Last year me and my wife watched the new movie Dune Part One. I had no idea that the classic Sci-fi novel even existed, but while watching the the new movie, I could definitely tell the similarities between it and Star Wars. Since Part Two comes out next year, I wanted to see the 1984 version. Unlike the new movies, it did not split the the book into two separate films.

I did like the narration by Princess Irulan and how she explains the Dune universe to everybody.

They explain the planets a little bit better too. But as far as I understand, all incarnations of Dune really focus on Arrakis more than anything else.

The story is obviously mostly the same as the new Dune and the original novel. There are space politics involving a sand planet that has a spice that’s the key to holding everything in society together like metaphorical glue.

It becomes pretty clear early in while watching the movie, that the special effects do not age well at all, and I don’t think they were that good for 1984 standards anyway. I mean, what in the Minecraft is this?

The Fremen definitely don’t seem as important or special in this movie as the newer one. And the sandworm special effects are pretty laughable today.

Baron Harkonnen is definitely a step down from the new version. The 1984 Baron is memorable, I will say. But in a darn goofy way that cheapens his character. And the reason he has these sores on his face is shameful by the movie makers. Look it up.

I definitely prefer Zendaya as Chani. The original lady is just kind of forgettable.

One of the characters we don’t see yet in the newer films is Emperor Shaddam IV. I’m guessing George Lucas stole his idea for an emperor for Star Wars as well, but this guy is no Sith Lord. He’s an incompetent bureaucrat who somehow gets pushed around by too many people for no apparent reason at all. I hope they make this a lot better and clearer when Christopher Walken takes the role.

I use the word hate rather loosely, because it’s not a terrible movie. I can see why it became a cult classic, though it definitely was not universally loved, even as time went on. It was too ambitious of a film and made painfully stupid mistakes too often. I’m glad I saw it for comparison purposes, but if I had remembered watching the movie as a kid, I would never have been excited to watch the new Dune movie.