All 10 David Lynch Movies Ranked By Weirdness
8. Dune
To think that Lynch turned down the job of directing Return of the Jedi in favour of Dune!
This adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel is much maligned by critics, Lynch fans, and Lynch himself.
Dune is confusing. But not in a fun, solving-a-mystery way - the lore is nearly impenetrable for those unfamiliar with the book. The sci-fi setting should play into Lynch’s strengths, but in a world of giant aliens and intergalactic armies, the strangeness that Lynch can conjure in the suburban and domestic settings is completely absent. We’re left scratching our heads mainly because it’s tough to care about what’s going on.
The Harkonnen clan are the closest thing we have to a typical Lynchian troupe of weirdos. The Baron (Kenneth McMillan) is a vile, bloated, pustule-riddled ogre of a man, and Lynch begins his trend of giving rock stars cameo roles, in this instance having the part of Feyd-Rutha played by Sting (look out for Isaak, Bowie, Rollins, and Manson in other movies).
Weirdest Bit: Sting emerges from a shower wearing nothing but a pair of very small sci-fi pants, surrounded by Eraserhead-esque billowing smoke. The sweaty Baron leers lustfully at Sting who stands there smiling very proudly. Strange stuff.