago
I think that the visual elements of Dune were very strong.
TheInvisibleCollege 8 months ago
And to think years later Joel and the Bots on Mystery Science Theater 3000 would constantly reiterate that "I WILL KILL YOU/HIM!!" line constantly.
shenloken2 8 months ago 4
This version of Dune did have its good points, most obviously the actors -- who had more charisma and instant gravitas than any in the (otherwise good) Sci-Fi channel miniseries. Some of the styling is also cool. If we could only have these actors in the far more comprehensible and accurate to the book Sci-Fi miniseries then we'd have something great.
Ranillon 8 months ago
@Ranillon
What about Children of Dune? improves over both movies but we have yet another adaptation of my fave Sci-fi novel on the big screen while Paramount is trying to sell the rights to another studio for this project. It needs to be a 3 part movie on the first book and with today's technology it can work better than the last two movies.
Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
@Johnlindsey289 Hey, I thought both of the mini-series were quite good. My point is that they'd be even better with the actors seen in this version which are CLEARLY superior to those of the mini-series -- For example, Patrick Stewart runs rings around the guy who played Gurney from the mini-series (who was the worst actor of the lot, IMHO). However, most of the series actors were good to pretty good -- they just can't match the level of those from the movie.
Ranillon 8 months ago
@Ranillon
COD had better acing than the first mini-series and better direction plus truly satisfies ever Dune fan. What do you think of the idea of another Dune movie? i still think it's an unfilmable book since it's political Sci-fi fantasy that changed my life since i read it at age 12 and grew up with Sci-fi books and movies since i saw Enemy Mine in theaters and Star Wars on video. I wanted God Emperor of Dune to be a mini-series and be as good as Children.
Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
@Johnlindsey289 A Dune movie (as opposed to mini-series) probably wouldn't work as two-hours is just not enough time. Even a mini-series of "God Emperor" would need to be carefully made to be accessible to the non-fan whose isn't already steeped in the lore. But, I would certainly love to see it either way!
Ranillon 8 months ago
This film was crap.
Muddled uninteresting plot, half of the stuff is explained through peoples thoughts in their mind like for instance in one scene a guy gets stabbed in the side and I'm like "how does he die from that quickly?" suddenly in the main characters mind he thinks "a poison blade!", I didn't care about the characters, honestly if the main guy died I wouldn't care, it wasn't entertaining, it's just a mess.
legorocks3 8 months ago
@legorocks3 If you understood the Dune Universe, it would appeal to you more
SuperHeroMania 8 months ago
@SuperHeroMania Maybe so, but even people I know who like the book a lot hated this film.
legorocks3 8 months ago
@legorocks3 Yes, I read the book, and they indeed turned this film into a summary of an adaption, but I watched it as a David Lynch film, and not an adaption to the book, and I overall enjoyed the film because I had good knowledge of the characters and the events surrounding them, but almost all Dune novel fans won't except it this way, but if you have watched the movie, I urge you to read the book and realize how misunderstood the film's plot and characters are, the book takes it's time with it
SuperHeroMania 8 months ago
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Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
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Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
"Gregory Peck was a lot more interesting shaking the worm UH moby DICK... than.. this guy is!"
xoD
I won't put the time where thats at, its hilarious and Ebert's loving the slip!
wendileona 9 months ago
today i just watched dune for the first time.
the film has the look of the year '1984'
the story is average. nice costumes and large sets to look at.
that's it
best wishes
peckerdecker 9 months ago
I agree with Siskel on this one---This movie grossed me out.The fat guy with all the big boils on his face was unwatchable. And the story is muddled.Never did understand the fascination with this movie or the Dune books.
mrbrianmccarthy 9 months ago
@mrbrianmccarthy did you even read the fucking book?
SuperHeroMania 8 months ago
@SuperHeroMania No,I dont read fiction books.Dont have time for them. I'm sure the book was better than the movie tho---That wouldnt take much.
mrbrianmccarthy 8 months ago
@mrbrianmccarthy Well if you didn't read the book, then don't question's people's fascination on it because you'll never understand unless you read the thing
SuperHeroMania 8 months ago
@SuperHeroMania
Well ok maybe i am hard on this movie but i did rented the extended cut and i gotta say it improved on the original cut i should say and makes more sense. It's a good cut i should say and re-ignited my opinion on the film but i still have this love-hate relationship with the film. But it's still kind of disgusting at times especially that zit extraction which was just tasteless and added by Lynch's imagination. What would have Jorowosoky's vision been like?
Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
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Lynch's film perfectly captured the alien and unsettling aspects of the first two books. Frank Herbert said so himself in the anthology "Eye". So far as visuals and music, the movie flat out trumps the Sci-Fi channel productions, and I doubt the remake will be able to evoke such an atmosphere. The reason the plot ended up such a mess was because of constant meddling from Dino and Raffaella DeLaurentiis, including post-production cuts without Lynch's knowledge.
saidthemute 10 months ago
Lynch's film perfectly captured the alien and unsettling aspects of the first two books. Frank Herbert said so himself in the anthology "Eye". So far as visuals and music, the movie flat out trumps the Sci-Fi channel productions, and I doubt the remake will be able to evoke such an atmosphere. The reason the plot ended up such a mess was because of constant meddling from Dino and Raffaella DeLaurentiis, including post-production cuts without Lynch's knowledge.
saidthemute 10 months ago
But Dune was a deconstruction of the prince fable, and they left out action scenes because they overall weren't that important. No wait, that was the book. The movie was a complete piece of shit that made me realize Lynch is overrated.
blindthrall 11 months ago
Watch the 4-hour version. The problem this film had was the 2-hour cut it was given in theaters. The cut was done so poorly it prompted Lynch to take his name off of it.
dlancer2k 11 months ago
@dlancer2k
Vice versa. The theatrical cut is the only one that Lynch approves of.
Ason1986 10 months ago
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My fucking sweaty sack!!! was that captain picard?
Now I'm going to have to watch this insult and find out.
*at 2:57
AlphaSkyline32 11 months ago
My fucking sweaty sack!!! was that captain picard?
Now I'm going to have to watch this insult and find out.
AlphaSkyline32 11 months ago
well,i have read many dune books,i liked the movie,you cant watch it before reading books,that and lack of some scenes is problem..........
athageton 11 months ago
my god the into of siskel and ebert is so lame
TURBODORK2 1 year ago
Who thinks this movie is the "Heaven's Gate" of Sci-fi epics? even when it's considered a big budget stinker like that movie and one of the biggest cinematic/box-office disasters of all time. There were 2 warning signs why it was doomed: Pamphlets to educate audiences which isn't a good sign when audiences go to the movies to escape literacy and of course the second sign was the introduction of the movie, the film was in trouble with those 2 things.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 I remember that pamphlet. It contained a glossary from one the Dun books and contained a lot of entries for people and things that weren't in the film.
I sure can't recall another film for which the audience was given a book to read to explain what they were about to see.
deconstructionist67 11 months ago
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KarateKidX 1 year ago
Just watched the movie, and I don't think it's possible to make dune into a movie that does the book justice. There are some things that books do better than movies, and those include inner dialog, and minor plot details, both of which dune is full of.
Also, the 2-hour movie did seem extremely rushed, and left out many important parts, blatantly rushed the parts it did have, and changed the story to make it more understandable to an audience that didn't spend 12 hours reading the book.
KarateKidX 1 year ago
@KarateKidX
Well the Sci-fi Channel miniseries did some justice but had some major problems while the sequel is superior to both and fixed those problems. The new Dune movie coming to theaters should be 3 parts similar to how Lord of the Rings did in movies, i'll be happy with a new movie in that kind of vein as long as it ignores this 1984 space Trainwreck that even Lynch himself hates and disowns because it's an aborted fetus in his career.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 Lynch knows nothing of Dune in the first place, why would you take his word for it? And Frank Herbert heavily approved of the film, and I'm sure his opinion is more important than hundreds of Dune novel fans who had WAY too much expectations for an adaption made in 1984
SuperHeroMania 8 months ago
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Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
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Johnlindsey289 8 months ago
Honestly people, stick to the book for it's more rewarding and better than this mess of an adaptation. there were 2 warning signs why it was doomed, number 1 was that theaters had to give people pamphlets for people to research on the alien terms and people were pissed they had to read because people go to the movies to escape literacy and research, the second warning sign was the introduction of the film.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
I was 14 when I saw it in the theater, and Siskle was right, it was tough to watch some scene. I was not able to finish my popcorn. (Hated looking at the floating fat man with the Pizza Face.) The fight scenes were fantastic for their time. When the directors cut came out it truly did fill in a lot of the blanks in the story. Before that, I had to watch it a few times to understand the story. The first time I watched it, I blown away by the action and special effects. (Thanks for the add.)
