A Glean movie guide
Beyond Arrakis: Epic Sci-Fi Masterpieces
For fans of the Dune saga
Grand-scale worlds, political intrigue, and breathtaking atmospheric visuals.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Blade Runner 2049
A visually stunning, slow-burn masterpiece that shares the atmospheric depth of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune.
Thirty years after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what's left of society into chaos. K's discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard, a former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
- 02
Lawrence of Arabia
The primary historical inspiration for Dune, featuring sweeping desert vistas and complex political maneuvering.
During World War I, English officer Thomas Edward 'T.E.' Lawrence sets out to unite and lead the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes to fight the Turks.
- 03
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
An ecological epic set in a dying desert world with striking parallels to the Fremen and Arrakis.
After a global war, the seaside kingdom known as the Valley of the Wind remains one of the last strongholds on Earth untouched by a poisonous jungle and the powerful insects that guard it. Led by the courageous Princess Nausicaä, the people of the Valley engage in an epic struggle to restore the bond between humanity and Earth.
- 04
Arrival
A cerebral and grounded sci-fi experience from director Denis Villeneuve focused on high-concept communication.
Taking place after alien crafts land around the world, an expert linguist is recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat.
- 05
Interstellar
A grand-scale journey through space that captures the awe and high stakes of humanity’s survival.
The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
- 06
2001: A Space Odyssey
A pioneering philosophical journey that defines the grand and serious tone of high-concept science fiction.
Humanity finds a mysterious object buried beneath the lunar surface and sets off to find its origins with the help of HAL 9000, the world's most advanced super computer.
- 07
Mad Max: Fury Road
An immersive desert-bound odyssey defined by incredible world-building and high-intensity visual storytelling.
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.
- 08
Solaris
A deeply contemplative and atmospheric exploration of the psychological toll of an alien environment.
A psychologist is sent to a space station orbiting a planet called Solaris to investigate the death of a doctor and the mental problems of cosmonauts on the station. He soon discovers that the water on the planet is a type of brain which brings out repressed memories and obsessions.
- 09
Akira
A mature and influential epic that explores messianic themes and psychic power on a massive scale.
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.
- 10
The Creator
A modern visual spectacle that echoes the grand scale and serious tone of contemporary science fiction epics.
Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and mankind itself.
- 11
Children of Men
A masterclass in immersive world-building and serious, high-stakes storytelling in a collapsing society.
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
- 12
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
The definitive space opera that mirrors Dune’s chosen one narrative and expansive galactic politics.
Princess Leia is captured and held hostage by the evil Imperial forces in their effort to take over the galactic Empire. Venturesome Luke Skywalker and dashing captain Han Solo team together with the loveable robot duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the beautiful princess and restore peace and justice in the Empire.