History YMMV / Dune1984

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/PatrickStewart was unknown in the States in 1984. Now, it's impossible not to wonder what the heck [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Captain Picard]] is doing running around the ''Dune''-verse.

** The Emperor himself [[spoiler: being so tired of the Beast has he himself orders his execution]] is also a crowd-pleasing moment as well.

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: Paul demonstrating the power of the Weirding Way by breaking a piece of the Fremen's hardest stone in one shot, especially when he asks for a volunteer first.

-->''(Kicks it. No effect.)''

-->''(Hits it. Still no effect.)''

* MisaimedMarketing: [[https://www.themarysue.com/dune-activity-books/ Coloring and puzzle books]] for the film, which features graphic violence and murders, lots of folks in latex and tubes up their noses, a pus-faced psychopath who kills his male sex slaves by uncorking their hearts, and of course a gigantic fish mutant (Guild Navigator) with a [[{{Squick}} vagina-like mouth]]. The coloring book made sure to provide lines on Baron Harkonnen's face so children can choose different colors for his facial pustules.

-->'''''"I WILL KILL HIM!!!"'''''
-->"Bring in that floating ''fat man''."
-->"We have wormsign the likes of which even ''God'' has never seen!"
-->"And how can this be? For he IS the Kwisatz Haderach!" (Alternatively: "I AM THE KWISATZ HADERACH!")
-->"FATHER! THE SLEEPER HAS AWAKENED!"
-->"Mood is a thing for cattle and loveplay, not fighting!"
-->"It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shakes, the shakes become a warning. It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion." -- The Programmer's Mantra
-->"Decaf is the mind killer. Decaf is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will caffeinate my blood. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the caffeine has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." -- The Programmer's Mantra II

** Even if they are a major base-breaker, once one gets past the sheer deviation from the book, the weirding modules are just wacky enough and played completely straight to loop back around to "cool". There's also the detail that sonic weapons actually seem a believable way personal shields might be bypassed in the Duneversa -- this was effectively a change that might be bad but was done right at the same time.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
** Nothing beats the Music/{{Toto}} score from the film, especially the thunderous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm5VP3of-dA main title]], the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDbpmyuY-D8 "Desert Theme"]], and one of the best orchestral pop songs, "[[https://youtu.be/NjJPjAkLXS8 Take My Hand]]". The climax of the score [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj9UcKj7Dxo "Big Battle"]] and its epic choir + electric guitar riff is also played in many times when the film is referenced in reviews.
** The memorable [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4onBqilHvc Prophecy Theme]] (the film's main theme) composed by Music/BrianEno.
** The television extended cut uses unused music takes and other sources for a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7FcJwg6OkA catchy theme]].
* AudienceColoringAdaptation: Despite the movie being a critical dud and a box office failure, it became a CultClassic and has colored the perception many people have of the ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' universe.

** ProgressiveRock bands and ''Dune'' have a long history that predates the first movie. The Jodorowsky version would have used Music/PinkFloyd and Music/{{Magma}} for the soundtrack. There have been several conceptual albums based on the book by Richard Pinhas, Dave Matthews (no, not that one), Music/KlausSchulze, and Music/IronMaiden, just to name a few. Music/{{Toto}}'s soundtrack, along with Music/BrianEno's "Prophecy Theme", has cemented ''Dune''[='s=] association with prog rock and SpaceRock. As a result, a lot of musical tributes to ''Dune'' have emulated the style. Although Music/HansZimmer has chosen not to go in that direction for the 2021 adaptation, choosing a more conventional approach.

** The ''Dune'' fandom is divided on the film due to its differences from the book, most notably the AdaptationalHeroism by playing the messiah themes nigh-utterly straight, the cartoonishly grotesque depiction of the Harkonnens, and the Weirding Module sonic weapons replacing the Weirding Way prana-bindu martial art. It's just as easy to find people who consider the film aberrant by those changes as people who believe it still captures pretty neatly the spirit of the first book (most notably, Herbert himself among those).

* CantUnHearIt: Regardless of the film itself, some of its cast choices are considered pretty spot-on. Creator/PatrickStewart as Gurney Halleck, Creator/MaxVonSydow as Dr. Kynes, Creator/SianPhillips as Reverend Mother Mohiam and Creator/BradDourif as Piter De Vries to name a few (although amusingly enough, Stewart's casting as Gurney was completely accidental).

