IFDB Review: Dune: The Alternative Edition Redux:

Let me preface the review I'm about to give with a bit of my own backstory regarding Dune. The first time I'd actually seen the theatrical cut was in about 1987. I was six or seven at the time and the movie was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The tone, the production, the music...all of it. Totally the antithesis of Star Wars, which I'd experienced shortly before. During my teens, I'd revisit the film from time to time and at the age of twelve, finally read the novel. Each time I'd watch the movie after reading the book, I kept getting this feeling that the film was gutted. And watching the extended Alan Smithee edition in 2005 drove that point home. Alas, neither of those cuts did the true job of demonstrating how good the book is.Spicediver has completed a masterwork here. Every gripe I had with either of the film's prior official releases is vapor. The pacing, the exposition, the execution are in synchronicity. The film's...rhythm is now on point. It breathes and the spice certainly does flow. As with the previous reviews below mine, is it perfect? No. But any quibbles I have are minute to the Nth degree and wouldn't be worth the keystrokes. As a true testament of how good this edit is, I cajoled my wife into watching it with me. She's an avowed Star Trek fan and upon viewing Dune the first time with me years back, let's just say that she was wholly unimpressed. Even trying to get her to read the novel was a fruitless labor. Upon convincing her to watch this version of the movie, she wants to read the book now. THAT is how good this cut is. To take a doubter, practically a hater even and show them what really could have been. And to actually sway them.The only real gripe I have is that I don't have a version of this cut on uncompressed Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio sound mix. Universal should hire Spicediver. No joke.THIS is my go-to version of Dune to watch and I will watch no other, henceforth. I consider this canon.

More...