Dune (1984) [HD DVD]

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DVD details

Actor: Brad Dourif, Daniel Bryan Corkill, Francesca Annis, Leo Cimino, Linda Hunt
Brand: Universal
Cinematographer: Frederick Elmes
Cinematographer: Freddie Francis
Cinematographer: James Devis
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Dubbed); Spanish (Dubbed)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 137 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-11-28
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Universal Studios

DVD Reviews of Dune (1984) [HD DVD]

DVD Review: Star Bores
Summary: 1 Stars

Basically this movie is a 2 1/2 hour snooze fest which has an action scene to get you excited for what is perceived to be more entertainment, only to abruptly end. The movie is very dense, and doesn't reiterate any important events that are given in dense chunks of information. Instead what the movie does is offer many reminders to unimportant events, often several times per event. Such as Jessica sees her son Paul is alive. She is excited he is alive, then she thinks "Paul is alive." And then later on she will say once more that she is glad her son is alive. We as the viewers readily see that Paul is alive, and yet we are treated to several reminders, just incase we didn't pick up on it the first three times. Whereas complex political relationships aren't expanded upon, or re-explained, they are briefly described and then you are left in a cloud of confusion. Another complaint would be the constant thoughts of the characters you are treated to, such as Jessica thinking "my son is alive" these events occur often, and add nothing to the movie, they serve to break up the flow of the film. Paul has one such thought episode, which is useful (the only one in the entire film) which he describes an on screen item, and explains its function as well as his actions regarding it, giving us viewers a real treat, relevant information. The special effects were cheesy in some parts, such as sound guns which we only sometime see projectile being ejected from and the Fremen's blue within blue eyes that only show up half of the time they are on screen.
This movie could have been a good movie if they cut the film to half of its length and removed the several reiterations of events occurring only seconds before. The movie ends up being all a set up for the final confrontation between House Atreides and House Harkonnen, which itself seems rushed due to the great length of the film. The film should have spent less time setting up the story and more time dealing with the actual story.

DVD Review: Classic
Summary: 4 Stars

I know many people did not like this because it was so different from the book. But in all honesty, Dune was a rich and complex book and you could only capture so much within a movie-length feature. I was disappointed in how Baron Harkonnen was portrayed, but otherwise, the movie was fairly satisfying for me. I was happy to have gotten the extended edition, because this one is better than the basic one.

DVD Review: Amazingly boring
Summary: 1 Stars

Ok, the special effects are great for the time this movie was made, but that's really all this movie has going for it. I am most disappointed by having to give this a full star rating. The plot is mechanical with a lame voice-over back story. The characters shallow and lacking any legitimate motivations or redeeming quality. Honestly, I can't see what all the hype is about.

DVD Review: A story too complex for a standard movie
Summary: 5 Stars

The novel Dune is far too complex to be compressed into the standard 2 or 3 hour movie.

However, David Lynch has in fact successfully managed to summarize not only the basic story concept, but accurately captured the essence and spirit of the characters, the settings, and general atmosphere as depicted in Frank Herbert's most excellent book. The well-crafted soundtrack also greatly enhances this very worthy depiction, and a striking soundtrack can sometimes make all the difference for a film.

Some purely cinematic improvisations were added in order to make an attempt to sell the film to the audience of the time (the use of sonic-enhanced energy weapons, etc.). This will be noted by erudite fans of Mr. Herbert's writing, but the end result was in fact fully endorsed by the author himself. As Herbert's stories are generally more inclined to be of the most intellectual aspects of science-fiction, they are not easily condensed into simple action-oriented features such as Star Wars and Star Trek.

Dune...is merely chapter one in a series of ongoing novels, a tale of human evolution and human potential. Interweaving aspects such as theology, ecology, political and military science, Dune was a book which actually needed a mini-series in order to put everything into perspective. This was finally done in 2000, but it lacks the power that Lynch's visually spectacular film presented.

DVD Review: David Lynch was right!?!
Summary: 4 Stars

Well after reading several reviews from people who had great intentions and obviously are Dune fans, I have to tell you ... on my copy of this movie which I bought last month(extended version) it also has the original movie on one side of the double sided disk... Boy did I get lucky!!... David Lynch was right not to put his name to the extended version...that being said I am glad I bought this dvd ... it still has great value with the original movie on it... One thing the original has is the flavor if you will of the book... having read the book first there is a mystic quality ... its like reading the bible....there is this general acceptance of events in a mystical fashion that makes the original movie true to the book...if you didn't read the book you may be missing that quality and the extended version might really work for you.
Lord of the Rings was the same way.. there was plenty missing from the book content of the series but Jackson was true to the flavor .. the mystic quality of the books. We saw the same thing with the movie Wing Commander... Chris Roberts was true to the original writing for the PC games, yet, if you had never played the games you might have looked at the movie from a much different perspective. The original Dune Movie has this Mystic quality .... the material is doled before you to give you these feelings and the feelings guide you through the story. This Story is a Messianic journey, a mystical tale, the book reflects that tone and so does the original movie. Knowing that,had I made the original movie, I certainly would not have put my name on the extended version, however, there are plenty of fans of the original movie that have never read the book! David Lynch was right!?! I think it is a matter of perspective.. but, I'm sure glad they put the theatrical edition on the flip side of the disk.. whew!! I gave this 4 stars...I also still play the PC games.. Dune 2(Dos) and Dune 2000 and I loved the book series.Dune (Extended Edition)

Description of Dune (1984) [HD DVD]

Universal Dune (HD-DVD)
Actors: Dune
Format: AC-3, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Region: Unknown. Read more about region encoding and how it may affect you here.
Rating
Studio: Universal Studios
DVD Release Date: November 28, 2006
Run Time: 137 minutes
Average Customer Review: based on 152 reviews. (Writea review.)
ASIN: B000IONJH4

Even more than most of David Lynch's deliberately bizarre and idiosyncratic movies, Dune is a "love-it-or-hate-it" affair. An ambitious, epic, utterly mind-boggling--and, let's admit it, all-out weird--adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic science fiction novel, Dune remains one of the most controversial films in the director's exceedingly provocative career. The story (if Dune can be said to have just one story) is complex and convoluted in the epic tradition; it has something to do with political intrigue and a planet that is home to a precious spice and gigantic sand worms. Think Shakespeare's Henry IV with a dash of Tremors, and set in another galaxy. But despite plenty of strangely whispered voice-overs that explain the characters' thoughts (and endlessly detailed exposition), storytelling is not really among the film's strong points. There are, however, a lot of memorably fantastic/grotesque images, an extraordinary cast, and a soundtrack featuring Toto. I told you it was weird. Among the stars are Kyle MacLachlan, Jos? Ferrer, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, Sting, Kenneth McMillan, Patrick Stewart, Sean Young, and Linda Hunt. --Jim Emerson

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