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Despite the film's infamous status as a BoxOfficeBomb, the film still performed decently in both Japan, France and Germany, being well-beloved in those countries. To the point that the film enjoys AdoredByTheNetwork status among the film's local distributors in those regions. It does help that Creator/DavidLynch is popular in these regions.

** The boxy interpretation of the body shields is both goofy and visually striking compared to the form-fitting ones in later live-action versions.
** Even if they are a major base-breaker, once one gets past the sheer deviation from the book, the weirding modules are just wacky enough and played completely straight to loop back around to "cool".

** ProgressiveRock bands and ''Dune'' have a long history that predates the first movie. The Jodorowsky version would have used Music/PinkFloyd and Music/{{Magma}} for the soundtrack. There have been several conceptual albums based on the book by Richard Pinhas, Dave Matthews (no, not that one), Klaus Shultze, and Music/IronMaiden, just to name a few. Music/{{Toto}}'s soundtrack, along with Music/BrianEno's "Prophecy Theme", has cemented ''Dune''[='s=] association with prog rock and SpaceRock. As a result, a lot of musical tributes to ''Dune'' have emulated the style. Although Music/HansZimmer has chosen not to go in that direction for the 2021 adaptation, choosing a more conventional approach.

** Even funnier, [[http://caps.pictures/198/4-dune/full/dune-movie-screencaps.com-2441.jpg the shields]] used while he and Paul spar look ''exactly'' like [[http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x26/the_best_of_both_worlds_part1_hd_356.jpg the Borg shields]] from ''The Next Generation''.
** [[https://i.imgur.com/V9E9N1Z.jpg The stillsuits]] look exactly like [[http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x26/the_best_of_both_worlds_part1_hd_344.jpg the Borg armor]], because again, some of Borg costumes were sourced from leftover stillsuits.

* WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs: Some of the scenes included that weren't in the book serve no purpose beyond being weird.

* DesignatedVillain: The film seems to make the story a bit more black and white than the original book, even going as far as to explicitly have Paul literally turn out to be TheChosenOne who can summon ''rain'' out of nowhere. We're supposed to be cheering when he overthrows the evil emperor... except that, when you get down to it, the Emperor didn't really ''do'' much that could be seen as "evil" unless one has read the book. To one who hasn't, he could come across as someone reluctantly pressed by another extremely powerful group into killing someone, and who only actually leads an armed assault once Paul is doing things that could technically be considered terrorism (and a form of terrorism with disproportionate consequences, in fact). The introduction of the "Weirding Modules" also has a significant effect on the depiction of the Emperor. In the novel he fears Duke Leto mainly for his political popularity with the Landsraad. But in the film he seems to have a more justifiable concern about House Atreides developing a new weapons technology and posing a military threat in case of a rebellion (even more apparent to [[ViewersAreGeniuses fans of the novels]] who would know that a sonic weapon would not suffer from the same problem [[ExplosiveOverclocking as lasguns when used against shields]]). It doesn't help the Emperor's daughter gives the opening narration herself.

** The film making the story more [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black and white]] compared to the original book has led to the assumption that the series in general is much the same, which has carried over to the above video games (where the Atreides are plainly described and depicted as noble without any shades of grey) and the TV and 2021 movie adaptations, and one really has to delve into the books to learn otherwise.

** The Baron uses his gravity suspensors to outright ''fly'', which is never done in the novel (his death in the novel causes the suspensors to malfunction and leave him some inches over the floor, so it ''might'' have been possible for him to use them to levitate, only that he never does so on-page). The [[Series/FrankHerbertsDune 2000]] and [[Film/Dune2021 2021]] adaptations carry this trait over from Lynch's film.

** To further show the influence of this film, there are noticeable aesthetic similarities between it and the Creator/DenisVilleneuve [[Film/Dune2021 version]]. Elements like the Sardaukar wearing pressure suits, the Baron undergoing oil baths, and the attires worn by both Harkonnens and Atreides are directly taken from this film.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: Paul being reunited with Gurney Halleck, with the latter [[TearsOfJoy crying of joy]] when they embrace each other.

