Dune

When a mere slip of a youth, my best friend and I would visit the library (riding our bicycles and listening to Yellow Submarine on the way), me to find something new and intriguing by Heinlein or Clarke, he a few rows down waiting to pounce on the latest Dune book. I thought they (Dune books, that is) looked silly at the time, but he just tore through them; which is why I thought his bemoaning the movie Dune was so strange. Years later, when I finally saw the film myself, I thought it was pretty good. A little strange of course, all this talk of sandworms, Fremen, weirding modules ... but still interesting. Then I made the killer mistake of reading the book. I could see his point.

The film is the story of Paul Atreidies (Kyle MacLachlan) and his rise to power over the entire known universe (some of the pre-history is told to us in the opening narration by Princess Irulan (Virginia Madsen)). His father, Duke Leto Atreidies (Jurgen Prochnow), is told by the Emperor (Jose Ferrer) to move from Caladan to Arrakis (aka Dune), and take over the planet from the Harkonnens. Dune, a depressingly dry place, is the only source of The Spice, which extends life, enhances perception, and makes interstellar travel possible. Paul, Leto, and Paul's mom Jessica (Francesca Annis (who almost made me forget how georgeous Sean Young looked in Blade Runner)) go to Dune with Thufir Hawatt (Freddie Jones in silly makeup), Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart (of Capt. Picard fame)), Dr. Yueh (Dean Stockwell (of Al the Hologram fame)), and Duncan Idaho (Richard Jordan (he was also in The Hunt For Red October, but I don't think it made him famous)). Dr. Yueh turns traitor, and helps the Baron Harkonnen (Paul Smith) defeat the Atreidies, and retake the extremely valuable spice mining business from them. Leto, Yueh, and Idaho are killed, Hawatt is captured, and Paul and Jessica escape to the Fremen, and meet Stilgar (Everett McGill). There Jessica gives birth to Alia (Alicia Witt (who is now mostly grown up and was last seen pretending to be Cybill Shepherd's daughter on her latest sit-com)) and becomes a Reverend Mother. Paul becomes a Fremen, rides sandworms, meets Chani (Sean Young in a considerably less glamorous role than she had in Blade Runner), and plots his return to power. He meets up with Halleck (who also managed to escape the earlier carnage), and they all defeat the Emperor, the Harkonnens, and in a big final knife fight, Paul kills the Baron's heir, Feyd-Rautha (Sting, (of Sting fame)). He is proclaimed the Kwisatz Haderach by his sister, it rains, then the credits roll. In and of itself, an interesting film, but when it calls itself Dune ... ah the trouble.

Paul (who was small for his age) and Feyd-Rautha start the book as young teenagers, something Kyle MacLachlan and Sting definitely weren't, a key knife fight was dropped out (that established Paul's 'divinity' as it were), and the voice overs were overused. The music (by Toto) sounded a whole lot like something Freddy Mercury and the guys in Queen decided was too silly to put in the Flash Gordon soundtrack. But the biggest gripes; what is this wierding module crap? Sound as a weapon? Words killing? Killing words? Who do they think they are, Andy Rooney? And where did they come up with this 'heart plug' nonsense (and what ruler in his right mind would put one on himself as well!) Those were the silliest things in the film (while some people might think the Fat Flying Baron Harkkonen and his fondness for young boys a bit dumb, there is basis for it in the book). As a separate film, it's kind of fun to watch, but I've been to Dune, and this isn't it.