Dune is a good movie on its own but is not faithful to the excellent book. First of all, Paul is a teenager but Kyle MacLachlan looks like he's about 25. Jose Ferrer is terrible. He's supposed to be the Emperor od the Known Universe but acts more like a petty Banana Republic dictator. Francesca Annis is beautiful as Lady Jessica. Sean Young is good as Chani. I don't know why everyone thinks Sting is so bad. Feyd is a small role but I think Sting does a good job portraying the pretty boy-toy. The Baron and the Beast Rabban are both acted well. The minor roles of Leto, Gurney, Duncan, Doctor Yuey, Stilgar, Kynes, the Bene Jesserit Mother, are all done well too. The costumes, sets and music are all superb. The Prophecy theme is unforgettable. The special effects are very good. The Space Guild Navigator and his henchmen are most impresive. There is a lot of plot condensed into the time restraints of a feature film so I do agree that it is ruched a bit. The one thing that bothers me the most is at the end when it starts raining. As one who has read all the Dune series of books, I know that it will take centuries to change the ecology of Arrakis enough to have rainfall. Overall, I enjoyed this movie on its own merits and recommend it to anyone.
