Rating: 
Summary: Boring and confusing
Review: The first Dune was an OK movie however and this is an absolute bordumfest. I can't believe I sat through this garbage waiting for it to get interesting. It is boring plain and simple there is nothing entairtaning. It does deserve 1 star for the worms they are awsome. Other then that this is boring.
Rating: 
Summary: Riveting adaption of Herbert's second and third books
Review: Children of Dune is actually an adaption of Herbert's second and third books Dune Messiah and Childen of Dune. Writer/Producer/Director John Harrison manages to condense these tomes and the backstory into a managable and enjoyable epic. The visuals are better in this sequel and the performances are sharp as well. While many have criticized actor Alec Newman's wooden performance in the first miniseries the difficulty isn't just with the interpretation but the way the original character of Paul is written. As the books expand on Paul's character the character improves in depth and detail. Likewise Newman's under rated performance as Paul. He brings an understatement and weariness to the role that works well.Alice Krugie and Susan Sarandon make the most of their roles. Both are outstanding. While Sarandon's is the meatier role, Kruge probably gives the most subtle, detailed and nuanced performance in the miniseries. Sadly, Harrison doesn't return to the director's chair. While his teleplay is vivid and memorable his use of visuals (much like Lynch's with the theatrical film)added a whole another level to Dune. Director Greg Yaitanes does a more than capable job in mounting the film but lacks Harrison's visual flair. Nevertheless, he does do a very good job with the actors and maintains the pacing to keep interest. I'm drawing a blank on the actor who plays the Mentat/Ghoula Duncan Idaho. He does an incredible job given the difficulty in playing his role. Duncan is was recreated by an alien race hoping to use him as a weapon. The character starts off almost like a newborn--he is a blank slate with little personality. Since this Duncan was trained as a Mentat (or a human computer)vs. a warrior, the impassive nature of the character is difficult to convey. He does a great job of drawing out the conflict between his new & old identities. The character really comes alive, though, when he rediscovers who he was. The visuals are, on the whole, superior even to the first film. While there are a couple that are tacky or underdeveloped (the Tigers for example could have used more money and work), the visuals of the world Arrakis and the city fly overs are detailed and comparable to any feature film. The transformation that occurs to Leto at the conclusion of the miniseries might not be all that clear to those who haven't read the novel. The purpose of his "Golden Path" is also murky (as in the novel)at best. Should this team choose to tackle the difficult and didatic God Emperor of Dune, these story threads should become clearer to neophytes. I was truly amazed at how well John Harrison has adapted both these novels. Herbert's foucs in the two sequels was more on ideas and less on action when compared to the first novel. Harrison has managed to balance out the action and plot in such a way that fans of the novel will be pleased at his pruning of the plot and elaboration of other elements. I'm actually more impressed with Harrison's work here as these two novels were the more difficult to adapt to the screen of the first three. Harrison had--whether he would admit it or not--a template to compare and contrast against with Lynch's film. Here he's on his own. There's nothing to compare it besides the novels. His teleplay should have been nominated for an Emmy. Praise must also go to director Greg Yaitanes. He had very big shoes to fill (Harrison's) and the often complex narrative structure could have overwhelmed another director. Clearly he and Harrison worked closely at developing a signature style (based on the first mini-series)that they could build on. While it may lack the visual flair of the first film, Children of Dune continues to develop Herbert's premise of a reluctant Messiah sucked into his own myth. It's definitely worth watching but for those new to Dune tackle the first film or Herbert's fine novels prior to this film.
Rating: 
Summary: A verbatim translation of the books? No, superior to that.
Review: As someone who read the first 3 Dune books in highschool I was excited when I heard about the movie which was to be made in 1984; I ended up appreciating the effort but was very disappointed. Then I heard the Sci-Fi channel was making Dune into a mini-series. They did an excellent job and it was an excellent production in large part because they dedicated the amount of time that would be necessary to do the story justice. Then I heard they were going to turn the next two books into one mini-series. I had my doubts as to how it would turn out. I was not disappointed; they did an excellent job. For starters the musical score is absolutely phenomenal--it is powerful and moving. To be certain Dune Messiah was given only a cursory examination, however, the story does not suffer. Parts 2 and 3 which comprise the third book, Children of Dune are excellent. Sure, Leto II and Ghanima were not that old in the stories, but the performers make you forget that fact. And, yes, Alia did not commit suicide that way in the book, but, it actually does a much better job of conveying the tragedy of Alia and how for one brief moment she wins a tragic victory over herself and her personal demons. Most importantly though, I beleive that the scenes at the very end between Leto II and Stilgar and Ghanima and Farad'n, though different, conveyed the message of the danger of total reliance and faith in the perceived infallibility of human leaders and the "ultimate" sacrifice Leto II felt forced to make in order to save humankind from itself. In these and many other ways the mini-series, though different, succeeds in a way that a literal verbatim tranlation never could have.
