I love Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel — it’s one of my favourite books, and I have a real soft-spot for David Lynch’s bizarro adaptation as well.

But I’m still waiting for a Dune film that works as a piece of cinema in its own right. Lynch’s Dune captured the atmosphere of the novel but its narrative was a confusing mess; the TV miniseries was a dull and uninspired retelling of the events of the novel without any kind of vision. Is it too much to expect an adaptation to be both bold and coherent? (For the record, I found Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films fairly sterile and dry as well.)

Now there’s a new Dune film on the horizon. Could this be the Holy Grail? Probably not, but I hope I’m wrong.

On Wednesday I got the Blade Runner Ultimate Collectors Edition 5-disc DVD set. It’s… superb.

The only set that I own that comes close to it is the Criterion Collection Brazil 3-disc set. Personally, I find the Brazil set more interesting (because it’s an in-depth look at studio interference), but the Blade Runner set is absolutely comprehensive in terms of editorial choices in filmmaking.

Both films are landmark 1980s science fiction pieces by real auteurs. Brazil I just find personally more relevant.