Rating: 
Summary: Can anyone really film Dune to satisfaction? Another try...
Review: I saw both the DiLaurentis theatre film and then the "director's cut." While the director's cut was an improvement, the original Dune film left a lot to be desired. Now we have John Harrison's 288-minute TV miniseries with more time, a more leisurely pace with which to deal with Frank Herbert's magnificent novel Dune. Did Harrison succeed? Well, not quite. Let's start with the cast. William Hurt fails utterly as the charismatic Leto, who was supposed to be such an inspiring leader as to make his fighting men as good or better than the Emperor's crack troops, the Sardaukar. He is mild and lovable, but about as inspiring as milk and water. Boo. We get a slightly wimpy Jessica who is able to rise to the occasion once in a while, and a young pup of a Paul who never really hardens into the holy terror Muad'Dib. The emperor's daughter, Princess Irulan, is turned into a viable character here, with excellent acting and credible changes to the novel to make her a vital player. Irulan is well acted, so are Chani, Alia, Liet, Rabban and other minor characters. Alas, the leads like Leto, the Baron, Feyd-Rautha, Paul and Jessica are not quite up to snuff. What about the costumes, script, dialog, battles? The costumes are based on the Art Nouveau magnificence of Mucha and work well to convey the imperial feudal aspect. The worms are fabulous. Perfect in every way. The worm-riding scenes are as right as can be. The dialog is a mish-mash of lines from the book and good condensation. There are absolutely perfect moments, generally near the end of the series, and others that make no sense unless you are steeped in Dune the novel and even then leave you flat. The best scene was probably the transformation of Jessica to Reverend Mother. That was done so well. Unfortunately, the rest doesn't come up to that level. So close...sigh. The battle scenes were long and in some cases, downright stupid. At the end, the Fremen wield just their crysknives against the rapid fire weapons of the Sardaukar. Come on! Who brings knives to a gun fight! Should you see it? Sure! If you love sci-fi, it's worth a look. Is it all one would hope for? Alas...no. I give it four stars no no cigars because it was an awfully good try.
Rating:
Summary: DUNE mini series much better than the movie,
Review: I really love the book and was very very disapointed in the movie. the mini series is much much better. The book is much more detailed and interesting (to be expected) but the mini series is entertaining and good, totally unlike the movie. After you watch the mini series, go out and buy the book. Next to Asimove's "Foundation" trilogy this is my favorite.
Rating:
Summary: "A terrible purpose awaits us, Mother."
Review: Dune has got to be the best science fiction story ever written. Rich in political, cultural and ecological detail, Dune won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for science fiction and remains one of the most highly-regarded novels of all time. Is it any wonder it has attracted two big productions? Now it must be said that there's no pleasing the purist's. But my hat is off to John Harrison for doing what Lynch wasn't allowed to do - tell a complete story. Harrison set out to adapt the novel as a miniseries and to recreate the novel's 3-act structure - each act would be told in a separate night of the miniseries. The production attracted great talent, including Giancarlo Giannini (Hannibal), and cinematographer Vittorio Stararo (Apocalypse Now). The result is an epic, 266-minute production. As far back as 1975, filmmakers struggled to bring Dune to the big screen. At one point even Ridley Scott was involved. Finally, in 1984, David Lynch delivered his own vision of the story to theaters which promptly bombed. While I really liked Lynch's look and feel of the world of Dune - the film's special effects were awful. Worse, in order to cram as much of the story into the film's 137 minutes as possible, important concepts in the novel were drastically altered or omitted entirely...... Fans of the David Lynch film will probably dislike Frank Herbert's Dune. For one thing, it has completely abandoned Lynch's dark look. Instead, this production is vibrant. To save money, and to create a unique look to the final project, the entire film was shot on soundstages. The result is a production with a decidedly theatrical feel. Unfortunatly, the CGI is pretty weak, even for TV. And what was up with those costumes? But these are small complaints, really. Very few story changes have been made in the adaptation of the novel for television (the major ones are that the character of Princess Irulan, who is the "narrator" of the novel, is a more important figure in the miniseries, and that Paul's internal monologue has been largely abandoned - the film works much better without it). Aside from the wooden William Hurt, the performances by the cast are great. They have a more theatrical flavor, but these characters seem far more rounded than those that populate the Lynch film. The standout is Ian McNeice as a wonderfully over the top Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Though beautiful stage actress Barbora Kodetova simply IS Chani....Bottom line - put David Lynch out of your head, because while it isn't perfect, this version will probably be as good as get's. So enjoy it, people. The DVD is presented in letterboxed widescreen. The production's lavish color scheme is well preserved here. The colors present in the costumes, lighting and production design are both bold and subtle at once - accurate, lush and stunning to look at. The contrast here is also excellent, with deep, detailed blacks. The audio on Dune's two discs is generally good. English-only audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 surround. It's full and somewhat atmospheric, and supports the video adequately. The major extra is a 25-minute featurette, called Frank Herbert's Dune: The Lure of Spice. It features good interview clips with the director, producers and various members of the cast & production crew. We see "behind-the-scenes" video shot during the making of the miniseries, and get a look at the amazing work of cinematographer Vittorio Stararo and production designer Miljen Kljakovic.