Afterall, remember video and books, though both entertaining are two completely different mediums and do not always exactly translate into each other very well. In the end, perhaps what is truly necessary to turn Frank Herbert's wonderful books into wonderful video presentations is having people like John Harrison involved in the projects who genuinely love Herbert's work themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: a fair adaption for once!
Review: After having watched Lynch's and harrison's Dune versions I was not very pleased with their outcome. Both adaptions lacked so much in different ways. As I watched both versions recently for the first time, the Lynch Nostalgia didnt work on me and I was less impressed by DUNE 2000 because of "well everything"! However, this adaption of "DUNE MESSIAH" and "CHILDREN OF DUNE" has done a much MUCH better job. The acting was ok with the exception of LETO II (james mcavoy) which was SPLENDID! Allthough I was a little disapointed that they chose the twins to be in their teens instead of children, I was actually touched by Mcavoy's performance. I especially liked his interpretation when the Lady Jessica used her Bene Gesserit voice on him. CUTE!
I really disliked Alec Newman's performance in DUNE2000, but in CHILDREN he has finally done his part justice.
As for the costumes I Used to hate,well, they were toned down since the DUNE2000 but still ugly at times (especially Ghanimas leather suit which was very ill-fitted). Also Lade Jessica's costumes made her look flat and manly.
The music was terrific. I remember not noticing a single note in Dune2000. But CHILDREN offers lots of great tracks from "Inama Nushif" to the introduction theme which was MAGnificent. Well done BRIAN TYLER!
As to the story, and the one reason why I'm holding back on my points for this adaption. The CHILDREN OF DUNE book was for me very exciting to read espescially when young leto embarks on his journey from boy to this mutant. I felt that this journey was shortened TOO much. I would have like the following events to have been adapted precisly and carefully:
* Leto and Ghanima being atacked and Ghanima surpressing the fact that her brother is still alive. *Leto overcoming his first obstacle of the storm, without any of his later desert power. *Leto connecting with the sandtrout and fully exploring his new abilities at the canyons of shuloch. I also thought that some scenes felt redundant (almost to the point of misguiding) to the plot-line while some scenes that were basic to the story were left out. At times I couldn't comprehend if the scenes took place at a sietch or at the emperial quarters. Even though this adaption was not 100% true to the books, I am postive that it is impossible to pull it off. These books are stuffed with information, which makes it impossible to portray fully onscreen.
'But this is still great entertainment so I recommend that anybody who likes scifi watch this. It's a very nice piece!
Rating:
Summary: superb adaptation
Review: Frank Herbert's books "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune", on which this miniseries is based, must have been very difficult books to adapt. Many, many plotlines intertwine in the novels, and Herbert's oblique narration often makes the stories seem even more opaque than they already are. That's why I'm so impressed with this Sci-Fi Channel adaptation. Almost without exception, it captures ALL of the essential points of the two novels, and drops only those points that can afford to be dropped (with just one exception, which I'll get to). Also -- and here I really must take my hat off to the producers -- it beautifully captures the FEEL of the two novels, both the brooding, almost dreamlike claustrophobia and sense of impending doom of "Dune Messiah", and the "family tragedy" aspect of "Children of Dune". Given the time constraints of a miniseries, smart choices are made throughout about how to simplify and clarify the story. The emotional cores of characters are clearly and consistently delineated: Alia is fundamentally looking for love and not getting it, Leto and Ghanima are twins with a special bond (one way this is conveyed -- and it's not in any way overdone -- is by having them occasionally finish each others' sentences), Farad'n is a young man trying to assert his identity against a domineering mother, and so forth. Plot elements are compressed in ways that only make the drama more effective; the most brilliant example being the conclusion of the "Dune Messiah" episode, in which four distinct scenes in the novel (Chani's death, Duncan's retrieval of his memories, the death of Bijaz, and the death of Scytale) are compressed into one spectacularly riveting confrontation. The acting in that one scene is wonderful. Which is another great strength of the miniseries as a whole: a great cast. Alice Krige is a wonderful Jessica, and James McAvoy is simply superb as Leto -- he conveys a completely convincing sense of knowingness and control, yet without losing his basic youthfulness and without seeming distanced and "weird". (Interestingly, Susan Sarandon, like William Hurt in the first miniseries, doesn't seem to fit -- like Hurt, she feels off-tone somehow. Maybe the science fiction genre just works better with lesser-known actors -- with celebrities, you just "know" they aren't "really" these imaginary fantasy characters.) My only quibble with the miniseries is that the novels "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune" each pivot around a science-fictional premise, each of which are obscured in the adaptation. The SF premise in "Messiah" is essentially that Paul's ability to see into the future has become so powerful that he literally loses his free will -- he tries so hard to control events by predicting them that he himself becomes his own puppet, as it were. The SF premise in "Children of Dune" is that Leto must counteract this excessive control by assuming even greater control for a long period of time -- time which he buys by entering into a symbiotic relationship with the "sandtrout" of Arrakis, which will, over time, transform him into a sandworm. But the whole sandtrout-sandworm cycle isn't explained in the series, nor the nature of Leto's new symbiotic life, nor, really, his motivation for doing it. I recognize that, again, there are enormous time constraints in producing a miniseries -- but a few lines of expository dialogue plus some visual reinforcement would have done the trick. As it is, some of the "opacity" of the two novels, which could have been lessened by clearly explaining the core SF premises, are retained in the miniseries. But that, really, is my only major quibble. I could go into more detail on other things that are carried off beautifully in the miniseries, but I, too, am writing under constraints -- space constraints! Suffice to say that this is an exceptionally smart, heartfelt, moody, and faithful adaptation of some intriguing and difficult books. Between this miniseries, the "Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the BBC "Gormenghast" adaptation, it might be that we're entering a new period of strong, insightful, and FAITHFUL adaptations of science fiction and fantasy classics. I certainly hope so.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not quite good enough in some ways...
