It was late 1984 when "Dune" was released in America. The science fiction film industry was dominated by the likes of "Return of the Jedi" and television was still rolling "Battlestar Galactica". How could a quirky little film based on a book almost twenty years old compete with these slick, glossy productions of the revived science fiction empire of the late '70s and early '80s? Well...it couldn't. But don't let the miserable box office performance of the film's original run dissuade you from renting this classic and having a good experience in front of your television. Almost a decade in the preparations, the film was finally picked up by Dino De Laurentiis in 1983 and David Lynch was set as the director to interpret Frank Herbert's pillar of science fiction literature. True to Lynch's uncompromising style, "Dune" was given the breath of imagination and imagery necessary to encapsulate the massive novel. As films go, "Dune" suffers technically. It is obviously edited to pieces. Lynch's original vision was a four hour theatrical epic which would capture all the nuances and sub-plots in detail. This vision was never allowed to come to fruition. Universal wanted something a bit more palatable for the American viewing audience. The result was a 137 minute version which, at best, serves as a outline of the major events of the book. At some points, a single scene with one line of dialogue (thought - not spoken) by a character offered the only transition into the next evolution of the plot. This made the flow of the film abrupt and choppy, weakening the overall plot structure. Another adverse effect of the film's brevity is several instances of weak character development. What was the purpose of the Shadout Mapes (Linda Hunt) character? What was the significance of Feyd-Rautha (Sting)? How and why did Muad'Dib (Kyle MacLachlan) feel he needed to ride the worms or drink the Water of Life or do just about anything he did in the film? Mystery, not confusion, is a satisfying experience for an audience. I blame the length - not the screen writing or direction - for these weaknesses. The viewer should not have to read the book to enjoy the film. Apart from some severely poor acting and the distracting rock n roll soundtrack sprinkled sparingly throughout, I highly recommend this film and here's why: The Star Wars franchise reached it's pinnacle of shallow Hollywood schlock with "Return of the Jedi". Not counting the fantastic final space battle, the images conjured were more like watching the season finale of a soap opera. The birth of the "cut and paste" science fiction film had come and passed. "Dune" was not of this persuasion. "Dune" was a spectacular visual experience unlike it's predecessors. Each scene was meticulous in detail, rich with color and vibrant, alien imagery. The costumes were unique, later to be mimicked by Terry Gilliam's dark nightmarish visions of the future in Brazil. This alone serves to distinguish this film from the others and provides the viewer with a reason to devote two hours of their life to this entertainment consumption. The story, as well, was totally alien to America. Popular science fiction of the time dealt with characters and situations which were no longer unfamiliar. "Dune" captures an entire culture and epic, alien in almost every aspect. A strong cast never hurts. Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Stewart, Max von Sydow, Sean Young, Sting, Linda Hunt, Jack Nance, Dean Stockwell and Everette McGill all show good performances. Most notable performances go to Kenneth McMillan for his nightmarish portrayal of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Sting for his eccentrically evil (although pointless) delivery of Feyd-Rautha. "Dune" re-emerged with the status of cult classic (like many of Lynch's films) in the late '80s. Finally, it began to receive the acclaim it initially deserved. In an era where Hollywood was resting on the laurels of actual good science fiction, "Dune" chose not to produce an average product and decided instead to entice it's audiences with what they really wanted - an intelligent glimpse into another world, attached in no way to this one. "Dune" chose to align itself with the intellectual integrity of "Blade Runner" and "Alien". This was science fiction for the science fiction demographic - not for the masses.