nappybiscuit 1 year ago
Gene Siskel didn't get it. It was a good film.
mapleavenue77 1 year ago
@mapleavenue77
Read the book and you'll see why true fans of the book hate it
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 Respectfully, I’m not some Dune neophyte with whom you can play that game. I know the books (including those ghastly volumes by Anderson/Herbert) very well, and I still enjoy Lynch's film. It was true to the spirit of Frank Herbert’s vision and was a noble attempt.
mapleavenue77 1 year ago
@mapleavenue77 i think the only Dune movie to get it right was Children of Dune and it was better than both movies. I can't wait for the new 3 part movie which it needs 3 parts to do it justice like Jackson did with Lord of the Rings. Besides Star Wars and James Cameron's Avatar are already the same thing as Frank Herbert's Dune novel since both Lucas and Cameron are fans of the brilliant book and both pay tribute to that book as you'll find similarities. Alfonso Cuaron should direct.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 If I sounded a little harsh above, please forgive -- I had been out.
Agreed about everything above. Well said.
mapleavenue77 1 year ago
@mapleavenue77
What i'm saying it's impossible to put Dune in a 2 or 3 hour movie and that was a mistake Lynch made. Now with making movies based on books in seperate ways, it should do 3 movies to put the book to justice now. Peter Jackson did an amazing job of making an unfilmable book like Lord of the Rings into a movie but had a good choice to do 3 and he did them justice even which 3 movies based on Dune should be. Do you agree that SW and Avatar are the same as Dune?
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 There are similar underlying themes in all three of the above stories. I'm not sure if I'd say they're the same, but I certainly see your point.
Lord of the Rings was good. The musical score still features prominently on my ipod. My only complaint is how the series grossly misrepresented Faramir – easily my favourite Tolkien character and a true Númenórean. But that's an issue for another time.
mapleavenue77 1 year ago
This movie is nothing but a bad parody of the awesome book, it works as a Lynch movie but it's terrible for being a Dune movie when Lynch was a very bad choice for director when it could have been Alejanadro Jorowosky who wanted to make a 13 hour movie based on the book or Ridley Scott to make a 9 hour Dune movie as inteneded since they are fans of the book but Lynch was miscast. He hates this movie and disowned it since it's a wound in his career that nearly killed it.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
Anything that undermines the current brain-crushing paradigm is "panned", it's politics, not aesthetics that drives this.
Illimitus 1 year ago
This really shows the change in moods over the decades. It seems like the chief problem both critics share over the film is its complex plot and lack of coordination. I feel like Ebert would completely dismiss this in a review today. Yes, the pacing was bad; yes, scenes were missing or incomplete, but it wasn't incomprehensible, even for a Dune-newcomer.
BOB2112420 1 year ago
@BOB2112420
Have you read the book? fans truly hate this movie. I'm glad there is a new dune movie coming out soon.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
what about Runaway ?
KaristaSwiss 1 year ago
The only good thing about Dune was that there are two worse sci fi movies that have since been made. Transformers 2 and Battlefield Earth. For it's defenders, watch that Sting scene again.
flandersucks 1 year ago
@flandersucks
You have not seen the Dune miniseries from 2000, I take it?
esgietheqroue 1 year ago
@flandersucks
TF 2 is a guilty pleasure but Battlefield Earth was an atrocity and this Dune movie was nothing more than an Ego-trip for Lynch than being true to Herbert's brilliant work
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
Btw...2001: A Space Odyssey was initially panned by critics when it was originally released. Now, its considered one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time. In fact, it transcended the sci-fi category. 2001 is considered one of the greatest films of all time. I'm not comparing Dune to 2001 or even classifying it as a masterpiece. I'm just saying, critics (even great critics like Roger Ebert) are not infallible and get it wrong sometimes.
txmoney 1 year ago
@txmoney You know man, I was about ready to rail on you because I hate this movie, but its cool to see someone who can realize that a critic can disagree with their opinion on something without feeling the need to crap on the critic.
Quadzilla99 1 year ago
@txmoney
Read the book of Dune instead of seeing this movie, Dune is a brilliant book of Sci-fi/fantasy that also deals with politics, redemption, heroic issues and that sort of thing. This glorious 47 million dollar trainwreck of a movie ignores some of the things in the books and this is the worst film of Lynch's career for he was a miscast director
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
My experience is that you will either love this film or absolutely hate it. I have grown to love this film. When recommending it to others who have never seen it, I always throw in a caveat. Watch it with an open mind and dont try to understand everything upon first viewing. Let the film wash over you. And even if you hate it upon initial viewing, you will be drawn back to watching it again over time.
