The plot is a mess, but director David Lynch shows his genius here with the visuals, particularily the set designs, and there is a slight intelligence. I'd watch it over Star Wars any day.
Dune
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Is it age appropriate?
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Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
A dated and bizarre mess of an adaptation.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 13 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Dune was written by Tony Nigro
Parents need to know that this movie contains disturbing imagery and violence. However, children might find most of it tame by today's standards, even a little hokey. A character is stabbed in the neck. Villains are grotesque. A man with oozing boils on his face enjoys a form of torture involving unplugging a valve leading to a person's heart. There are battle scenes and explosions.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about Paul's sense of duty and commitment, the story's notions of destiny, as well as mythology and the modern-day re-tellings of the hero story also found in films like Star Wars and The Matrix.
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More on Dune
What’s the Story?
Adaptation from Frank Herbert's seminal futuristic novel, DUNE follows Paul Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan) in his messianic journey toward leadership during an intergalactic battle over control of a mystic (and probably psychedelic) spice. The Atreides family is in a massive feud with the Harkonnens for control of the universe. When Paul's father is killed by the rival clan, he heads to the desert planted Dune. In a fantastical universe of the future, a now legendary cast including Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow, Sting, Virginia Madsen, and Brad Dourif surround young Atreides in his ascent to leader of a people and his battle against the vile Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and his evil cronies.
Is It Any Good?
Dune is a myth set in a world worthy of J.R.R. Tolkien and George Lucas -- or even Homer and Virgil, but alas, it's no Lord of the Rings. Here, the pairing of a cult director and a cult novel produces not a masterpiece, but a doubly cult curio, something enjoyable only for its bad dialogue and corny effects. In terms of cult value, David Lynch's signature strangeness is lacking in both the film's direction and its special effects.
Those craving Herbert's epic storytelling will not find it here. Much was cut to make the film's two-plus hour running time. Ultimately, Dune's potential seems lost on Kyle MacLachan's jutting hero chin, a feature that unfortunately, does not make up for his acting, the movie's too-stately pace, nor its camp grandiosity.
Movie Details
Studio: Universal Pictures, Director: David Lynch
Run time: 137 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/14/1984, DVD release: 3/31/1998
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for Parents strongly cautioned
Run time: 137 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/14/1984, DVD release: 3/31/1998
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for Parents strongly cautioned
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