From the novel by Frank Herbert, an epic tale of a young man who escapes death and must embrace his destiny of becoming the leader in a holy war. A sci-fi flick on a grand scale, reaching to different planets and universes, but at its heart, a classic story of good vs. evil.

As a director, David Lynch has always been an acquired taste. Meaning you either like his work or you don’t. As a great visual filmmaker and a provocateur, more so later in his career, Lynch has never been apologetic about the kinds of films he makes. Which is what makes DUNE (his first big studio film after THE ELEPHANT MAN) such a hard film to sit through. The movie is an example of great potential by a director, but the film ultimately fails because it’s not a true David Lynch picture. Meaning, this one felt like someone had a gun to his head and said “make this movie or die”! All his great stylistic visuals are here, but the passion and original take on the world that only Lynch can provide is severely absent. This one is much too long, way too complicated and has always seemed to be missing something you just can’t put your finger on. (Although it certainly isn't the over abundance of characters voicing their inner monologues out loud, jeez!) DUNE, even for its majestically sweeping look and feel, needed to be directed by someone more mainstream. (And for all Lynch fans like me, you'll understand that this isn't an insult!)

The cast is a virtual who’s who of future Lynch regulars, from MacLachlan and Dean Stockwell (suave Ben from BLUE VELVET), to the late great Jack Nance, still strange with that orange hair. Nobody is superb here, but without this experience, we may never have had BLUE VELVET or great MacLachlan characters like Special Agent Dale Cooper. Everything happens for a reason, so while DUNE is a great looking failure for Lynch, it probably soured him just enough towards Hollywood, that he went on to create some of the most original and surreal work in the history of cinema. Every film has its place and DUNE is no exception – without its public destruction, a truly Lynchian film would never exist. I say, thank god for it.

Video: Both versions presented in Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1), a much more rich picture with this ratio, Lynch’s visuals are front and center.

Audio: With English Dolby Digital 5.1 and French 2.0 for the Theatrical Version and just English Dolby Digital 5.1 for the Extended Cut. The sound here is the best of any other release by far. If you love DUNE, it’s worth it. (By the way, I’m talking about the Lynch version, not the bastard child Extended Cut!)

So the big feature for buyers is the new Extended Cut of DUNE, which runs 40 minutes longer then the Theatrical Cut. Well, first off, there’s nothing new about this Extended Cut. For those true DUNE fans, they will recognize it as the old extended TV cut that Lynch rumored to have disowned. Hence why the director name of Alan Smithee is on the Extended Cut of this DVD. (It’s a name used when a director wants his name off a film!) And the screenplay credit of Judas Booth on the Extended Cut is an in-joke - a combination of Judas, the apostle that betrayed Jesus Christ, and 'John Wilkes Booth', Abraham Lincoln's killer. It was David Lynch’s way of saying that the studio betrayed him and killed the film. So what is the Extended Cut like? Well, the Virginia Madsen shots at the beginning of the film are gone, replaced by still paintings and a new manlier sounding narrator. A few characters are more fully explained, but all in all not any more impressive then Lynch’s version. Besides, I always get pissed when I see a version that the Director didn’t intend. And to put it alongside such a great new and more pristine copy of Lynch’s DUNE, is almost enough to make you want to give Universal the finger. The only saving grace here is that it’s on the second side of the disc (that isn’t even marked!), so if you never flip the disc, you’ll forget that it’s even there!

The problem with the other Special Features here is that they all lack Lynch himself. There is no (of course!) Lynch commentary; no tell all featurette with actors and such, it’s a classic rip off for extras. It definitely reminded me of the Alien 3 Special Edition, which was sans David Fincher and missed out on some great fireworks. (And even that one was more revealing then this!) This version is worth getting for a polished copy of Lynch’s original film and for the nice hard case that it comes in. The rest is, pardon my French, shit.

Deleted Scenes with Introduction by Raffaella De Laurentiis (17:18): This one starts with an De Laurentiis talking about the myth of a four hour long original Lynch version of DUNE, saying it doesn’t actually exist. (Sounds like a cover up to sell this DVD with good conscience!) This one looks like it smells – it's a way of making this version seem like Lynch approves, which he clearly doesn’t. Deleted scenes here are lumped together, with no description or separation, really amateur. Highlights include extra Virginia Madsen opening coda (yeah, we needed more of that!), more screaming Linda Hunt, MacLachlan saying the sleeper has awakened in an earlier scene (not half as powerful as the original moment!) and a great scene before the Sting/MacLachlan showdown.

Designing Dune (8:54): Without Lynch to talk, everyone is left describing David (whom most call an artist rather then a filmmaker) and his work. Some great original Lynch drawings, but mostly an empty shell of a mini-doc.

Special Effects (6:01): Only interesting to see what kinds of special effects were used, circa 1984. Stuff like using wires that were almost invisible (since they could not be taken out digitally) and burning tires to get the black smoke Lynch demanded. But Lynch is still MIA here.

Models and Miniatures (7:02): A rather short and boring look at the various models of DUNE. Only saving grace was the talk about what a nightmare it was to work and light the worms.

Wardrobe Design (4:50): Some interesting character costumes for sure. Love the tidbit about how they whipped together the futuristic thong for Sting, who was gung ho about being nude for the scene, when the studio got panicked. But it could have been revealed in a commentary or a tell-all making of featurette. What a waste!

Plus if you're looking for some (and I mean any!) Lynch on this disc, it’s in the Photograph Gallery, where there are a slew of shots with Lynch directing on the set. For those who like to read (oh yeah, it’s why I buy a DVD!) there is a section of Production Notes. Let the button pushing commence!

If you really love David Lynch’s DUNE, look no further. This is definitely the best version out there, for both picture and sound and also comes in a very stylized and cool looking hard case. (Great collectable!) The promised new Extended Cut with this set, a previous TV release that Lynch had nothing to do with, is conveniently on the second side, so you can thankfully ignore it like a nagging stepmother. And as far as the Special Features go, Lynch is missing just like Miss Nelson from all of it, so if that’s what you're looking for, don’t bother. This one is only good for one thing, upgrading that old copy of DUNE you have on VHS and seeing the great visual work of Lynch in new digital format. Much like the planet DUNE itself, everything other then Lynch’s work on this DVD is dry and deserted.