It's too bad that David Lynch didn't stick with science fiction

I know almost all his films have heavy psychological sci-fi elements to them, like people tripping out on hallucinations and mutations, some body horror, etc. but this is his only movie that I'm aware of set in some kind of alternate universe / the far future. It's too bad because, even though the film has some major narrative problems, I find it visionary and creative in a way that few other science fiction films achieve.

I feel that Lynch slowly burned out along his career and that his best work was all early on (like ERASERHEAD and ELEPHANT MAN). I know a lot of people love MULHOLLAND DRIVE etc but I find them to be more endurance tests than anything else, especially INLAND EMPIRE which has to be one of my least favorite experiences at the movies.

BLUE VELVET gets heavy praise, though I think what I enjoyed the most from it were the reused DUNE actors and dream sequences which seemed very DUNE-ish themselves. I think he had the creative chops to flesh out a really cool science fiction experience, but unfortunately he just never had the enthusiasm to return to the genre after this film.

I think if this film had been a big hit or a better experience for him, Lynch would have brought us some very different films in the 90's and beyond, and I would wager films which I would enjoy much more than his existing catalog.