Rating: 
Summary: Looks nice, but that's it
Review: I am convinced that there can never be a video version of "Dune" that truly captures the essense of the novel. The question then becomes, can a video version of "Dune" stand as a good view in its own right. The Sci-Fi channel's treatment of the story certainly looks good. I was impressed by the visual effects and the costumes (although I probably stand alone on the latter point). The pacing of the movie keeps one's interest from drifting at the cost of expounding on the finer points that gave the novel its distinctive flavor. The one major drawback is the acting, or rather lack thereof. Although the Lynch version had several bad points the intesity of the acting was not one of them. In that movie, one could tell from the outset that Paul was special, Duke Leto was a man of heart and the Baron Harkonnen was loathsome. In this version, the duke is bland and wooden, Paul is a spoiled brat and the Baron seems politely bored. Where Lynch's Baron giggled with maniacal glee, in this film the Baron barely seems interested in Dune. Paul's characterization suffers the most, however. He begins the film as a spoiled brat and does a magical transformation to a leader seemingly overnight. Worse yet, by the time he does he has become so repulsive its hard to care. Furthermore, there is no chemistry betwen him and the Duke, like two co-workers who recognize each other but don't interact. Apparently the duke couldn't stand his whiny son either. Overall an enjoyable film but not a great send-off of the book or a great movie in its own right.
Rating: 
Summary: Please, don't waste 5 hours of your short life on this film
Review: This movie was a huge disappointment. The acting was abysmal, the story developed silly themes that were irrelavent in the book, the costumes were laughable, and the sets and special effects were hit and miss. I suggest any Dune fans forget that this mini-series was created. In sum, this was one of the worst viewing experiences I can remember.
Rating:
Summary: A real let down..
Review: I've you enjoyed the book you will not like this series. I was so dissapointed when I missed this series when it first ran on the Sci-Fi channel, but now I regret paying for this DVD. The original film, while cryptic, followed the original story line much better. Wooden acting and poor character portrayal (Paul is a whiney spoiled brat) make this hard to watch.
Rating: 
Summary: Dune: the way it was meant to be!
Review: I'll keep this simple: -This is Dune done the way it should have been done all along! -The casting is excellent. Paul's love interest is just lovely and a convincing hard-ass! -The art direction is beautiful and so is the photography. This is quite possibly the best looking TV movie ever. If this doesn't win any Emmy's, there is no justice in the world. -Buy this DVD! It's a far better sci-fi fix than anyhting at the theaters lately and it's way better than Star Wars Episode I: The Giant Pricetag.
Rating:
Summary: Well intended, but strays from the book
Review: I remember one of the first things I read about this venture when it was conceived, was how close to the book it would be. Considering the length of the 'film' it's amazing how much they missed out, or simply spent five minutes on. Mentats? Suk? Piter de Vries? Thufir Hawat? And what on earth happened to the stillsuits!? They looked like something found in a womans magazine for the over 50's. I appreciate many people didn't like David Lynch's vision of Dune (although I have no idea why), but at least the stillsuits in that looked more realistic. The gaudy bright stillsuits from this production look like they wouldn't be able to stand a hot summers day, let alone the intense heat and sun of the Desert Planet. Paul Attreides comes across like a spoilt brat with something to prove from his very first scene, something I couldn't fathom at all. After having read all the books and the much coveted Dune Encyclopedia, I have to say that this was a disappointment. Good entertainment, but Dune it isn't.
Rating:
Summary: wow!
Review: When I first saw the previews for this mini-series, I couldn't help but groan. All I could think about was how bad the David Lynch movie was and what John Harrison could screw up. But I must say that my beliefs were totally unfounded. This is a movie that has inspired me to re-read the novel. I will soon be force feeding it to my science fiction hating friends. And they will love it.
Rating:
Summary: dune forever
Review: i have the first dvd and all the games but when i saw this on sci fi channel i knew i had to get my hands on it. well i got it for my birthday and i want to tell you that this is the best stuff i have ever seenworms, spice, atredies and the other houses a must buy plus it's over 5 hours long
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