This post was delayed due to work schedules, but I’ve finally gotten around to making this listicle comparing the three Dune movies:
THE 1984 DAVID LYNCH MOVIE
THE 2000 SCI-FI CHANNEL MINISERIES
THE 2021 and 2024 DENIS VILLENEUVE MOVIES
BEST WRITING
David Lynch (1984)
John Harrison (2000)
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth (2021, 2024)
Lynch’s Dune is interesting enough but cuts out a lot of story. Its completely unnecessary expository voiceovers have a debatable appeal in adding some strange atmosphere. The 2000 version does much better, while including various interesting subplots. Particularly of interest are those involving the Harkonnen’s plans involving Feyd-Rautha and Irulan. The 2021 version manages to take the longest to get through half the plot while including even less than the 1984 version. It lacks what made the story interesting and is the most boring out of the bunch.
WINNER: 2000
Runner-Up: 1984
THE BEST PAUL
Kyle MacLachlan (1984)
Alec Newman (2000)
Timothee Chalamet (2021, 2024)
Kyle MacLachlan is charismatic and he forms my general mental image of the character, but Newman’s performance is more nuanced and he has a sardonic edge that is fitting of an entitled prince turned would-be Messiah. Chalamet is competent enough in the first movie, but really breaks out in Part 2, being credible both as a naive young idealist and then as a charismatic dictator.
WINNER: TIMOTHEE CHALAMET
Runner-Up: Kyle Machlachlan
THE BEST LETO
Jurgen Prochnow (1984)
William Hurt (2000)
Oscar Isaac (2021)
Prochnow is serviceable, but Hurt is both wooden and bafflingly miscast. Isaac is perfect and adds a lot of humanity to the role
WINNER: OSCAR ISAAC
Runner-Up: Jurgen Prochnow
THE BEST JESSICA
Francesca Annis (1984)
Saskia Reeves (2000)
Rebecca Ferguson (2021, 2024)
Annis is good, but edged out by Reeves. Ferguson is great in Part 2, which develops her manipulative role as a false prophetess.
WINNER: REBECCA FERGUSON
Runner-Up: Saskia Reeves
THE BEST GURNEY
Patrick Stewart (1984)
PH Moriarty (2000)
Josh Brolin (2021, 2024)
Gurney Halleck is naturally cast by far more handsome men than his homely description suggests. Stewart is miscast (aside from being born to say this line), but we got this amusing story of his meeting Sting and not having the slightest clue who he was. Moriarty is far more fitting as the grizzled old warrior. Brolin, despite the most handsome of the bunch (the buzz cut helps alleviate that), works the best for his gruff, rugged presence.
WINNER: JOSH BROLIN
Runner-Up: PH Moriarty
THE BEST THUFIR
Freddie Jones (1984)
Jan Vlasak (2000)
Stephen McKinley (2021)
Freddie Jones is memorably quirky. Vlasak is barely in the movie and is mostly forgettable. MicKinley is a surprise breakout in the new movie, having a very nuanced performance.
WINNER: STEPHEN MICKINLEY
Runner-Up: Freddie Jones
BEST YUEH
Dean Stockwell (1984)
Robert Russell (2000)
Chang Chen (2021)
Russell is decent, but Stockwell nails the vulnerable, poignant, and conflicted characterization. Yueh is barely in the 2021 movie.
WINNER: DEAN STOCKWELL
Runner-Up: Robert Russell
THE BEST DUNCAN
Richard Jordan (1984)
James Watson (2000)
Jason Momoa (2021)
Richard Jordan is remarkably miscast, seeming a bit out of shape for the greatest warrior in the story. Watson is more believable in the role, but Momoa is a perfect choice. He’s tough while being jovial enough to be believable as Paul’s friend. Most importantly, he’s charismatic enough to carry a franchise, since Duncan is the main character of the series.
WINNER: JASON MOMOA
Runner-Up: James Watson
THE BEST BARON
Kenneth McMillan (1984)
Ian McNeice (2000)
Stellan Skarsgard (2021, 2024)
Kenneth McMillan is amusingly hammy, and he works as an utterly insane, depraved interpretation of the Baron, but he’s not terribly clever. McNeice is the perfect Baron, being believable as chessmaster who’s charming enough for politics. Skarsgard is disappointing as his character has practically no development. I mean, how do you make Baron Harkonnen boring? At least he has one amusing moment in which he’s stuffing his fat face after raiding Leto’s fridge. It’s unfortunate that we never got to see Orson Welles in the Jodorowsky version.
WINNER: IAN McNEICE
Runner-Up: Kenneth McMillan
THE BEST PITER
Brad Dourif (1984)
Jan Unger (2000)
David Dastmalchian (2021)
Brad Dourif is wonderfully creepy while coming off as the only sane member of the Harkonnen leadership. You really get the impression he’s the real brains behind the operation in this version. Jan Unger, on the other hand, is bland, even though he does momentarily pull it out when the character sadistically stabs Yueh. Dastmalchian is well-cast, but barely in the movie.
WINNER: BRAD DOURIF
Runner-Up: David Dastmalchian
THE BEST RABBAN
Paul Smith (1984)
Laszlo Kish (2000)
Dave Bautista (2021, 2024)
Kish is competent as this character, and Bautista adds an element of fanatical passion to his hatred and anger, almost as if he thinks he’s the good guy in some twisted way. Smith, on the other hand, is perfect as the slovenly, savage character with no such pretension. It’s really an apples and oranges between Bautista and Smith. Bautista’s Rabban seems to be angry at the Atreides’ gift on principle.
