With the release of the science-fiction epic Dune in 2021, many new fans of the franchise might be interested in visiting the story's first adaptation in 1984. Because of the complex narrative and dense worldbuilding, Dune has always been considered a nightmare to adapt to screen. Many attempts were made, but until now only one film was completed, helmed by director David Lynch. Despite its popular source material, acclaimed director, and a budget of over $40 million, the 1984 film was a box office bomb. Critics eviscerated it, and even Lynch acknowledged its poor quality by disowning it immediately following its release.

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Modern director Denis Villeneuve had slowly built a reputation as a talented filmmaker, and has expressed how adapting Dune has always been a dream of his. After directing the Academy award-winning Arrival (2016) and the critically acclaimed Blade Runner 2049 (2017), he seemed like the right man for the job. Comparing the two versions of Dune can show just how much a director with a clear vision can impact the quality of a movie. These two films may tell the same story, but they couldn't possibly be more different.

This article contains spoilers for both versions of Dune​​​​​.

5 Exposition & Inner Monologues

Exposition is always necessary for movies, and Dune requires a lot more of it than usual. The 1984 film solved this by opening with an exposition dump: a woman faces the camera and talks about the planet Arrakis and its valuable resource known as spice. It's not only awkward and obvious; it's also poorly written.

Throughout the film, Lynch includes voice-overs that read the characters' thoughts. And it's not just the thoughts of protagonist Paul, played by Kyle MacLachlan. There's hardly a single character that doesn't have their mind read at some point. Again, it's awkward and obvious, but it's also confusing. Since the audience is reading the thoughts of everyone, it's not clear whose point of view the story takes place from.

Villeneuve cuts out the voice-overs, finding more natural ways to introduce important information. The film begins with a voice-over, but it's a poetic dialogue spoken by Zendaya's character Chani, which turns out to be a dream of Paul's. It's a much more intriguing way to begin the story, and it explains the importance of Paul's dreams.

Throughout the movie, Villeneuve conveys information through visuals and actions, such as Paul's demonstration of the mind-controlling ability known as "the voice." When Villeneuve can't visualize information, he builds it naturally into the dialogue and conversations between characters. This results in the audience feeling as though they're in the world of the story, rather than watching it from the sidelines.

4 Sandworms

The monstrous sandworms are easily the most iconic aspect of Dune, and it would have been a disappointing movie if the director decided not to showcase them. That being said, there's still an art to portraying monsters in film. Both versions introduce the sandworm swallowing up a spice harvester, but both do it differently. In Lynch's Dune, the sandworm appears almost immediately, with little suspense or buildup. It also doesn't help that the visual effects of the older Dune are horribly outdated, even for its time.

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The new Dune takes a lot more time building up to the sandworm reveal. Until the very end, all that's seen of the creature are its teeth, often just barely visible through the sand. Villeneuve takes a page from Jaws (1975) and builds tension by withholding the actual sandworm. Instead, all viewers see is moving sand as the sandworm zooms closer and closer. The creature itself remains mysterious and terrifying throughout the whole story, leading up to the reveal at the end. Because of the constant build-up throughout the movie, this scene is able to land with a lot more impact, and does a better job of mythologizing the iconic creatures.

3 Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

The Baron acts as the central antagonist of both versions of Dune (as in the original novel), but are portrayed so differently that they might as well be separate characters. In 1984, the character was portrayed by Kenneth McMillan. Lynch's take on the character was far more cartoonish than Villeneuve's. He was still evil, but between McMillan's performance, Lynch's script, and the awful flying effects, the character comes across as someone to laugh at rather than someone to fear.

In 2021, the character is portrayed by Stellan Skarsgard, who proves far more menacing in the role. Villeneuve tones down the cartoonish aspects of the character and embraces his darker side. Skarsgard is always the most terrifying character in the room when he's onscreen, due to his wickedly talented performance as well as the outstanding costumes, makeup, and effects.

2 Duncan Idaho's Death

The battle at the research station, which results in the deaths of both Jason Momoa's Duncan Idaho and Sharon Duncan-Brewster's Dr. Liet-Kynes, is one of the most pivotal moments in Dune. New fans watching the 1984 movie for the first time may be surprised to discover that this scene does not take place. In the original, Duncan dies protecting Arrakeen during the Harkonnen attack in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, Liet-Kynes's role in this version is greatly reduced, to the point of non-existence.

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The new Dune incorporates this vital scene from the novel. After fleeing Arrakeen, Paul and his mother Jessica find themselves in a botanical research station run by the Fremen, where Duncan and Liet-Kynes are also hiding. There's momentary peace, but this doesn't last long as the Sardaukar attack. Duncan sacrifices himself so the others can escape, and in the desert, Liet-Kynes sacrifices herself by summoning a sandworm to kill the last of the Sardaukar. Duncan is a far less memorable character in Lynch's Dune; meanwhile, his death in Villeneuve's carries a lot more impac. Liet-Kynes's death is also an emotional high point of the film, which the original lacked

1 The Ending

If new fans are eager for part two but don't want to wait until 2023, Lynch's Dune offers a simple solution. The 1984 film sees Lynch attempt to stuff the entire 400+ page novel into a single movie. In Lynch's adaptation, Paul and Jessica's joining the Fremen is followed quickly by a time jump of several years. Jessica's baby has been born, Paul and Chani have fallen in love, and the Fremen have raged war against the Harkonnen and Sardaukar. The film ends when Paul has successfully conquered Arrakis and fulfilled the Fremen prophecy.

These events aren't present in Villeneuve's version. His film cuts the novel in half, and probably for the better. The time jump in Lynch's version comes out of nowhere, and the last act feels horribly rushed. Ending the first film with Paul joining the Fremen is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it does make Villeneuve's version feel anticlimactic, since it ends halfway through act two of the story. But this is also the point in the novel when the focus shifts from the Atreides to the Fremen and is, therefore, a natural place to end and pick up later.

Dune is currently available in theaters and on HBO Max.

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