Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, So-So DVD
Review: Other people have reviewed the movie, and I agree with them. This is a great mini-series, just as good as the first (if not better). I was disappointed with the DVD itself though. There are almost no special features whatsoever- only a storyboard comparison and a brief special about the effects. I wish they had included all the stuff on the SciFi Channel website- not all of us have high speed internet access and would still like to see the specials they made for the movie. I especially wanted to see the special on the Women Of Dune, but sadly it was missing. They must be waiting to release the Collector's Edition, which is annoying. But. The movie itself is great and more than makes up for the lack of extras. A must for any Dune fan.
Rating:
Summary: Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (TV Miniseries)
Review: I was thrilled to dee this come out, and glad that SciFi stuck pretty uch too the book in making this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Spice still flows.
Review: Dune. Back in 2000, the Sci-Fi channel brought us the second attempt at an adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic. The first attempt is the well known disaster from 1984; David Lynch admits it's the only film he regrets making. The Sci-Fi version took advantage of the mini-series medium and presented a far more coherent, if not more faithful, version. Although it too had its share of problems: truly shoddy production values and uneven performances. Now in 2003 we get Children of Dune, the first time anyone has attempted to capture the "other" Frank Herbert books. And it does far surpass the 2000 effort in both production and performances. Children of Dune takes places twelve years after the first film; the revolution that overthrew the tyrannical Empire has turned into a murderous jihad, spreading the religion of Muad'Dib to the rest of the universe. Those that refuse to convert, are killed. Arrakis itself is in the painful throes of ecological transformation. Maud'Dib himself becomes increasingly disenchanted with the empire he's created. Princess Wensicia of the deposed House Corrino is determined to restore the Old Empire. And that is only the tip of the ice berg. This is a huge story, as it covers both Herbert's Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. This is a world of power, betrayl, and tragedy, all wrapped up in a complicated web of politics and religion. And to [director] Greg Yaitanes credit, along with Harrison's teleplay, the plot threads are clear and effectively drawn. The digital FX are a nice improvement -- for the most part. The panoramic views of the cities, the sandworms, and the blue eye effect all stand out. Indeed, the capture of a giant sandworm is rather impressive. However, the Laza Tigers are, to put it simply, terrible. The colors and costumes are also improved -- but not by much. I don't know who designed the costumes for the project, but they are still poor: Princess Alia becomes Empress of the universe, yet she looks like she's on her way to a high school prom! HA! The cast is also an improvement -- for the most part. Susan Sarandon is a tremendous actress, what happened to her here? Alice Krige as Lady Jessica is perfect as a queen mother; she resonates a power totally lacking in Sarandon's cheezy performance. Alec Newman has truly grown into the role of Muad'Dib. Unfortunately, there are problems with Children of Dune: Muad'Dib's heir, Leto II and his twin sister, Ghanima are the true heart of this story, yet in its manic attempt to wrap everything up in under 6 hours, the film does not give them enough time to grow and emotionally evolve. Also, there is the shockingly underwhelming and anti-climactic ending. Such a shame. In the end, however, Children of Dune scores far more hits than misses. Just do yourself a favor: make sure you've seen the first one, or you are going to be utterly clueless about everything you see.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful movie that needs a better DVD presentation
Review: I can't help but wonder if the poor quality of this DVD presentation is to leave us wanting for a better "Special Edition". Anybody familiar with the previous miniseries knows that there are no less than two versions to pick from, the original and the super-duper special edition with three DVDs instead of just two. Yes this most likely is the 'original' launch, to be followed up with a 3-disc set at a later date. However if you're like me, you can't just hope and wait for that to come. I gladly bought the set and have immensely enjoyed it. However I thought I'd mention a few things about the DVDs themselves. The first disc is dual-layered, the 2nd is not. This means that there is a degree of compression to get 6 hours onto 3 layers. Sadly, this translates into less than perfect image quality. While the graininess is well managed without much artifacting, it's still noticeable to people fairly tuned into such things. The situation is analogous to the original DVD set for the first miniseries. There was a certain amount of noticeable compression, made much more noticeable with the brilliant quality of the 2nd release. Since this miniseries was filmed in glorious High Definition, it really deserves to be spread across 3-discs. The beauty of the film is a large part of its entertainment value and shouldn't be wasted like this. The sound quality is excellent, with very crisp and well defined lower and upper band frequencies that make excellent use of a 5.1 system. The surround channels are also very well utilized, avoiding that annoying front-loaded sound common to most TV productions. The amazing music by Brian Tyler is extremely punctuated and well balanced, giving it appropriate prominence without drowning out or being drowned out by everything else. It really is an undeniably rich soundtrack for anybody's surround sound system, easily on par with any big-screen production. Overall the production quality of this miniseries, especially in regards to sound mixing, is much better than the first miniseries. When a thopter flies by, you FEEL it! The special features aren't worth mentioning, other than the very cheaply made VFX featurette. In the special features and menu department, this DVD is considerably poorer than the original DVD launch of the first miniseries. Hell, the menus aren't even animated, a necessity these days I'm afraid. All in all it appears to have been a very rushed and inexpensive DVD production. Too bad, but the movie is absolutely worth it.