WINNER: PAUL SMITH
Runner-Up: Dave Bautista
THE LOVELIEST FEYD
Gordon Sumner (1984)
Matt Keeslar (2000)
Austin Butler (2024)
Sting has that celebrity charisma that works most of the time when all that’s demanded of him is a smug, sadistic smirk. There is one moment, however, in which he’s expected to show some other emotion and he fails miserably. He’s like a Ewan McGregor who can’t act. Keeslar has far more story to deal with and he acts decently, even if he’s not quite as fun to watch. The Jodorowsky version apparently considered Mick Jagger. Austin Butler is amusing as a raving psychopath, but his talent is wasted on an oversimplified version of the character.
WINNER: MATT KEESLAR
THE BEST DOCTOR KYNES
Max Von Sydow (1984)
Karel Dobry (2000)
Sharon Duncan-Brewster (2021)
Karel Dobry is decent, but Max Von Sydow is the most believable as the experienced scientist. Duncan-Brewster is a controversial choice, but she has the most fleshed-out version of the character.
WINNER: SHARON DUNCAN-BREWSTER
Runner-Up: Max Von Sydow
THE BEST CHANI
Sean Young (1984)
Barbora Kodetova (2000)
Zendaya (2021)
Sean Young is awkwardly miscast and wooden and wooden, while Kodetova is more competent. Zendaya is believable as a young, but hardened, tribeswoman, and shows more nuance in part to where she is more developed.
WINNER: ZENDAYA
Runner-Up: Barbora Kodetova
THE BEST STILGAR
Everitt McGill (1984)
Uwe Ochsenknecht (2000)
Javier Bardem (2021)
Ochsenknecht is far better cast than Big Ed, but it’s hard to beat Bardem.
WINNER: JAVIER BARDEM
Runner-Up: Uwe Ochsenknecht
BEST EMPEROR
Jose Ferrer (1984)
Giancarlo Giannini (2000)
Christopher Walken (2024)
Jose Ferrer’s emperor comes off as uncertain and vulnerable, which is great if you interpret this as intentional; a weak dynastic heir who’s in over his head. Giannini is great as a more ruthless and calculating interpretation. Another apples/oranges. Christopher Walken's emperor is not developed enough to be anything more than Christopher Walken
WINNER: GIANCARLO GIANNINI
BEST IRULAN
Virginia Madsen (1984)
Laura Burton (2000)
Florence Pugh (2024)
Laura Burton has an unfair advantage of actually having a plot, but she’s still better in the role anyway. Pugh's Irulan also needed more love, though.
WINNER: LAURA BURTON
BEST PRODUCTION/COSTUME DESIGN
Moebius, Chris Foss, HR Giger (Jodorowsky)
Anthony Masters, Bob Ringwood (1984)
Miljen Kreka Kljakovic, Theodore Pistek (2000)
Patrice Vermette, Bob Morgan, Jacqueline West (2021)
The 1984 had a distinctively industrial look that still had enough classicism to maintain an otherworldly feel. The 2000’s version had some creative designs, but a few goofy moments (Irulan’s butterfly dress, for one). The 2021 movie had a far more minimalist design that seems lazy even though it does have its moments. Particularly bland are the Harkonnens’ character designs. One wonders why they couldn’t go with the phenomonally over-the-top look of the rejected Jodorowsky movie. Apparently, it was all up to Greig Fraser to make the movie look good.
WINNER: JODOROWSKY
Runner-Up: 1984
Third Place : 2000
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Freddie Francis (1984)
Vittorio Stiraro (2000)
Greig Fraser (2021)
The 1984 version had the distinctive camerawork one would expect from a Lynch movie. The 2000’s cinematography, with the exception of the unsettling Dutch angles in the Harkonnen scenes, ranged from lackluster to bad. Fraser seemed like a downgrade from Roger Deakins, but his cinematography is phenomenal.
WINNER: 2021
Runner-Up: 1984
BEST MUSIC
Brian Eno/TOTO (1984)
Graeme Revell (2000)
Hans Zimmer (2021)
The 1984’s Theme song is epic and memorable. I usually like Revell, but the miniseries’ score is underwhelming with the exception of the Harkonnen theme. Zimmer’s music is atmospheric with the added plus of bagpipes!
WINNER 1984
Runner-Up: 2021
BEST EFFECTS
The 1984’s are dated but charming. One of the fatal flaws of the miniseries is that so much of it looks like an early 90’s CD-Rom game. Proof that bad practical effects are preferable to bad CGI. The 2021’s effects are perfect.
WINNER: 2021
Runner-Up: 1984
BEST ACTION
The 1984 version foolishly used a goofy gimmick for the Weirding Way because Lynch thought that fight scenes would look too “cheesy.” The 2000 version is more faithful. The best part of the 2021’s action is how the shields of the Atreides ships contained their own explosions until the shields themselves were destroyed.
WINNER: 2021
Runner-Up: 2000
BEST CASTING
This is interesting because both the 1984 and 2000 versions have great casting outside two bafflingly bad roles (Stilgar and Leto, respectively). The 2021’s casting is mostly solid while having a surprisingly dull Baron.
WINNER: 2021
Runner-Up: 1984
BEST OVERALL
The 2021 was questionable in its lack of story. A perfect Dune movie would be one with the 2000’s plot and the 1984’s visuals. Still, the 1984 movie is competent enough, and one can only love a movie so much if it looks like an early 90’s CD-Rom game.
WINNER: 1984
Runner-Up: 2000