Review: Let me say that while I view this attempt as a failure, it's a great failure in the sense that Venice is past its prime and sliding slowly into oblivion, but hey! what a slide! First, the failures (some of which, I suspect, are unavoidable): quite a lot of the plot and overall Dune concepts have been dropped or changed well beyond Frank Herbert's vision. While casting James McAvoy and Jessica Brooks as Leto and Chani may simply be a matter of getting a rich enough performance for the roles (the actual characters are supposed to be nine years old!), changing the nature of the transformation to a few patches of weird skin here and there entirely misses the point Herbert was trying to make. And no matter how much one likes to look at a beautiful man like Mr. McAvoy, that's not Leto's role. Now, some of the casting decisions are truly inspired, particularly, Susan Sarandon as a deliciously evil Wensicia Corrino. Ms. Sarandon's performance is just slightly bigger than anyone around her, for she is turned into the principal villain of the piece. I am in total agreement with the other reviewers who noticed how much Ms. Sarandon enjoys herself in the role. I also agree that seeing Alice Kriege as Jessica does take a little getting used to: Jessica, with her inner lives, is quite akin to the Borg Queen, so there is a bit of confusion. But the power in Ms. Kriege's performance comes from its ambivalence (and I've always felt that Jessica is an ambivalent character), which is more than I can say for Saskia Reeves, who played the role in the first mini-series as a simpering wimp. This time around the sand color problem was obviously solved (listen to the director's commentary on the first mini-series to hear about the sand color problem), but the design choices that so rankled me in the first series continue here. Spice, made to look like dirty oregano branches, is still something vile and gross, with no reason. Fremen sietches are still open to the desert, and Fremen walk around without still-suits in the open (an offence requiring instant killing in the Herbert Dune world). Since the filming takes place inside studios, I don't get the reason behind opening the sietches to the desert. On the positive side, the newer techniques provide for a more realistic feeling of being outside, and Steven Berkoff's performance as Stilgar does credit to the part. Overall, I found that I was happy with the first two hours, satisfied with the second, and disappointed with the third. The combination of script, directorial choices, and obvious lack of funding for decent special effects changed the feel of the production for me over the three nights. It's still worth watching, and it's still good in quite a few parts, but it certainly cannot compete with the books, or how I envisioned this feature could be done.
Rating:
Summary: An thrilling and moving accomplishment!
Review: "Children of Dune" features a robust narrative, lean writing, a complex and ambitious story, compelling characters, impressive visual effects, wonderful sets, mercifully toned down costumes, capable acting, beautiful camera work, excellent direction, skillfull editing and an epic and moving score by Brian Tyler. "Children of Dune" does it all, and does it, for the most part, quite well. Susan Sarandon, ironically, turns in a rather uninspired amateurish performance. The rest of the cast, featuring some striking "unknowns" takes their roles more seriously. "Children of Dune" was as thrilling and moving as many great theatrical films; that's saying a lot! As genre entertainment, it doesn't get better than this. Like a great book, the end of "Children of Dune" comes too soon and leaves you hungering for more. The SciFi network presents "God Emperor Dune". We can only hope!
Rating:
Summary: really enjoyed
Review: It had been a long time since i had read these books so it was nice in some cases not knowing what would happen next. I think it was wonderfully acted and beautifully shot.
