All 3 Dune Movies, Ranked Worst To Best: The story and themes in Frank Herbert’s Dune are famously hard to adapt. Because of this, some films have been better than others. There have been many attempts to bring Frank Herbert’s book Dune to life on film, but some have been much more successful than others.
All 3 Dune Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
- The source material was thought to be impossible to film for a long time because it had a lot of spirituality, deep theory, and amazing images. But because filmmakers have been ambitious and technology has improved since 1965, there have been three tries to make Herbert’s original vision come true. Each has its own pros and cons.
- With Dune, which came out in 1984, David Lynch was the first director to properly adapt Herbert’s book. Following in the lines of Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s crazy, 14-hour version of the story, the movie had a long and troubled production history.
- Lynch’s version didn’t do well at the box office, so the rights to it sat idle for decades until French-Canadian director Denis Villeneuve turned the first half of the book into a movie in 2021. His follow-up book came out three years later, ending the story. There is a clear order to the Dune films, even though each one has its own pros and cons.
3. Dune (1984)
- David Lynch’s 1984 Dune is by far the worst movie based on the book, even though it has some amazing visuals and standout scenes. It’s also real proof of how hard the book can be to adapt to film. Lynch’s movie loses sight of what Dune is really about by trying to fit Herbert’s 400-page story into a short two-hour movie.
- Lynch and the studio try desperately to make a plot out of lore that, without enough explanation, quickly becomes impossible to follow. As a result, important details about Bene Gesserit culture, the Fremen, Paul’s powers, and many other parts of the story’s rich tapestry are lost.
- In addition to the weak story and limited setting, Dune 1984 has a number of problems with its themes. Some problematic parts of Herbert’s original, like how Baron Harkonnen is portrayed as a sexual abuser, make some scenes very upsetting. Additionally, the movie badly misinterprets Paul’s complex personality, portraying him as a simple Hollywood hero fighting for freedom instead of someone more evil.
- There are many problems with Dune 1984, but there are reasons why it didn’t work. An important problem was that the studio got in the way and cut Lynch’s planned three-hour version very badly. This reduced the amount of background information, making a lot of the movie inaccessible to people who haven’t seen it before. The sets and costumes in Dune 1984 are truly amazing, which are some of the movies’ redeemable qualities. Unfortunately, the beautiful visuals can’t make up for the terrible story.
2. Dune: The First Part
- The story and style of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part One, which came out in 2021, were very different from David Lynch’s original. It showed beyond a doubt that Herbert’s book could be adapted for the big screen. With a lot more care than Lynch’s movie,
- Dune: Part One slowly moves through the first half of Herbert’s book for 155 minutes, setting up important characters, their battles, and their reasons for doing what they do. There may not be as much chaos as in Lynch’s version, but the plan works.
- Part One of Dune takes its time to explore the rich world that Herbert built. This makes for a much more complex story, full of dense mythology and amazing imagination. It also shows how limiting Lynch was because he could only show his ideas in one two-hour movie. There are so many characters and ideas in Dune: Part One that it seems impossible to move the story along at a fast pace.
- It’s true that world-building can make the story drag at times, and character growth often takes a back seat to action. There is also no denying that the way the movie is put together makes the story feel unfinished, since it stops just as Herbert’s book really picks up speed.
- In any case, Dune: Part One does a great job of introducing important characters like Paul Atreides and Lady Jessica, making the stakes and competing groups in Dune’s universe clear, and bringing Herbert’s world to life without limiting the story’s scope.
Also See: 15 Genius Matt Damon Movie Cameos That Caught Everyone By Surprise
1. Dune: The Second Part
- Both Dune: Part One and Dune 1984 are good films, but Denis Villeneuve’s follow up to his 2021 hit is without a doubt the best Dune movie title. Unlike Dune: Part One, Part Two takes place in the same world as the director’s first movie.
- This means that action can be used instead of exposition, even though new people and worlds are still important. Dune: Part Two is a towering success in sci-fi filmmaking, with the same awe-inspiring style as the first movie. It combines the genre’s potential for existential philosophy with unmatched visual wonder.
- The fact that Dune: Part Two doesn’t have to deal with telling an unfinished story is another plus. Like other two-part films like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the last chapter can live up to all the excitement that was teased in the first movie.
- Part Two of Dune expertly wraps up loose ends in plots left open in Part One, connecting stories started in that part and completing character arcs. Not only does it do well on its own, but it also makes the first movie better, which is what makes a great follow-up.
- There were many important changes made to the book, so even die-hard Dune fans might not think the movie is perfect. However, the story still works fine without characters like Alia Atreides who are too confusing.
- It also follows the novel’s complicated morals, showing that good guys and bad guys aren’t always black and white in real life. Dune: Part Two is by far the best Dune movie so far. It has breathtaking fight scenes, heartbreaking drama, and a satisfying ending to the story.
If you like this post about All 3 Dune Movies, Ranked Worst To Best share this with your friends and family.