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Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Miniseries)

Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Miniseries)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Never read the book and seen the movie before!
Review: Perhaps I'm among those who haven't got the chance the see the original movie. I haven't even read the book! So my review is totally based only from this mini series.

The story itself is really okay. Although it supposed to take place some thousands years ahead but the storyline is close to reality these days. Dune is about politics, survival, war, love, conspiracy, superstitious, competitive advantage of the spice (okay let's say monopoly), etc etc. It's all there and the storyline flows perfectly, although I got little bored in the last 90 minutes (episode III). Perhaps that's what happened when you tried to watched the whole 4.5 hours in one evening.

The actors and actresses are okay, although only William Hurt is the only well known actor. The others played their part well. I'm not very comfortable with Paul's wife (who's her name?). At first she's a strong character. I was hoping she could be Paul's righthand, but in the end I have to realize she has responsibility to her family/ child. Another character who I hoped could be important was Idaho, The Duke's righthand and Paul's best friend. He only appeared thrice before he got killed during the ambush.

Another character I liked is the Princess. She's beautiful, smart, ambigious, etc. I thought she could be on par with Paul, on the empire side of course. But after I watched the interview with the Director and everybody, I just knew that this character didn't take part on the book. So the expanding character is definitely only in the movie. What a good job. I also love Julie Cox, the princess. I was surprised when I read her biography saying that she once stayed and learned acting in my hometown, Jakarta Indonesia.

Paul's mother could be exploited more. Especially with the relationship with the Empire's Reverend Mother. They are not just like a mother with her daughter. It's more than that. When Paul's mother escaped with Paul and joined the desert people, I thought the emotional bond between her and Reverend Mother could be exploited. Something like Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker in Star Wars.

The interior designs of the emperor's castle, the duke's castle, the designs of the ships, the design of the costumes are outstanding! Especially the desert airplane that looked like a fly. Very innovative.

Overall I love this mini series. I promise myself to buy this DVD in the future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Well done Harrison
Review: It was indeed a worthy series to carry the Dune name and while I could nit pick at little pieces, that would tarnish the respect it has found in me. I can not say it surpasses the original movie only that it provides a better depth for the story that the original lack due to time constrants. Making it into a mini series was about the best way such a story could be presented for comfortable viewing and I would recomend it to anybody looking for a good story, if they don't mind watching it over a couple of days.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: FIVE WORDS WOULD HAVE MADE THIS AN IMPRESSIVE PRESENTATION
Review: BEAT THE COSTUME DESIGNER!

He is a bad, bad man for bringing back eighties costume style into the new millennium. Most of the costumes were excusable...this being a small cable station's first major presentation and all...throughout most of the movie. Then, the headband Paul wears at the end of the movie was just too much. Another inexcusable costume no-no was Feyd's triangle...what was that all about?! So, the costume designer needs some sense beat into him.

Story wise, it had it's flaws and strengths. I did like how the princess had a bigger role, since the first few books were her chronicles of the Muad'Dib dynasty. However, in the beginning it skipped a lot of the set up Lynch's original version included. This helped build character recognition for more impact during the later events. If it wasn't for the costumes, I probably would have rated this five stars.

Did I mention I hated the costumes?

The DVD is a worthy buy though. The extra's are very informative...except for everything relating to the costume designs...I thought any mention was crap. The widescreen format is a good touch too. I recommend buying it and pretending it was made in the eighties, much easier to deal with the costumes.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An intriguing movie
Review: I loved this movie. I hadn't read the book when I first saw this, and although it differs greatly from the book, and it convinced me to do so,and I agree that the book was an improvement. But we have to remember that books and films are completely different media, and it is impossible to tranform a book into a movie exactly as it was written. But they did an excellent job on creating a captivating and beautiful film, though it pales in comparison to the book, they did a wonderful job, and the book and this film remained as they should be, two very different things. The acting was very well done, and though the characters weren't exact to those in the book, they managed to make them seem very real. The best thing about this movie was the setting, the landscapes they created were phenomenal, and held up to those in the book, and the costumes worked well. Over all, I would say this was one of my favorite movies yet, and it was a supreme effort for turning a book into a movie.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: How about a review of the DVD itself for a change?
Review: Setting aside all of the debate about which was better (Book! 1984 movie! 2000 miniseries!), I'd like to review the DVD from the point of view of someone who actually bought it and would like to share that experience with others.

Personally, I'd pass on this one if I had the chance to do it over. I'm a Dune fan so I might have bought it anyway eventually, but if I had rented it first I definitely would have thought twice about picking it up the day it came out.