I still have the image of Leto and his sister standing side by side in the doorway to the wedding looking regal and full of power
Rating:
Summary: pleasant surprise after "Dune - 2000" bomb
Review: Long time SF fan Rinjiro read all the Dune books as soon as they were out in the 60s. Original Dune was a once-only classic, and the late Herbert did us a disservice with the convoluted and almost incomprehensible sequels. For once, a film, even if for TV, has done the near impossible and come out better than the books (other rare example: Blade Runner). The incredibly complicated plots are clarified in the minisieries and a lot of dead end subplots (ex. the Tleilaxu and Jacarutu motives) are simplified and dealt with summarily.
Rinjiro expresses satisfaction at the overall improvement sets, costumes (simplified) also in acting and direction -However:
Plus side: Newman (Muad-dib) obviously took some acting lessons, actually manages to keep his mouth closed when not speaking his lines and succeeds in presenting Muad-dib the tragic exile. The jewel of the film is again Julie Cox as the decent and steely-determined Irulan, by far the most likeable character. After her, voluptuous Daniela Amavia (Alia) stands out with creditable portrayal of vicious tyrant, lost little girl in grip of nighmares, and all in between. Even Kodetova (Chani) becomes more simpatica.
On the minus: Sorry, but Alice Krige takes over where Hurt left off in "Dune" - wooden is too charitable. Sarandon struts around as in a cartoon and knows it, and Leto junior is simply too boring with his accent far too annoying. He simply appears as if he can't wait to get off stage. He too should have attended some more classes.
The big minus: just what is the "golden path" and what does it have to do with the (unexplained) transformation of Leto (into what?)? For the record, and from the books, Leto becomes a humanoid worm invulnerable to everything, and rules the universe for the next 4,000 years. The "golden path" is one in which spice and its prescient powers is suppressed and humanity "returns" to the original state of blundering along on its own.
Buy it? with some hesitation yes, for the devoted collector, and for the rainy evening with nothing better to do. Some scenes are worth a few repeats.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the Dune miniseries, not better than the novels
Review: I have been a longtime fan of Frank Herbert's opus, and have read the "Dune" novels many times. I consider myself somewhat of a purist, and did not warm up to the theatrical release of "Dune" (David Lynch) back in the 80's. I thought at one point that the saga of Dune simply was too big for both the big and the small screens. I was pleasantly surprised after I watched and very much enjoyed the Sci Fi channel's 2000 miniseries, "Frank Herbert's Dune." At the time, I reconciled myself with the idea that this was the closest that Hollywood would come to portraying Herbert's epic. Thus, I looked forward to the airing "Children of Dune" with some enthusiasm but with low expectations. I must admit that when I read details about the upcoming TV event, I had many misgivings: the changes in casting from the first miniseries, the fact that the script was a synthesis of the "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune" books, that the Atreides twins were to be teenagers instead of 9-year-olds, etc. Imagine my surprise when I found that the Sci Fi channel had done it again, and that I liked "Children of Dune" even better than their "Dune" miniseries. If you are a die-hard Frank Herbert fan, I am not going to try to convince you that this is a worthy interpretation of "Dune." I will ask that you watch it with an open mind. However, if you are familiar with the stories and are a fan of science fiction, here are a few reasons why you should be a little forgiving and let yourself enjoy "Children of Dune": - an excellent soundtrack, superior to that of both the Lynch movie and the original Sci Fi channel miniseries - a bigger budget and improvements in special effects and in sets - Alec Newman's reprised role as Muad'Dib (and as The Preacher) was powerful, both at Chani's death and at the climactic ending of the miniseries - an improvement in the casting of Duncan Idaho, Stilgar, and to an extent the Lady Jessica (though unfortunately the new actress has been typecast in my head as the Borg Queen) - a continued and interesting expansion of the Atreides adversaries' characters (House Corrino) in particular of Princesses Wensicia and Irulan (who in the books I never even cared about) though I wasn't too taken by Farad'n - a brilliant teenage Leto Atreides II, who borrows bits of dialogue from "God Emperor of Dune" and makes me hope they make the next Herbert novel into a miniseries as well - a script and a director who does not try to emulate Frank Herbert yet presents an interpretation of the saga which is respectful of it and which tries to stay true to the spirit of the novels To conclude, it is well to note that the Dune storyline is in its purest form a Greek tragedy (according to Herbert, the Atreides ancestors are Agamemnon and the House of Atreus.) Both images and music carry the feel of great and noble deeds accomplished at the price of great pain and sorrow. This for me is the final reason that "Children of Dune" is worth watching: that you come to have a better understanding and to care deeply about both the characters and the Desert Planet. The miniseries was hardly over when I had to go looking for the DVD release date. I can only look forward to any special features that come with the DVD.
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