20 Things You Didn’t Know About Dune
15. Cinema-goers Had To Be Given A Glossary
It’s no secret that the lore of Dune is nigh-on impenetrable on the first go-around; a challenge faced by any studio attempting to bring it to a large movie audience. Universal Studios seemed to realise that cramming 10,000 years of world-building and strange terminology into one movie would test audience patience to breaking point.
To alleviate some of this challenge, the studio circulated a glossary for the 1984 flick; detailing what phrases like ‘Kwizatz Haderach’ or ‘Sardukar’ actually meant. A strategy with noble intentions to be sure but one that to this day still raises eyebrows.
In retrospect, the very silly move likely turned audiences off the film before even seeing it. When was the last time you sat down to revise before going to see the newest Marvel film? Actually, scratch that, that’s becoming more and more necessary in Marvel’s case.