David Lynch's Dune has become a cult classic since its initial theatrical run.
txmoney 1 year ago
@txmoney
Read the fucking Dune books by Frank Herbert, they are brilliant and intelligent works of Sci-fi that are very inspirational, skip this mess of a movie. It's a cult classic alright, but for the WRONG reasons! it's one of those movies like Showgirls that gets a following for people to watch it always so that people can laugh at how bad it is.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
"People getting their nipple ripped off their chest and fluid drops out.." Idiot.
10072018 1 year ago
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Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
reviewing the movie without knowing anything about the novels is like only watching The Empire Strikes Back and complaining because it doesnt make sense. but beside that i think the movie provides a fairly good exposition through the first part of the movie, but it would be far better if they had released the extended one in the begining.
evilblades 1 year ago
@evilblades
You know, a group of fans got some footage and made the 'novel cut', which has the extended edition scenes but keeping the surrealism of the original. It's in YouTube, try searching it.
supermatx 1 year ago 3
@supermatx Well, unfortunately us Americans can no longer watch that version here thanks to those ever so generous douchebags over at NBC Universal.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
@TheAltair4
Ugh, sorry dude, that's really gotta suck.
supermatx 1 year ago
@supermatx
Lynch disowned this movie and refuses to talk about it for he calls it a painful memory and taught him never to do Hollywood movies again. I think Lynch was a bad choice to direct a Dune movie when he's not a fan of the novel or Sci-fi guy when he should be sticking to his own work and to think he turned down Return of the Jedi. Mention Dune to Mr. Lynch and he'll go nuts, show up at a festival where Lynch is there and you have his movies including dune, he'll refuse to sign Dune.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289
Thank you, repeating yourself SURELY makes you autmaticly right.
Oh no, wait, it just makes you LOOK dumber.
supermatx 1 year ago
@supermatx
I'm just saying that he turned down Jedi for this movie, what would have Return of the Jedi by Lynch have been like?
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289
Oh, then I apologize.
I better not think about return to the jedi by Lynch, that will make my head asplode.
supermatx 1 year ago
@supermatx I dont see how it would improve anything. I love the books but Im convinced that Dune is one of those things that is just unfilmable.
blaxican77 10 months ago
@supermatx what do you search for ????
reksub10 9 months ago
This film has a great cast, cool visual effects, a wonderful musical score and truly brilliant cinematography, so overall it works for me. The fact that Lynch himself hates and disowns the film doesn't bother me at all. Technically it isn't even his film anyway as he was basically just a hired gun for the project, much like Kubrick was for Spartacus, which Kubrick hated and disowned as well. And while it may not be a true Kubrick film, it is a cinematic masterpiece nevertheless, just as Dune is.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
@TheAltair4
Well hardcore fans of the novel shun this adaptation.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
Ulitmately the thing that i admire the most about this film is the incredible sense of mood that it evokes. I love movies that have the power to hypnotize me and make me feel as though i'm dreaming everything i'm seeing on the screen. Very few films have ever been able to do this for me successfully and Dune is one of the best examples. Films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, Dark City, Akira and Ghost in the Shell are other great examples of films that have had the same effect on me.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
@TheAltair4
I know what you mean, it left an impression on you when you were 5 years old seeing this on the big screen before Christmas. Did you ever had a Dune lunchbox or cards besides toys and coloring books? The other closet movies similar to this besides Avatar and Stargate or Star Wars is The Fifth Element, Dark City and The Matrix or even Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind or even The Dark Crystal which all share Dune-like similarities.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 Yeah, my brother and i had lunchboxes and some trading cards as well as all of the toys and coloring books. This movie left a much bigger impression on my older brother when we saw it for the first time in the theater as kids. He kind of became obsessed with it for awhile, and it's still one of his all time favorite films. I'm sure whoever they finally choose to direct the new Dune movie will do a great job with it. I would love to see the novel finally done true justice as well.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
@TheAltair4
That's awesome, when you took your brother to see Avatar was he also reminded of Dune? that stuff must have been cool Christmas presents and an introduction to Dune. Since you saw this, Gremlins, Dreamscape, Ghostbusters, Indy 2, Terminator, in theaters did you also see Star Trek 3, Neverending Story, Karate Kid, Splash, Muppets Take Manhattan, Night of the Comet, Starman, Supergirl, and Cloak and Dagger as well in theaters?