Rating:
Summary: On the mark. Again....
Review: Although the first installment by the Sci-Fi Channel in the Dune franchise was a bit thin in places, it still did a wonderful job of finally giving merit to this complex story. I still watch it when I have the time and am impressed at its presentation. The Children of Dune is no let-down either. The special effects are better, the music is lush, and the scenes and actors have lost that cardboard quality that was sometimes present in the first series. And again, the story was stuck to as faithfully as possible. I agree with the other reveiwers that there is absolutely no way a movie maker could ever bring an exact reproduction to the screen. Another reviewer claimed that you need not have seen the first series, but I don't feel that is so. Certainly, you can watch this and possibly enjoy it without knowing a lot of the story, but there are many layers that will go unknown. I highly recommend watching the first series before delving into this piece. All in all I enjoyed this and can't wait for the next series to be made. Because you know it will! Who knows, maybe watching this will cause someone to pick up the first book and get lost in the world of Dune, just as I did.
Rating:
Summary: Raising the Bar
Review: Indeed what a difference a few years make. I like many other Dune fans eagerly awaited the Dune Miniseries and though it was a noble effort, it clearly fell short of the mark. For once, the directors and producers listened to our feedback. Their attempt at combining the 2nd & 3rd novels in the Dune Chronicles, almost hits the bull's-eye. Children of Dune excels in almost every facet from acting, writing, scenery, special effects, to soundtrack. You are literally drawn into the world of Dune, its rich characters, and intricate plots. More importantly, it is the most accurate portrayal of Frank Herbert's vision. Dune Messiah and Children of Dune recount the story of Muad'Dib and his fanatic Fremen's violent expansion throughout the universe. Once revered now feared and even reviled, Muad'Dib realizes that his message, teachings, and inner circle have become corrupt. This spins into motion a nefarious plot by rival House Corrino to assassinate his two twin children, Leto II and Ghanima.
At the same time, Paul Muad'Dib's sister, Alia, exhibits more and more signs of "possession" (those preborn must control the multitude of genetic voices in their psyche) until finally she succumbs to insanity. Rebellion and family plots abound as a result of this instability prompting Leto II to make a universe-shattering decision that will affect the future for thousands of years and propel the human race down his Golden Path. Alice Krige (Jessica Atreides) and Susan Sarandon (Wensicia Corrino) not only bring name value to the production but also their superior skills. Sarandon's enthusiasm pours out in a slightly over the top delivery but her camp-style lends a degree of lasciviousness that was missed in the original production. I too saw Alice Krige as the Borg Queen in First Contact and was impressed. This pales in comparison to her portrayal as Jessica. She is quite simply, marvelous. The tone of her voice, her natural beauty, and mature demeanor are all 100% Jessica. She is a remarkable yet clearly underrated actor. I really panned Alec Newmann (Paul Atreides) in Dune but this time he delivers a very believable Paul and even better preacher. Those playing Alia, Stilgar, Gurney, and Irulan are all to be commended for their strong performances. I was also pleasantly pleased by newcomer James McAvoy as Leto II. This is a tough role but he carries himself very well throughout and the same can be said but to a slightly lesser degree of Jessica Brooks' Ghanima. It's impossible to take all the complexities of Frank Herbert's works and put them on film. There's just too many nuances and subplots but somehow John Harrison excels in narrowing the story just enough to retain our attention but not overly confuse us. Yes, he does take some creative liberties (Alia's death, etc) but that is to be expected and it takes away nothing from the essence. The dialogue captures the logical yet manipulative tone seen in so many encounters in the Dune Chronicles. It is this aggressive and cerebral means of discourse that elevated the Dune Chronicles from everyday science fiction and it is effectively retained in Children. As one who rarely lauds the impact of music and special effects, here I must make an exception. The soundtrack does an impressive job of accenting the moods per scene (when Jessica enters the bedroom in Arrakeen where she and Leto shared so many passionate nights). For once, I can appreciate the benefits of an emotive soundtrack since here it amplifies the setting not detracts from it. Sci Fi Channel dished out the big bucks for this and it's evident in the beautiful Arrakis scenery and realistic sandworms. The buildings, rooms, and space