** The Baron using his gravity suspensors to outright ''fly'' which is never suggested in the novel. The [[Series/FrankHerbertsDune 2000]] and [[Film/Dune2021 2021]] adaptations carry this trait over from Lynch's film.

* CantUnHearIt: Regardless of the film itself, some of its cast choices are considered pretty spot-on. Creator/PatrickStewart as Gurney Halleck, Creator/MaxVonSydow as Dr. Kynes, Creator/SianPhillips as Reverend Mother Mohiam and Creator/BradDourif as Piter De Vries to name a few.

* DesignatedVillain: The film seems to make the story a bit more black and white than the original book, even going as far as to explicitly have Paul literally turn out to be TheChosenOne who can summon ''rain'' out of nowhere. We're supposed to be cheering when he overthrows the evil emperor... except that, when you get down to it, the Emperor didn't really ''do'' much that could be seen as "evil" unless one has read the book. To one who hasn't, he could come across as someone reluctantly pressed by another extremely powerful group into killing someone, and who only actually leads an armed assault once Paul is doing things that could technically be considered terrorism (and a form of terrorism with disproportionate consequences, in fact). The introduction of the "Weirding Modules" also has a significant effect on the depiction of the Emperor. In the novel he fears Duke Leto mainly for his political popularity with the Landsraad. But in the film he seems to have a more justifiable concern about House Atreides developing a new weapons technology and posing a military threat (even more apparent to [[ViewersAreGeniuses fans of the novels]] who would know that a sonic weapon would not suffer from the same problem [[ExplosiveOverclocking as lasguns when used against shields]]). It doesn't help the Emperor's daughter gives the opening narration herself.

* StarMakingRole: Ironically, ''Dune'' became this for Creator/KyleMacLachlan, despite the fact that it was a commercial and critical failure and it was [=McLachlan=]'s first cinematic role ''ever''. His performance was praised even by those who otherwise disliked the movie, and he went on build a successful career in the following decades, in no small part thanks to David Lynch himself.

** ProgressiveRock bands and ''Dune'' have a long history that predates the first movie. The Jodorowsky version would have used ''Music/PinkFloyd'' and ''Magma'' for the soundtrack. There have been several conceptual albums based on the book by Richard Pinhas, Dave Matthews (no, not that one), Klaus Shultze, and ''Music/IronMaiden'', just to name a few. Toto's soundtrack, along with Brian Eno's Prophecy Theme, has cemented Dune's association with prog rock and SpaceRock. As a result, a lot of musical tributes to ''Dune'' have emulated the style. Although Music/HansZimmer has chosen not to go in that direction for the 2021 adaptation, choosing a more conventional approach.

* UnfortunateImplications: Film scholar Robin Wood called Dune "the most obscenely homophobic film I have ever seen" -- referring to a scene in which Baron Harkonnen sexually assaults and kills a young man by bleeding him to death -- charging it with "managing to associate with homosexuality in a single scene physical grossness, moral depravity, violence and disease." Gay writer Dennis Altman suggested that the film showed how "AIDS references began penetrating popular culture" in the 1980s, asking, "Was it just an accident that in the film ''Dune'' the homosexual villain had suppurating sores on his face?" While [[EveryoneIsSatanInHell one may question]] whether there was actually meant to be anything sexual about that act -- subtext or otherwise -- the later scene where the same Baron looks longingly at a scantily clad man and calls said man "lovely" is unquestionably sexual in nature, and is even intended to ''frighten'' the audience. (Some would consider this as ValuesDissonance if one reads Brian Herbert's biography about his father. Creator/FrankHerbert had a very obsessive hatred of homosexuals, especially to the point of ''disowning one of his sons'' after he came out of the closet.)

