The movie event of the year so far is without question Dune: Part Two, the epic sci-fi blockbuster that arrived in theaters on Friday, March 1st 2024. Timothée Chalamet reprises the role of Paul Atreides from 2021’s Part One, fighting alongside the Fremen against the tyrannical House Harkonnen on the desert planet Arrakis. The sequel is already smashing it at the box office and boasts a soaring 94% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. Not quite so well received, on the other hand, is a movie called Planet Dune that fans have blasted as a total “rip-off” online.
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Planet Dune movie streaming on Amazon Prime Video
There’s a movie out there… it’s called Planet Dune, and yes, it has sandworms.
It was released in 2021, the same year as Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 novel of the same name.
If that sounds like a coincidence, it isn’t. Planet Dune was produced by The Asylum, an American independent film company and distributor that produces direct-to-video movies with low budgets. Over the years, The Asylum has produced a wide range of movies that capitalize on the interest in blockbuster films. Mockbusters, if you will.
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These include Ape Vs. Monster in answer to Godzilla Vs. Kong and Avengers Grimm: Time Wars as the company’s answer to Marvel‘s Avengers: Infinity War.
Planet Dune was rolled out to capitalize on the success of Dune, and the movie chronicles a mission to rescue a base on a desert planet that goes wrong when gigantic sandworms plague the crew. Sure sounds familiar. It even stars Sean Young, who was in the 1984 adaptation of Dune (she played Chani, who’s portrayed by Zendaya in the 2021 version).
It doesn’t have the budget or the cast of the high-grossing blockbuster starring Jason Momoa among others, but it does have that ‘so bad it’s good’ guilty pleasure vibe that makes it worth seeking out. And you’re in luck—Planet Dune is streaming as part of an Amazon Prime Video subscription.
Viewers react to ‘rip-off’ Planet Dune
Reactions to Planet Dune have been hilarious ever since the trailer first dropped in 2021.
“Denis Villeneuve is shaking with fear right now,” somebody hilariously commented, another
joking “Finally we have the definitive screen adaptation of Frank Herbert’s masterpiece.”
The “Hey, can we go see Dune?” “No, we have Dune at home” joke certainly wasn’t lost on people either, and there’s no better way to capture what’s going on here. “Now I’m torn between Dune in IMAX or this on my phone,” another joked.
With the triumphant release of Dune: Part Two, it’s being discovered by more and more people. “Just back from the cinema watching Dune: Part Two and see Sky SciFi is showing Planet Dune,” somebody tweeted to a couple of movie journalists, “curious which one you prefer?”
“I watched Planet Dune and it was filled with WTF moments,” somebody reacted. It sure is, and honestly, it’s the funniest thing you can choose to watch after seeing Denis’ latest $190 million-budget sequel that so many viewers have already hailed as the best movie of 2024.
If you were to argue the recent Dune popcorn buckets look more realistic than Planet Dune’s sandworms, well, you might not be alone on that one.
Planet Dune is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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