Dune

If you thought David Lynch's bizarre mid-'80s sci-fi misstep was muddled before just wait until the excruciating extended version fills your television screen with 37 bonus minutes of a Jesus-figure walking through the desert to droning, Eno-esque (only the "Prophecy Theme" was actually composed by Eno), atmospheric music. Or rather, don't wait. Designed for hardcore fans of Frank Hubert's classic novel, this DVD fills in details that were left blank in the original theatrical version (which is also included here) for very good reason — when compared to the well-received 2001 made-for-TV mini-series this 1984 clunker barely holds up, revealing itself as a deeply flawed piece of filmmaking. Beginning with Lynch's painfully convoluted script and continuing with the cheese factor of Kit West's "not so special" special effects, Dune is a mess. That said, fans of the book will still enjoy the film, and a few fantastically demented scenes will appease Lynch admirers. The extended version of the film has had Lynch's name removed from both the directorial and screenwriting credits, and replaced with a pseudonym: that's how bad it is. The included documentaries on such production elements as effects and wardrobe are entertaining solely because the film already looked painfully dated when it was brand new in 1984. (Universal)