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289 Well, my brother saw Avatar with his own family, but he did tell me that it reminded him a lot of the movies we grew up watching together like Star Wars and Dune. I saw all of those you mentioned in theaters except for Night of the Comet and Cloak and Dagger, which i later saw on cable.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
This film is far from the greatest sci-fi/fantasy adaptation of all time, but it's also far from the worst and,despite it's many flaws, it is still a very unique and intriguing film that offers some strikingly powerful and truly unforgettably imagery throughout. On a purely visual, cinematic basis, this film is a stunning artistic masterpiece, but on an purely narrative one it's quite heavily flawed. Emotionally it's a very cold and distant film, to be sure, but so are so many other great films.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
@TheAltair4
Well Alejandro Jorodowsky or Ridley Scott could have been better choices to do a Dune movie but be glad there is a new 3 part Dune movie coming soon, they are thinking of having Alfonso Cauron (Children of Men and Harry Potter 3), The Wachowskis, Guillermo Del Toro and Gore Verbinski as potential directors since they are fans of the book.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
It's fairly obvious that these two guys weren't Dune fans to begin with anyway since neither one of them had apparently ever read the novel because they couldn't seem to even keep up with the character's names,let alone the plot of the film.And i honestly don't recall anyone ever getting their nipples ripped off either. WTF? lol. At least Ebert was able to recognize,to some degree anyway, the level of artistic merit inherit in the film's lavish production design,which i think is quite stunning.
TheAltair4 1 year ago
@TheAltair4
Well when it came out in theaters, audiences were handed pamphlets of details on characters and terms as that is not a good sign and that's why it flopped at the box-office and got bad reviews. Well the Baron got his nipples ripped by Alia and sometimes i think he went too far with some disgusting stuff in this movie or wacky Dr. Seuss-esque ideas like Freddy Jones looking like a giant Wombat.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
The problem with this movie is that David Lynch was a bad choice to do a movie based on the ultimate Sci-fi fantasy novel of all time when it could have been Alejandro Jorowosky or Ridley Scott who are true fans of the novel unlike Lynch who never cared or read it. It was a big expensive movie that became a box-office hit and got bad reviews as it's been called Sci-fi's Heaven's Gate. Lynch got carried away with some gross stuff like the heartplugs etc.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
Before I even start talking I will say that I respect everyone's opinion and I know HOW siskel and Ebert hate this film.
Something is odd with this film that rarely happens with adaptations, Frank Herbert does like this movie, he said in one interview with 'People' magazine.
May I ask how many times has the cinema industry seen that?
supermatx 1 year ago
@supermatx
David Lynch was not happy with this movie for he knew he was a bad choice to direct Dune and it taught him never to do big budget movies ever again after this movie was a box-office and critical bust, he refuses to talk about this movie to this day and would walk away if Dune is ever mentioned to him.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
@Johnlindsey289
The point of my comment was to show that this in one of those odd films which the original author does like the movie. I don't know why you replied that. For what I know, Lynch didn't like the movie because all the restrictions the studio gave him. Meaning that directing it WAS a bad expereince. But that doesn't mean the movie is BAD, some people love it, some hate it, I prefer loving a film before hating. Don't you?
supermatx 1 year ago
@supermatx
Well i can't wait for the big screen new Dune movie which will be more true to Herbert's novel. Although Star Wars and Avatar are already the closet movies of being like Dune on the big screen as they paid tribute to Herbert's novel.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
Dude did suck but the first half of the movie was pretty good
BabyWetsAllNight 1 year ago
Another bad movie with Sting.
Sleepingsparklegirl 1 year ago
It's pretty obvious that neither of these guys read Dune. Trust me , that helps. This movie cost 44 million to make, which was unheard of at the time and a total box office failure! Why? Well first of all you have David Lynch - what you never got confused by his other films? Try "Lost Highway". Dune is such an epic and complex tale it's almost impossible to compact into a two+ hour film. If you know the story, this is a visual treat considering it debuted in 1984.
DickLodge68 1 year ago
@DickLodge68 But boy! Has Dune made up it's profits now with DVD!!!!