scenes all capture the feel of Dune. I was a little disappointed with CG effects used for the Guild representative and Laza Tigers but nowadays so many use them it's hard not to. The costumes which were extravagant to say the least in the original are tastefully-toned down. Dune has always held a soft spot for me for its humanity and intelligent discourse rather than the techno-babble and insipid dialogue representative of pulp Science Fiction. In addition to the story's complexity, I believe that this has always been the bane of those who have tried adapting it to the big screen. It'fs no easy feat and Greg Yaitanes deserves kudos for his directing efforts. It'fs easy for a six hour production to get bogged down. The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is simply because I'm a hard... who refuses to give perfect marks to anything. I will definitely buy the DVD version which I'm sure is miles ahead to the EP-VHS version I first watched. If only it would get easier for them but since they did such a fantastic job with Children of Dune, we are expecting nothing less of the God Emperor, Heretics, and Chaperhouse, my personal favorites. God Emperor is going to be very difficult to convey on the screen but from my perspective, even an attempt is commendable and if they can get back James McAvoy as Leto II and add some more big name, yet appropriately cast, capable stars, then having raised the bar for Children of Dune will all be worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I remember reading Dune Messiah and Children of Dune and being disappointed in how Herbert ended the series. No longer. It may be a function of this Children of Dune actually being better than the first in the series (Dune) but this DVD is really wonderful. The expression of Arrakis as a pseudo middle eastern culture and the characters of Alia and the twins are really nicely written and nicely acted. The soundtrack is so good I actually bought it. Even non-sci fi types would enjoy this. Of course it isn't perfect... for instance, if the filmmakers could do such a great job with the worms, how come those fako panthers are so awful? And Susan Sarandon was extremely terrible in her strange role. But gotta note that the hats / headgear / costumes were great. Someone had a really good time with wardrobe and their enthusiasm shows.
Rating:
Summary: great
Review: I thought the movie was great. The acting and special effects blew me away. I'm very impressed. Bravo to cast and crew.
Rating:
Summary: AS GOOD AS IT GETS
Review: It is mortally IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to make an accurate film or miniseries from Herbert's original masterworks. His plots and characters are too diverse and beyond capturing. I do not know why EVERYONE despises Lynch's DUNE movie- as far as Lady Jessica, the Guild, the Bene Gesserit and the overall feel of the architecture, I see Lynch's characters and sets when I re-read Dune-the casting was flawless in my esteem, yet the SciFi miniseries included the Dining Scene from Dune as well as the mystical / religious fervor of the books and yet no one can capture Dune properly. The Dune Miniseries had just as many flaws as say Lynch's film and did not impress me all that much. I will say this -CHILDREN OF DUNE is a close as anyone is going to get to accurately and thematically grabbing Herbert's characters and transforming them. A great work that brought life to characters and themes. Worth every drop of your investment. Despite the cost I pray everyday that GOD EMPEROR OF DUNE, HERETICS OF DUNE AND CHAPTERHOUSE all get made in to two week long miniseries with 90 % of Herberts dialog intact. These books are not to be underestimated. Herbert was THE genius of Sci Fi Literature and Kevin Anderson and Brian Herbert are doing a fantastic job of further writings in the Dune Universe yet, I wish someone had the guts to start at the new book "Butlerian Jihad" and move forward staying dead true to the books in a weekly television series format-it would be a hit no doubt. If Spielberg can do TAKEN then Dune is possible as a weekly show-from Jihad through Machine Crusade and up to Dune 7, which will be written by Herberts son-there is plenty to sustain multiple seasons of Dune. It is time someone did it. For now-do not miss Children of Dune - a magnificent achievement ( except for the Tleilaxu-where are my little gray skinned dudes and my axlotl tanks man ?-what a rip)
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is a stunning scifi miniseries event! You do not need to have seen the first one in order to understand it but i reconmend it. This movie is visually and emotionally stirring, with an amzing cast. James McAvoy is stunning as Leto II, and he has excellent chemistry with JEssica Brooks, who plays his twin sister. This is a AWESOME production that i know i will watch over and over again.
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