Lost in all the hullabaloo of Denis Villenevue’s upcoming adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune is the fact adapted to film once before. In 1984, bizarre auteur David Lynch’s version hit theaters. Critics were…unkind.
Paul Atreides was portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, a mainstay in Lynch’s work who appears in Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet. Various stars such as Sir Patrick Stewart, Virginia Madsen, Paul Smith, Jurgen Prochnow, Sting, Jose Ferrer, Brad Dourif, and others round out the cast.
Fans of the novel may be able to follow the labyrinthine plot, but many people were totally lost minutes into the movie. Lynch was never one for outright exposition. He still isn’t!
The story is essentially a futuristic version of the Hatfield and McCoy feud, only this time with the Atreides clan battling the Harkonnen clan in the year 10191. A spice called mélange is the most valuable currency on Earth and is found only on the desert planet Arrakis. A royal declaration awards the planet to Duke Leto Atreides (Prochnow), causing a Harkonnen uprising. Lynch 100% got the weird atmosphere of the film right, but in terms of story, it is often lacking. The 2021 adaptation stars Oscar Isaac, Timothee Chalamet, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson. It will be curious to see if this one will be better received.