The biggest challenge for any screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic 1965 science-fiction novelDuneis how to distill the intricate, vast ecology of Arrakis, the desert planet where much of the novel’s story takes place, into a clear visual form that’s compelling and relatable to audiences, especially those who haven’t read Herbert’s mammoth novel.
While the novel covers this through a detailed appendices section, any screen adaptation is invariably left to present this information through cumbersome exposition scenes. However,DuneandDune: Part Twodirector Denis Villeneuve has proved he canpull off the adaptationand translate the novel’s richly detailed world visually without becoming bogged down in endless narrative.
Moreover, by covering the entirety of the novel in two films, Villeneuve drastically increased audience engagement with the film’s spectacular action sequences and visuals. While Villeneuve’s adaptations certainly require close attention from audiences,Duneleft audiences clamoring for the sequel, which has received some ofthe best reviewsof any film in recent history.
Villeneuve’s impressive achievement stands in stark contrast to the dismal failure of the firstfilm, David Lynch’sDune, which, upon its 1984 release, gained a reputation for being one of the worst films of its era and inspired the pessimistic belief that Herbert’s novel was untranslatable, especially within a single film.
In 1981, producer Dino De Laurentiis hireddirector David Lynchto helm the first feature film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novelDune,based on Lynch’s acclaimed 1980 biographical drama filmThe Elephant Man, which received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director nominations for Lynch.
Lynch was preceded by Ridley Scott, who abandoned the film to directBlade Runner. Moreover, Lynch became attached toDuneafter refusing the opportunity to directReturn of the Jedi, despite the fact that Lynch was initially unfamiliar with Herbert’s novel before being contacted by De Laurentiis. After subsequently becoming enthralled with the story, Lynch agreed to both direct the film adaptation and write the screenplay.
Lynch, like Scott before him, initially conceived of turning Herbert’s novel into two films. Of course, the entire novel ended up being condensed into a single 137-minute film, which resulted in bitter feelings for Lynch, who was denied final cut privileges withDuneand subsequently disowned the film.
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Lynch’s idiosyncratic sensibilities were at odds with the source material from the moment of his hiring. Through Lynch’s muddled screenplay, 1984Dunebecame less a faithfulrepresentation of Herbert’s noveland more a reflection of Lynch’s twisted vision of the future. While this approach could have made for a fascinating film outside theDuneuniverse, the truncated film fails to capture the essence of Herbert’s novel.
Lynch’s Dune Is a Convoluted and Sloppy Mess
The most basic flaw of Lynch’s film is related to its basic construction, in terms of the illogical decision to try to fit the entirety of theDunenovel into a 137-minute theatrical cut. In comparison, Denis Villeneuve’s first adaptation, which encompasses approximately half of the book, has a running time of 155 minutes, whileDune: Part Twohas a running timeof 165 minutes.
The 1984Dunecontains a plot that is virtually incomprehensible to even the most dedicated students of the novel. Little clarity is provided through the film’s various plodding internal monologue and voice-over scenes, which ostensibly exist for characters to project their thoughts but practically serve to weaken the audience’s engagement with the film.
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The 1984Duneis visually unappealing. The exterior scenes appear dusty, murky, and sometimes unintelligible, while the interior scenes are superficially pristine, giving the film a cold, hollow feel. Moreover, despite a then sizable budget of approximately $40 million, many of the effects in the movie look cheap and unconvincing.
This includes the much-anticipated sandworm sequence, in which the creatures are initially fearsome and impressive in appearance but lack a realistic sense of depth and dimension upon closer inspection. Indeed, in most of the desert scenes, the characters, instead of beholding a scene of awe and wonder, often look like they’re staring into a void that’s been filled with cheesy visual effects work.
The 1984 Dune Was Poorly Distributed and Marketed
David Lynch’sDunewas released amid the 1984 holiday box-office season, dominated by the hit buddy cop action comedy filmBeverly Hills Cop. In its opening weekend of domestic release,Dunegrossed approximately $6 million and finished in second place behindBeverly Hills Cop, which wasthen playing in 1,532 theaters, whileDunedebuted in just 915 theaters.
Throughout its domestic theatrical run, in which Lynch’s film grossed approximately $30.9 million,Dunenever played in more than 975 theaters. In contrast, the 2021 adaptation, which grossed nearly $435 million at the worldwide box office, opened domestically in 4,125 theaters.
In 1984,Dunewas a victim of bad timing, particularly in terms of its proximity to the recently ended originalStar Warstrilogy. While the originalStar Warstrilogy certainly had an overhanging effect on virtually every science-fiction film of the 1980s, this was especially present withDune, originally intended to be “Star Wars for grown-ups,” with expectedsequels from David Lynch.
Indeed, in contrast to the obvious love and understanding of the source material that Denis Villeneuve brought to the franchise, the making of 1984Dunewas dictated by cynical, shallow commercial motives. The primary thinking in 1984 seemed to be that if only fans of the novel went to see the film, it would be a blockbuster success. This obviously didn’t happen.The 1984 adaptation ofDuneis streaming on Max, along with Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film.Dune: Part Twois playing in theaters now.
