Roger Ebert Had Nothing But Harsh Words For David Lynch's Dune Movie

"Dune" has never been more popular thanks to Denis Villeneuve's film series starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, which is set to conclude with the release of "Dune: Part Three" in December. Villeneuve's films have managed to translate Frank Herbert's novel, long thought to be too complex and centered on characters' thoughts and internal conflict to adapt, with stunning visuals and epic action. That's even more impressive when you consider how despised David Lynch's 1984 adaptation was, earning an overwhelmingly negative review from acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert.

Giving the film just one out of four stars, Ebert called Lynch's film "an incomprehensible, ugly, unstructured, pointless excursion into the murkier realms of one of the most confusing screenplays of all time." In addition to calling the story and sheer number of characters confusing, the review slammed everything from the ridiculous dialogue to the underwhelming special effects to the dusty yellow tint of the entire movie. In fact, the closest thing to a compliment is that "Occasionally a striking image will swim into view," and even that's just the lead-up to Ebert saying, "If the first look is striking, however, the movie's special effects don't stand up to scrutiny."

Ebert's "Dune" review is harsh, but he was far from alone in his dislike of the film. Janet Maslin of The New York Times started her review saying, "Several of the characters in 'Dune' are psychic, which puts them in the unique position of being able to understand what goes on in the movie," and it has a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Despite being considered one of the worst films of the year by Ebert and other critics, as well as David Lynch disavowing his own work, according to Far Out Magazine, 1984's "Dune" still has its fans. '80s nostalgia definitely plays a role here, but for some, "Dune" falls into the so-bad-it's-good category. To say the movie is weird is an understatement, considering it includes a character who has to milk a hairless cat, which (for unknown reasons) has a rat taped to its side, which was not a thing in the book. 

For Lynch's fans, "Dune" is another place to see the iconic director's unique artistic sensibilities at work. In spite of his frustrations with making the film, including a lack of control over the final cut, his influence and style are all over it. As one Reddit user put it, "Dune" is "David Lynch in the best way," calling it "A very enjoyable fever dream." 

While Villeneuve's film is a more faithful adaptation that's considered one of the few sci-fi remakes that's better than the original, Lynch's "Dune" attempted to do the impossible by covering the entirety of a famously dense novel into one film. It may not have been a critical or commercial success, but even if it frustrated critics with its weirdness and Herbert fans with its inaccuracies and changes, that bizarre Lynchian surrealism is what gives "Dune" (1984) its charm and has allowed it to endure among a subset of fans.