# So David Lynch's "Dune" is now a cult favorite. Does that mean it's a good movie now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442 "2016-04-17T05:15:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/21 "2016-04-17T14:34:13Z")
I really did want to love that movie. I just couldn’t. It was just so listless. The only time things came to life was when the Baron & Co. were on screen hamming it up. The weirding modules were just so dumb…most of the combat was boring…no, it wasn’t a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/22 "2016-04-17T14:37:43Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > I dunno, I always kind of liked it, but even when it was new it had a reputation as being a confusing mess. I liked the film, but it took me three attempts to get through the book. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/23 "2016-04-17T15:32:07Z")
I remember watching that bizarre nonsense late late at night, semi-stunned at the equal parts grotesque and foolishness. I kind of had an idea of what was going on but didn’t really care. It was such a spectacle! and the names and the comic operetta soldier costumes, hilarious! The narration coming in floods, about who was who and what was what and what was happening! (It had some terrible reviews, and my husband who was a huge ‘Dune’ fan, spluttered “it’s obvious they never READ the BOOK”. Duh, they had lives and a job to do, no time to sit and read that ponderous doorstop.) I have to say I kind of liked DL’s ‘Dune’, but not eager to watch it again. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/24 "2016-04-17T15:52:08Z")
Too much of the book was describing inner conflicts, political intrigues, and religious thoughts that went back centuries to ever make it in to a 2 1/2 hour or so movie. Overall, tho, I found it enjoyable to watch. I simply looked at it as a different version of Dune. I had read all of the Dune books in print up to the time of the film’s release. My GF at the time found the movie plodding, jumbled, both confusing and dull. (she liked M.E. and S.T. but not much other sci-fi/fant) Later, SyFy (or whatever they were named at the time) channel made a pretty good miniseries out of parts of the Dune Saga. Again, not truly faithful to the book, but enjoyable to see. . ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/25 "2016-04-17T15:57:08Z")
Watch all the worm riding scenes with music from Twin Peaks playing instead of the film’s audio. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/26 "2016-04-17T16:12:19Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Too much of the book was describing inner conflicts, political intrigues, and religious thoughts that went back centuries… That’s why it took me three tries. It was like reading the Bible or Shakespeare at a time when I was reading Harlan Ellison and H.P. Lovecraft. It was easier to get through later, and I enjoyed the book then. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/27 "2016-04-17T18:42:06Z")
The movie was an honorable failure. It didn’t quite quite manage to translate the book to screen, but the difficulties of turning it into a single movie were just too much. But it’s well done, even if it doesn’t quite work. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/28 "2016-04-17T18:48:39Z")
I hated the book. I liked the movie. For me, the movie managed to preserve the parts of the book that were good and/or interesting, without dwelling too much on the stuff I found insulting/demeaning. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/29 "2016-04-17T18:52:09Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > But the ending shall never be forgiven! :mad: This. The rain beginning when Paul wins misses the entire point of Arrakis. Not to mention that it would impoverish his Imperium, since rain on Arrakis=no spice. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/30 "2016-04-17T19:06:14Z")
People have already mentioned that cult favorite does not intrisically mean “good.” Many cult film favorites are not good, which in some cases is explicitly part of why they are cult favorites. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > The movie was an honorable failure… This is exactly how I would put it myself. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/31 "2016-04-17T19:12:06Z")
I’ve never read the books, but based off of the David Lynch film, the SyFy miniseries, and the documentary on Jodorowsky’s Dune I kind of feel like anything less than a ten episode HBO Game of Thrones style season for each book would be an incomprehensible unfilmable mess. Maybe JJ Abrams should do a remake? 4 hours of lens flair! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/32 "2016-04-17T19:21:57Z")
TV edit version was directed by Alan Smithee. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/33 "2016-04-17T19:25:37Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > TV edit version was directed by Alan Smithee. Really? That’s funny. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/34 "2016-04-17T19:31:31Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Plan 9 From Outer Space is a cult film, but definitely not a good film. They’re different indices. I suspect that _Tremors_ is a cult film, too. It’s also one of those films that are so bad, they are good. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/35 "2016-04-17T19:58:18Z")
Yes , Lynch did not like the TV edit so it’s listed as Smithee. They no longer allow that fake name but I guess it is still OK for old movies. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/36 "2016-04-17T20:54:15Z")
It is a visually interesting and somewhat “trippy” movie that illustrates some scenes from the novel. It is not good. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/37 "2016-04-17T23:30:38Z")
What are you talking about? Tremors is awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/38 "2016-04-18T00:32:41Z")
I saw it when it first came out, and I remember liking it. But then, unlike all my friends, I had never read Dune, so saw it with an open mind and no expectations (Dune was absolutely required reading here in Oregon amongst the hip, nerds, stoners, and sci-fiers – I refused to read it on grounds of perversity and not liking interminable sci-fi epics). I remember leaving the theater thinking “that was a pretty good story” then hearing everyone leaving the theater with me saying things like “total.piece.of.shit” “worst adaptation I’ve ever seen” “that sucked in every way” “crap movie of the year.” I tried to get my friends to imagine they had never read Dune, and re-evaluate the movie on its own merits, but they already thought I was a lame-ass for refusing to read Dune, so it was a losing battle. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/39 "2016-04-18T00:53:04Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I really did want to love that movie. I just couldn’t. It was just so listless. The only time things came to life was when the Baron & Co. were on screen hamming it up. The weirding modules were just so dumb…most of the combat was boring…no, it wasn’t a good movie. For the combat scenes, I wonder whether it just came out 15 years too early? Looking back at the descriptions of knife fighting and other some such in the book, (like where Paul kills a Harkonnen or Imperial Sardaukar soldier with the point of his big toe during a kick), wouldn’t the wireline and other fight choreography work of films like _The Matrix_ be tailormade for conveying just how badass guys like the Fremen and Imperial princes like Paul and Feyd-Rautha were? The movie’s still horrible, of course. Lush, but horrible. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2016, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442/40 "2016-04-18T01:29:50Z")
Maybe Peter Jackson should make a new _Dune_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-david-lynchs-dune-is-now-a-cult-favorite-does-that-mean-its-a-good-movie-now/752442.md?page=3)