HardWarUK 1 year ago
@HardWarUK Oh I doubt that! The way Hollywood, err la-la-land. sells licences. This movie is still a bust - the only ones the like it are the few that understand it.
DickLodge68 1 year ago
I love Dune, but I can see why S & E didn't like it. I did have awsome special effects, miniatures, costumes, and music though.
DarthHater100 1 year ago
I really liked DUNE.
maddstickers 1 year ago
I've read DUNE the novel by Frank Herbert and it is a MASTERPIECE! The book is considerer by many critics to be the greatest science fiction novel ever written. Frank Herbert's Dune is the science fiction equivlent to the fantasy trilogy The Lord Of The Rings. I think the movie would have been easier to follow if it used a cinematic opening scene to explain the history of the worlds it takes place in. The movie The Fellowship of the Ring used narration and an epic cinematic opening.
Wildeyman 1 year ago
@Wildeyman Personally, I hope Hollywood doesn't make The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov. God I wish they never had heard of that hidden gem.
-R78
Rodimus78 1 year ago
@Rodimus78
Well they need a good director like the District 9 guy or Ridley Scott for a Foundation Trilogy movie.
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
The intros to these shows are the damn cheese.
Jornev 1 year ago 8
@Jornev Go beat-off into a blender.
DarkquestDeathhunter 9 months ago
siskel never liked a good movie. Every time i seen them vote a movie 2 thumbs down i go watch it because i knew it would be good because them 2 guys couldnt judge a good movie if it slaped them in the face
brass76 1 year ago
i dont know why anyone would take the opinion of someone who says they didnt understand the subject matter. "it sucked. i couldnt understand anything" "well... sucks for you then"
187Unseen 1 year ago
Dune the movie Failed!
RTG2000 1 year ago
@RTG2000 How 'bout I fail my foot up your ass for talking shit about Dune!!
DarthHater100 1 year ago
@DarthHater100 Thats just my opinion. I dont think this movie was terrible, its just had much more potencial.
RTG2000 1 year ago
@RTG2000 Alright, sorry man. It was a spur of the moment comment. I can see why most people don't like it.
DarthHater100 1 year ago
@archer1949, 2001 did the same thing.
Alcidesaunt 1 year ago
@Alcidesaunt 2001 was nowhere near as plot driven as Dune was.
archer1949 1 year ago
My father loves the book, and from what I've gathered, the movie isn't as good, but easier to understand. But if the movie makes no sense....should I see it anyways?
ABookwormAndProud 1 year ago
Sandworms?.......I remember them in a certain Michael Keaton movie....
brivanas 1 year ago
Since when did Dune have such a cult following? I thought most people considered it a mess and a half of a film that just happens to have some interesting sci-fi set-pieces here and there. I'm a massive Lynch fan but even he admits the film doesn't work.
TulseLuper 1 year ago
Read the 6 books, Mr. Siskel, you bloody-butt fairy, if you want to understand the story. Frank Herbert was brilliant, one of my favorite writers alongside J.R.R. Tolkien. I've never seen the movie, except for this little clip, and don't want to now. There is no way to cram the story into a marketable time frame. My imagination works fine; I'll stick with that.
morgmagg 1 year ago
@morgmagg A movie should be able to stand on its own. Peter Jackson achieved that with the Lord of the Rings films; certainly the Harry Potter films would also fit that description (and to a lesser degree, the Narnia movies). Lynch's film was a mess from a narrative, structural, and dramatic point of view. The extended cut is slightly more coherent, but only slightly so. The TV series was 'eh.' It's one of those novels that doesn't translate well to the screen (so far anyway).
jjobie 1 year ago
@jjobie Siskel was only bashing the movie, not Frank Herbert's novels. I understand that, but Siskel made it sound like the story itself was silly; that's what got under my skin. Very rarely do I like a movie based on a novel I enjoy. Only stopped by here to see if the movie looked worth watching. A lot of Dune fans agree with your point of view--that it's best to watch Dune between your ears rather than on a movie screen.
morgmagg 1 year ago
Proof that Siskel & Ebert are both fucking retarded and wouldn't know art if it smashed them in the face.
fathead8489 1 year ago
@fathead8489 Fortunately they can tell a lousy movie when they see one.
jjobie 1 year ago
@jjobie
You are an idiot. That is all.
fathead8489 1 year ago
Wow, my dick has more taste than these two. They just don't understand art, period.
