Planet Dune

Over the years as i have been writing film reviews, i have been asked different questions. Some people have asked what kinds of films i enjoy most, while some will ask about what are the best films of the year. I have even been asked if i enjoyed the Twilight films, wich i answered very quickly:- Do they really need to exist? However, about 3 years ago i especially remember one question from a guy named Gunnar, and his question was:

:- What do you think about films made from the company The Asylum?

My answer to that question was very easy, and i answered:- I know they get a lot of shit for making low budget films, but i actually enjoy some of their releases, so i appreciate them for what they are doing. And this is the same way i feel about the company The Asylum today, and i have a feeling that nothing will change my mind on this subject. The one thing i especially appreciate about their films, is that you don´t have to take them seriously, and just have fun for 90 minutes. So what if the special effects are not perfect, or the acting is bad, as long as the film is entertaining. Everything does not need to be perfect, and this is something that The Asylum have proved for many years, and still find an audience who appreciate their releases. I will be honest and say i have not enjoyed every single film. And there is especially one film i wrote a negative review on for the film The Mummy Rebirth, for very good reasons. If you want to read my review on this film, just go back to reviews of the year 2019, and you can find out what my opinion was about The Mummy Rebirth. Since i am a fan in general of The Asylum, i thought we should talk at least about one specific title ( not Sharknado, even if i love every single film in this franchise ) that i especially enjoy. The film i have in my mind is called Flight 666 from director Rob Pallantina. This is in my opinion one of the better releases from The Asylum, that takes place on board a flight, where passangers suddenly are attacked by demonic forces and become possessed. This is a fun B horror movie, that has a little bit of everything you could wish for. Fun characters, fun horror scenes, and a fun story as well included. Definetely one of director Rob Pallantina´s best films. You can check it out on YouTube, or on Amazon Prime. Since i try and check out The Asylum films now and then, so i did see a film called Planet Dune have been released on VOD. i have no idea if this film is inspired by the classic 1984 film Dune, but i will admit that the title sounded fun. Since i enjoy sci fi B movies, i decided to give this film a chance. Is this the masterpiece we all have been dreaming of, or is Planet Dune even worse than i could ever have imagined?

A team led by pilot Astrid ( Emily Killian ), is sent to rescue a freighter on the desert planet known as planet Dune. At first there are no signs of any people there, until they begin to seek through the desert. They are about to find out, that beneath the desert sand, something is waiting for them.

There are parts of Planet Dune that actually works, for a small amount of time. And we should thank the sand worms for that, since they are the best part of this film. When the sand masks attacks, it reminds me of the 1990 classic Tremors. With that said, Planet Dune is nowhere near as good as Tremors of course, but you get a sense that the film makers might have been inspired by Tremors. So what else works with Planet Dune? The desert locations that is supposed to be a planet, is actually not that bad. It kind of feels like a desert planet, wich fit well with the plot. As long as you have a good imagination, you can create most things on a limited budget. So what is the major problem with Planet Dune? I would definetely say that they have missed a big oppurtunity to make an entertaining sci fi film for B movie lovers. If they really wanted to make this film fun, they should have had more effective sand worm attack scenes. When they attack, you don´t see much more than the humans running. I think it would have been a better idea to let the space crew team attack the sand worms even more, instead of doing running scenes. It does not feel like they made an attempt to make these scenes effective, that they just made the scenes to fill out the playing time. And that is such a shame, because this could have been a fun film. Let´s get into something positive for a while. I do think actress Emily Killian as the character Astrid ( one of the most traditional Swedish female names ever, brilliant idea ) is quite fun to watch in this film. She doesn´t seem to care about breaking rules, but clearly will do anything to save other people. I also like the image of Astrid as a woman who does not take shit from anyone, and she´s not afraid to take on challenges. Actres Cherish Holland as cocky Rebecca is exactly what this film needed, with the right kind of attitude. Legendary actress Sean Young ( from classics such as No Way Out with Kevin Costner, and of course Ace Ventura - Pet Detective ) is nice to see here. Other than that, there is not much else positive to say about Planet Dune. What could have been a fun sci fi action B movie, becomes a bit dull to be honest. Directors Glenn Campbell and Tammy Klein have some fun ideas in Planet Dune, but did not work on them as much as they should have. Planet Dune might entertain you if you are in the right mood, otherwise i would suggest to watch The Aylum film Flight 666 instead.

Rating: DD