* DesignatedVillain: The film seems to make the story a bit more black and white than the original book, even going as far as to explicitly have Paul literally turn out to be TheChosenOne who can summon ''rain'' out of nowhere. We're supposed to be cheering when he overthrows the evil emperor... except that, when you get down to it, the Emperor didn't really ''do'' much that could be seen as "evil" unless one has read the book. To one who hasn't, he could come across as someone reluctantly pressed by another extremely powerful group into killing someone, and who only actually leads an armed assault once Paul is doing things that could technically be considered terrorism (and a form of terrorism with disproportionate consequences, in fact). The introduction of the "Weirding Modules" also has a significant effect on the depiction of the Emperor, as in the novel, he fears Duke Leto mainly for his political popularity, but in the film, he seems to have a more justifiable concern about House Atreides developing a new weapons technology and posing a military threat (even more apparent to [[ViewersAreGeniuses fans of the novels]] who would know that a sonic weapon would not suffer from the same problem [[ExplosiveOverclocking as lasguns when used against shields]]). It doesn't help the Emperor's daughter gives the opening narration herself.

** "Bring in that floating ''fat'' man! ''[dramatic pause]'' The Baron!" Huh? Are there other floating fat men in the Castle we haven't seen yet? (Which would be truly narmy anyway by different reasons.)

** ProgressiveRock bands and ''Dune'' have a long history that predates the first movie. The Jodorowsky version would have used ''Music/PinkFloyd'' and ''Magma'' for the soundtrack. There have been several conceptual albums based on the book by Richard Pinhas, Dave Matthews (no, not that one), Klaus Shultze, and ''Music/IronMaiden''. Toto's soundtrack, along with Brian Eno's Prophecy Theme, has cemented Dune's association with prog rock and SpaceRock. As a result, a lot of musical tributes to Dune have emulated the style. Although Music/HansZimmer has chosen not to go in that direction for the 2021 adaptation, choosing a more conventional approach.

** ProgressiveRock bands and Dune have a long history that predates the first movie. The Jodorowsky version would have used Music/PinkFloyd and Magma for the soundtrack. There have been several conceptual albums based on the book by Richard Pinhas, Dave Matthews (no, not that one), Klaus Shultze, and Music/IronMaiden. Toto's soundtrack, along with Brian Eno's Prophecy Theme, has cemented Dune's association with prog rock and SpaceRock. As a result, a lot of musical tributes to Dune have emulated the style. Although Music/HansZimmer has chosen not to go in that direction for the 2021 adaptation, choosing a more conventional approach.

** The film making the story more [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black and white]] compared to the original book has led to the assumption that the series in general is much the same, which has carried over to the above video games (where the Atreides are plainly described and depicted as noble without any shades of grey), and one really has to delve into the books to learn otherwise.

*** The Weirding Modules in particular get this. There are fans who are okay with the change, those who think the Weirding Modules are an interesting idea in their own right but could and should exist alongside prana-bindu, or those who think the Weirding Modules are an utter betrayal of Herbert's book.
** Apart from that, fans and reviewers are also divided on exactly how ''good'' is the film, specifically whether the film works well enough on its own terms, or whether it's a ambitious noble failure at best or just an ambitious failure at worst, given the ExecutiveMeddling, the different cuts and Lynch's own disillusionment with it.
** Fans are unsurprisingly divided about ''Series/FrankHerbertsDune'' and which work did more justice to the novel. The miniseries is universally lauded for staying truer to the book and having a consistent plot that is understandable to newcomers. Nonetheless, some fans of the movie believe that the series lags behind pretty much everything else (this can be partially blamed on its abysmal budget). Reasons mentioned include [[SpecialEffectFailure less than spectacular visual effects]], [[WTHCostumingDepartment awkward costumes]] (it's not called "funny hats version" without a reason) and the cast, fine at best and bland at worst, but surely nowhere as endearing as the one of the movie. It's up to debate whether the movie deserves more praise for taking higher risks even if they didn't pay off, or the series deserves more because it didn't try to live up to unrealistic expectations. And finally, say what you want about David Lynch, he's an absolute ''master'' of visual cinema and knows how to make striking, unforgettable images.

* HarsherInHindsight: For some viewers, the scene where the Baron rapes one of his servants and tears out his heart plug, leaving behind a bloody corpse, can bring to mind the infamous "goosh goosh" scene from ''Manga/TokyoTribe''.

** [[https://i.imgur.com/V9E9N1Z.jpg The stillsuits]] look exactly like [[http://tng.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x26/the_best_of_both_worlds_part1_hd_344.jpg the Borg armor]], too because some of Borg costumes were sourced from leftover stillsuits.