Dune is a gorgeously shot epic that is as smart as it is stunning. Villeneuve tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a young man who is destined to greatness, but who must survive a trek through the most dangerous planet in the universe in order to fulfill his fate.

The third time proved to be a charm, however, when Denis Villeneuve-the mind behind sci-fi gems Enemy, Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049-applied his now signature novelistic approach and was able to succeed where others have failed. While David Lynch did manage to adapt the novel, it was largely considered a bomb upon its release in 1984-though it has since developed a dedicated cult following.

But attempts to adapt Herbert’s book have been infamously troubled, as evidenced by Jodorowsky’s Dune, a 2013 documentary about avant-garde moviemaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failed attempt to film Herbert’s text. While A New Hope was a family affair, The Empire Strikes Back is decidedly darker in tone, and it is the movie in which we learn some essential pieces of Star Wars intel, including the link between Luke and Leia and their true parentage.įrank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune is one of the most influential sci-fi novels ever penned, and it has inspired some of the most iconic sci-fi movies ever made. While Leia manages to escape with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) has traveled to Dagobah in order to seek the help of Jedi Master Yoda in the funny-talking puppet’s first franchise appearance. Set just a few years after the original Star Wars, the movie sees Darth Vader desperately trying to locate the Rebel Alliance, which-under the captainship of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher)-has set up camp on the remote ice planet of Hoth, which eventually comes under attack by the Imperial forces. But, with all due respect to George Lucas and A New Hope, Irvin Kershner’s The Empire Strikes Back is one of those singular cinematic follow-ups that manages to outshine the original film from which it was born. It's rare that a sequel lives up to its predecessor, and even rarer when it surpasses it.

Mad ship trilogy