I don't own the original on DVD yet, because after renting the version that's available, I'm waiting for it to get a proper treatment--all the cut footage available, full 5.1 sound, cleanup of some of the matte lines, and all the goodies one could ask for. You know, the 'Criterion' Dune.

So it is with this DVD. It hasn't really been given the proper treatment either. It's on 2 discs (hard to believe that was strictly necessary, considering what they didn't provide), and of course the print is fine visually, a reduced widescreen that looks better than it did when it was broadcast.

The sound, however, blows. It's Dolby 2.0. Although it sounds OK for being 2.0, I felt fairly cheated that I wasn't getting 5.1 on this disc. When that sandworm comes out of the ground I want to FEEL it! And I want my entire apartment building to feel it too!

The extras on the disc are similarly weak. There's a self-serving featurette on the disc, and a montage of words by the cinematographer, all of which kind of add up to you wondering how such talented people managed to produce something that was less than amazing. There's not much that's really insightful or illuminative about the extras; they're puff pieces. I would guess that they want you to buy that 'Making Of' book, instead.

In conclusion, this DVD is probably better as a rental than as an owning. Word is that the SciFi channel has greenlit 'Dune Messiah' and 'Children of Dune' for production, so it's not beyond possibility that those might cause a rerelease of this feature as it should be--with proper sound, et cetera. In the meantime, I'd satisfy my curiosity with a rental before taking the plunge to buy this one.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A far cry over the original 80's Movie
Review: The mini series was able to keep my interest, as well as that of my wife's (and that alone should say something).

The costumes and scenery were spectacular, and it was great to see that so much of the book had been filmed. As you would expect, there were scenes cut out from the novel, which is a shame.

There is only one true way to do the longer novles. Mini Series.

As for the actors, they were passable. I didn't have any problems with Paul or Jessica, although I'd have to say the best actor out of the whole group (not including Hurt), had to be gentleman who played Baron Harkonan (I disremember his name).

There were some technical issues with it, and some of the acting left a great deal to be desired, but overall, I enjoyed the mini series greatly.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Dune Ups and Downs
Review: Harrison's TV adaption of 'Dune' is, in brief, good for the initiated, a necessary irritant to those who know Frank Herbert's work inside and out. The casting of William Hurt (Duke Leto Atreides) and Alec Newman (Paul) was an abomination from the start. The dark aquiline features of the Atreides line are lost herein. But that could have been over come with any attempt at ACTING. Hurt, who is capable of great intensity, simmers at the edge of a yawn thruout his participation. Perhaps he's trying to pass for stoic. Newman makes a more valiant try but falls short....in truth, it's hard being a Messiah. That being said, the most recent adaption of Dune is worth owning for the cinematography, design, and supporting players (Fremen are well cast, as is the Emporer). More than ever, this makes us want to see the long version of David Lynch's feature film, which captured the majesty of a Universal myth made flesh.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Couldn't even watch it on SCI-FI
Review: Strange how I'm writing a review on something that I couldn't even finish watching, but alas, the mini-series was a typical british production. Very stilted dialogue with some of the most horrendous acting I've ever seen coupled with some of the worst editing decisions I've ever seen.

Perhaps a bit more faithful to the plot of the books (which I have read) but thats irrelevant considering that this is a visual medium and should not mirror the book exactly since as differing mediums they need to treat the subject within their own constraints.

I felt within the first two hours of this horrendous waste of time, that the budget spent entirely too much time creating the "gorgeous" backdrops that did not fit in with the mental picture I had of the story. Their desire to create ostentatious costumes seemed more an exercise in gaudiness than an actual attempt to create, or more accurately, recreate a certain medieval attitude in a futuristic society that was a fragile dichotomy of the ancient and the unknown. It seemed every new scene required some new crazy runway show of clothing with absolute disregard as to what the story and ultimately the characters required for the scene.

If you can get past the productions obsession with costumes and sets as well as the most horrendous voice acting (everything is so damn melodramatic. It is as if the actors were back in their high school plays), then this movie might be for you. I tried, I really really tried to watch this as I am a devoted fan of Herbert, but after two hours of this drivel I was sad to find that this a blasphemous attempt to cash in on Herbert's brilliance.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Completely Awesome , I loved this version like the original
Review: Thos review that say this movie and its acting aren't good aren't true science fictions fans, or for that matter a dune fan. I thought the movie was SUPERB A++

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Loved it!!
Review: I hated the original Dune movies, and I did not even read the book yet! However, I have read the books and am a fan of Dune. thismovies was true to the book, as it could be. I loved it!!!


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