I saw it at the cinema as a kid with my friends, we went there thinking it was gonna be like Star Wars LOL

Great movie though, one of those I love to watch whenever its aired.

It has been years since I have seen it but a space epic from David Lynch, how can you not appreciate it.

I didn't see this in theaters, but I definitely remember when it debuted on broadcast TV. It was sci-fi, so I was game, even if it proved to be a bit over my head. Years later I read the novels and the original became my favorite of all-time. Revisiting the movie I found a real appreciation for despite the myriad of changes and omissions. It's a flawed masterpiece in my book.

I first saw this as a young child on laserdisc maybe around 1986. It instantly had my attention due to the giant sandworm monsters though I have to admit I had no idea what was going on. I remember the long version airing on TV a couple years later and being even more confused. It was only once I was around 14 did things finally "click" and I felt like an absolute genius having finally figured out what the plot of DUNE was all about. To this day I enjoy watching the movie, though I have to say that the weakest link in all its elements is (strangely) David Lynch's directing.

@Fluke Skywalker said:

I didn't see this in theaters, but I definitely remember when it debuted on broadcast TV. It was sci-fi, so I was game, even if it proved to be a bit over my head. Years later I read the novels and the original became my favorite of all-time. Revisiting the movie I found a real appreciation for despite the myriad of changes and omissions. It's a flawed masterpiece in my book.

I'm the same times 100. I still don't get what it's about; I just remember some "spice".

It's kind of cool to rewatch it now and see a young Patrick Stewart. I had no idea who he was when I first saw this movie as a wee lad.

I saw it in the theater when it first came out, I was excited because I had read the first 3 books. I wasn't completely disappointed but it could have been so much better. I thought Kyle MacLachlan was horribly miscast, too fleshy. I thought that Sting would have been a better Paul. When I saw Paul in my mind, even before they went to Arrakis, he was tall, not thin but also not fleshy, his hair was a dirty blond. I also thought that it could have been longer.

Have any of you seen Jodorowsky's Dune? It is a documentary about his attempt to make the film. It's very interesting.

http://www.jodorowskysdune.com/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/

I saw this years after its original release, on TV (both the shorter version and the longer, 4-hour version).

I know this film gets a lot of flack from "original" Dune fans who read the books before they saw the film, but I don't really understand why. I'm one of those people who read Frank Herbert's six Dune books AFTER watching the film, so maybe I would've felt differently had I read the books first, before seeing it, but . . . despite the significant changes made in the film versus the books, I still think the film (especially the 4-hour version) is very good.

I've heard that David Lynch is embarrassed by this film, but he shouldn't be. The film deserves accolades for its ambition alone, as well as the uniqueness of its twisted characters (both the "good" guys and the "bad" guys), as well as the superior costume design.

And Kenneth McMillan's performance as the Baron Harkonnen? Pure evil.

The SF Channel re-make version of the character that I've seen comes nowhere close, nor do most other SF villians-- Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, etc.-- though there are some in his league (Ricardo Montalban as Kahn comes to mind).

Dune is an underappreciated film that doesn't deserve all the hate it gets, in my humble opinion.

Netflix in Canada is running this movie although apparently not the extended 4 hour version. That could be interesting to see - it probably clears some things up a bit (or at least hopefully fills out some ideas). It's a nostalgic trip down memory lane for sure. I didn't see this movie in the theatre but I did catch it once it made it to pay TV. You remember pay TV, those channels on cable that were a complete visual mess unless you had a descrambler. I also remember most of the story going completely over my head, but it didn't matter as it was sci-fi and there were a number of lovely ladies.

@northcoast said:

I saw this years after its original release, on TV (both the shorter version and the longer, 4-hour version).

There is no 4 hour version. The longest version ever made is 189 minutes in length.

Alfred--

Come to think of it, since I always saw the extended cut on American TV, I am probably thinking "4 hours" because that is what it came to after commercials were included (I usually saw it on the Sci-Fi Channel).

Mechajutaro--

Good point. Actually, considering that Villeneuve's Part One was around 2.5 hours, his final version, after Part Two, will probably run closer to 5 hours! :)