David Lynch’s DUNE: 40th Anniversary

My introduction to David Lynch’s Dune was through a friend’s Dune-themed lunchbox in elementary school. It was 1984, I was six years old, and in the first grade. My main exposure to science fiction at that time was via the Star Wars films and Star Trek. I knew nothing about Frank Herbert’s classic novel, much less Lynch’s film.

But that lunchbox looked so damn cool, with knife-wielding characters in futuristic armor. The thermos showed more characters, as well as a spaceship and a hulking, wheeled surface vehicle.

At the time, I had no idea what I was looking at, but I knew I wanted to find out.

Skip forward a few years to 1987, when my parents bought a VHS player. When we visited video rental stores, I was always drawn to the science fiction and fantasy section. And of course, I talked my parents into renting Dune. I still remember watching it that first time, with Princess Irulan appearing from a starry backdrop and speaking of spice, Fremen, and a messiah. I was still in the dark regarding Herbert’s universe, but from that moment, I was hooked.

Watching Lynch’s Dune at that early age imprinted the film onto my consciousness. It was…