Dune (1984)
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A noble family's journey to a desert planet becomes a desperate struggle for survival and destiny in a universe governed by a precious spice.
The story
In the distant future, the universe revolves around the spice melange, a substance vital for space travel and consciousness, found only on the desert planet Arrakis. The Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV grants the fiefdom of Arrakis to House Atreides, who must contend with the encroaching threat of their rivals, House Harkonnen. Among them is Paul Atreides, the heir to the house, who may be the messianic Kwisatz Haderach. As the Atreides family arrives on the harsh world, they find themselves caught in a deadly power struggle involving the Emperor's forces, the mysterious Bene Gesserit sisterhood, and the fierce native Fremen.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the year 10,191, the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV grants Arrakis to House Atreides, despite a conspiracy involving the Sardaukar. Lady Jessica, a Bene Gesserit acolyte, accompanies her son Paul, who is tested by Reverend Mother Mohiam. Upon arriving at Arrakis, the Atreides are betrayed by a Harkonnen double-agent, leading to a devastating attack that wipes out most of their house. Paul and Jessica escape into the desert, where they are taken in by the Fremen. Paul takes the name Muad'Dib and becomes a messiah to the natives. Over two years, he leads them against spice mining. Jessica becomes a Reverend Mother by drinking the Water of Life, and their daughter Alia is born with advanced powers. Paul eventually gains the ability to control sandworms and experiences a prophetic vision of the Emperor's plot. In a final battle at Arrakeen, Paul's forces defeat the Harkonnen and Sardaukar. Paul defeats Feyd-Rautha and makes it rain on Arrakis, fulfilling the prophecy as the Kwisatz Haderach.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 137
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David Lynch
- Writers
- David Lynch · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Kyle MacLachlan · Paul Atreides; Patrick Stewart · Gurney Halleck; Brad Dourif · Piter De Vries; Dean Stockwell · Beast; Virginia Madsen · introductory role; José Ferrer · unknown; Sean Young · unknown; Silvana Mangano · unknown; Sting · unknown; Linda Hunt · unknown; Max von Sydow · unknown
- Genres
- space opera; science fiction
- Themes
- Messianism; Power and Greed; Fate
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Surreal
- Premise and plot tags
- Space Opera; Sci-Fi; Epic
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert
- Franchise connections
- Dune
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film was a box office failure and received mostly negative reviews upon release, but it has since developed a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.6 · scale: 10 · review count: 117; Metacritic · score: 41 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · Worst Picture · 1984 · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was shot entirely in Mexico.; The production was planned to launch a franchise with two sequels.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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