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Apr 26, 2019tomdance rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Watchable only for Science Fiction fans (like me), this documentary is markedly underwhelming. Maybe my expectations were too high after read glowing reviews by critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. It's main strength is in showing Jodorowsky's enduring enthusiasm and ability to attract good talent such as Pink Floyd and H. R. Giger. But the documentary fails to establish him as a directorial talent. Jodorowsky's previous directorial efforts (El Topo and The Holy Mountain, of which I have only seen the outtakes included in the documentary) look very dated and poor, with stilted actors working with surrealistic B movie material. Tellingly, Jodorowsky says he hadn't even read Frank Herbert's Dune book before he decided to attack the Dune film project. He and his team went on to develop complete story boards (the weighty size of a telephone book), based on the story and characters, but radically changed the ending, albeit with Herbert's tacit approval, apparently. With its gaudy spaceship designs and quirky direction, Jodorowsky's Dune could easily have been a hokey, pricey bomb. Parts of his talented team luckily went on to achieve full artistic expression in Alien, Terminator, and more. A creative dreamer, Jodorowsky seemed unaware that its potential length & expense would run $5 million short of full $15 million funding. To be paid by the minute, ego-driven Salvador Dali (cast as the Emperor), could also have potentially bankrupted or disrupted the film, but know one can know. Hindsight judgment is worthless regarding a film that was never made. The later 1984 and 2000 versions of Dune were worthy efforts, valiantly attempting to catch the spirit of the book, although imperfectly. Now, with great excitement I look forward to seeing Denis Villeneuve's film of Dune, slated for release Nov 20, 2020! His very impressive credentials (Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival) and talented cast bode well: Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho; Zendaya as Chani; Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica; Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck; Dave Bautista as Glossu 'Beast' Rabban; Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides; Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides; Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Harkonnen; Javier Bardem as Stilgar; Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam. May the spice be with them.