OoogieBoogie 1 year ago
This movie isn't as good as some would try and make people believe. It wasn't told well at all. It does have it's merits.
kmvoss 1 year ago
@kmvoss Visually it was stunning in places and there are moments of brilliance, but they are few and far between.
jjobie 1 year ago
Dune novels kick ass,the film was just lol
YoJimBoHugabaJoe 1 year ago
I dont think dune was a brillient movie, I think its kinda a cult film that you love or hate,
On the other hand I suppose it probably mis interpreted when it was released
xaxie1 1 year ago
I loved that movie!!! I dont know why people don't like it! I understood it perfectly!
Skoringo 1 year ago 5
@Skoringo ye but i bet you read the novel first
YoJimBoHugabaJoe 1 year ago
@Skoringo
Read the book, it's way better than this mess of a movie which only grosses people out. Did you know that this movie was very expensive to make and was a big flop?
Johnlindsey289 1 year ago
How in the HELL did those abortion/Constitution debates spring up? Also, I've never seen the film but Nostalgia Chick seemed as confused as Siskel... which she seemed to be catching flack for. I wonder if I'd be able to follow it.
genresrforposer 1 year ago
@genresrforposer Fanboys can't handle their idols being criticized. Ever.
TulseLuper 1 year ago
These two were a joke. It was a sure bet if they gave a 2 thumbs up on a movie that it actually sucked. They always raved about a movieif it was a foriegn film but if it was a horror or science fiction it automatically got a bad review with with a lot of snide comments that only proved that the were only semi intellegent with very bad tastes in films.
djwilson1964 1 year ago
too be honest I sorta felt the same way when I watched Dune but I was afraid I just didn't 'get it' and wasn't smart enough to follow the plot, but I guess it's cool now that they had the same reaction.
Kasonmoors 1 year ago
I was going to say how the movie could have been so much more, but after reading the comments, it seems that no matter what the video is about, there seems to always be a debate about abortion, the existence of God, and Left vs. Right politics in the US.
subdivisions416 1 year ago
Just watched this movie. Has a few redeemable qualities but wow it could have been so much more.
kmvoss 1 year ago
I remember this review! I was 14 and I loved this movie and listneing to this dope spew hatred about it always angered me. "What a load of junk we have to sit through, with people getting their nipples ripped off their chest..." ( 4:17 )They're heart plugs you bald hack! Finally I get my revenge! Thanks gradepoint and YouTube!
Creepshow314 1 year ago
so basicly siskel admits to be too dumb to follow the flick?
KahlerHahn 1 year ago
How did a movie review evoke an argument about abortion and federal legislative authority? WOW Dune is pretty good, if ya don't mind zoning out or dozing off a few times during the movie..Good clip of 1984, too!!
informationplz 1 year ago
I love the book this film is based on - it's my favorite book of all time.
That being said, this film is the equivalent of swimming through an Olympic-sized swimming pool full of chocolate syrup. You know it's made of good stuff, but it's slow going and thoroughly unpleasant,and you're really not using the substance the way it's intended.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - "Dune," with its intricate plot and heavy reliance on internal monologue, is unfilmable, and this film is proof.
bbqplatypus318 1 year ago
Comment removed
dahlslett 1 year ago
This must be one of the worst reviews ever! One of the reviewers said that he couldn't understand anything after 20 minutes. That tells us something about his intelligence and perception. How can you review a film if you don't understand it? He should have studied it more! And they don't even mention the fantastic costume/architecture design that can be seen in the film. Neither do they mention the deep philosophic aspects of it. Their brains must have a serious lack of intellect. Dune ftw!
dahlslett 1 year ago
And to think that George Lucas offered Return of the Jedi to David Lynch to direct. Dune is a genuine bomb.
dafmurray 1 year ago
DUNE kick's ASS.....
And this is why Siskel & Ebert Sucks
KutaPuta 1 year ago
Actually, I think that Dune might've been a better movie if the El Topo guy ( Alexandro Jodorowsky ) had done it unstead of Lynch ( as originaly slated ).
Skulldini 1 year ago
" suprisingly cheap, because this film cost a reported forty million dollars "
.. It's not so suprising really when you note that Dune was a DeLaurentis production ( Kng Kong '76, Flash Gordon '80 and Barbarella to name a few ). Big-budget movies with a "cheap" tacky quallity were sort of that companies specialty,.. or practicaly even their signature style.
Skulldini 1 year ago