Review: Dune Blu-ray

STUDIO: Universal | DIRECTOR: David Lynch | CAST: Kyle MacLachlan, Sean Young, Sting, Virginia Madsen, Linda Hunt, Patrick Stewart, Dean Stockwell, Max von Sydow
RELEASE DATE: 4/27/2010 | PRICE: Blu-ray $26.98
BONUSES: deleted scenes, featurettes
SPECS: PG-13 | 137 min. | sci-fi | 2.20:1 |DTS-HD audio | English, French, Spanish subtitles

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

David Lynch’s science-fiction movie Dune is a cult favorite among fans, and those who haven’t already bought the movie in high-definition on the now defunct HD DVD should be happy with Universal‘s Blu-ray version. The studio has done a great job with the transfer. The movie looks great, sharp and clear. The color isn’t as saturated as other releases, but the characters’ spice-altered blue eyes and Sting’s orange hair still pop.

The movie, an adaptation of Frank Herbert‘s novel, is a bit of a sci-fi soap opera, especially with its dramatic acting from the likes of Kyle MacLachlan as the prophesied one, Francesca Annis as his mother, Silvana Mangano as the psychic reverand mother, Sting as the bad guy and Kenneth McMillan as the evil Baron. You almost expect them to sigh and put the back of their hand to head.

But the story is still interesting, with saga of powerful people conspiring to keep down people living on a planet that is the only source of a substance, a sort of drug, that is in high demand, and the rise of the man (MacLachlan) who is prophesied to be the saviour. The cast also features Linda Hunt, Virginia Madsen, Sean Young, Jurgen Prochnow, Patrick Stewart, Dean Stockwell and Max von Sydow.

The version of the movie on the Blu-ray disc is the original 2-hour, 17-minute theatrical version, not the almost 3-hour extended version that was released on DVD in 2006.

But the Blu-ray does come with special features, the same supplements that are on the HD DVD version.

There are deleted scenes introduced by producer Raffaella De Laurentiis and featurettes on the design of the movie, models and minatures, wardrobe and special effects. In the latter, it’s revealed that Lynch never wanted to make a sci-fi movie. Too late.

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