Jodorowsky's Dune
A vivid portrait of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s impossible science fiction epic and the astonishing cinematic legacy left by its failure to exist.
Overview
A visionary director's dream unfolds, revealing the art and ambition behind an unrealized masterpiece.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- awestruck
- thoughtful
- witty
- film club viewing
- creative inspiration
What critics said
Critics broadly praise the documentary as an entertaining, visually compelling, and thoughtful tribute to an unrealized science fiction landmark, while recognizing its bittersweet sense of missed opportunity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film argues that Jodorowsky's unmade adaptation achieved a legendary status and influenced later science fiction cinema despite never being completed.
Alejandro Jodorowsky recounts his ambitions, methods, and collaborators as writer and filmmaker of the proposed adaptation.
The project is evoked through its production history, artists, and conceptual materials rather than through completed fictional scenes.
Jodorowsky's expansive adaptation is set against the production and business obstacles that prevented it from being made.
Films like Jodorowsky's Dune, and why
Lost in La Mancha
Both are acclaimed documentaries about ambitious filmmaking projects, creative obsession, and the mythology surrounding unfinished or unrealized cinema.
Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse
Both are cinema documentaries that examine visionary directors, production ambitions, and the unpredictable legacy of influential films.
Burden of Dreams
Both explore how singular artistic visions, production obstacles, and auteur filmmaking shape film culture beyond the completed work.
Memory: The Origins of Alien
Both are thoughtful documentaries about the creative process, artistic ambition, and the cultural afterlife of major science fiction cinema.
Movie Details
- Director
- Frank Pavich
- Release Date
- 2013-08-30
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (781)
Cast
- Alejandro Jodorowsky
- Michel Seydoux
- Chris Foss
- H. R. Giger
- Jean-Paul Gibon
- Brontis Jodorowsky
- Amanda Lear
- Christian Wander
- Devin Faraci
- Diane O'Bannon
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Jodorowsky's Dune about?
- A vivid portrait of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s impossible science fiction epic and the astonishing cinematic legacy left by its failure to exist.
- What is Jodorowsky's Dune like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Jodorowsky's Dune as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Jodorowsky's Dune violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Jodorowsky's Dune.
- What did critics think of Jodorowsky's Dune?
- Critics broadly praise the documentary as an entertaining, visually compelling, and thoughtful tribute to an unrealized science fiction landmark, while recognizing its bittersweet sense of missed opportunity.
- Which films are like Jodorowsky's Dune?
- Films with a similar feel include Lost in La Mancha, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse, Burden of Dreams, and Memory: The Origins of Alien.
- How long is Jodorowsky's Dune?
- Jodorowsky's Dune runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch Jodorowsky's Dune?
- In United States, Jodorowsky's Dune streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel.
