Rating: 
Summary: What about the story?
Review: I'll make this short. This version of the Dune saga is touted as a more accurate rendition of Herberts vision. It is not. How can it be more accurate when they significantly change the plot? Any cinematic version of this story should be dark at times. The Harkonens are sadistic monsters. They should be portrayed as such. How can Paul's "son" be killed? He did not have a son; he had twins - a boy and a girl. His son goes on to be emperor of the universe for the next 10,000 years. Tough to do if you're dead.
Rating: 
Summary: As dry as the desert this is set in.
Review: This movie takes place on a dry desert of a planet, where the new ruling family must prompt the flow of a mystery "spice". Unbeknownst to the new family, the Evil Emperor is awaiting with a huge plot to destroy them once they have accomplished the flow of spice. After that, it's kind of endless. There are battles, desert worms, fierce fighting and strange beings, and the special effects are fabulous. One young boy sees visions in which he is the Messiah of the freaky desert people, come to save their tribe from extinction. I never did figure out if, in the end, he actually fills that role. William Hurt is the new leader, temporarily. He plays a good and solid part, while whoever plays his wife is a bit daft. Star Wars like vehicles traverse the air over the unrelenting dustiness of the desert, but it isn't time for Darth Vader to move over just yet. Dune is dry, it is long, only mildly interesting, and not worth the money.
Rating: 
Summary: A Brilliant Portrayal With A Few Flaws
Review: The Dune miniseries makes many deviations from the novel, but everything has the right feel. Action scenes take up a relatively small portion of the movie and character development is correctly assigned the highest priority. The miniseries is willing to slow down for important conversations, but it never loses its momentum. The use of three episodes allows the viewer to see palace intrigue unfold into deadly traps and all the smaller conflicts build up to the final battle. The ending has more meaning when a long journey leads to it.It surprised me, though, that even this new version was barely a summary of the book. Thufir Hawat and Duncan Idaho were almost left out. CHAOM and a few other important organizations in galactic politics were entirely ommitted.
A few other gripes: There were some moments in the dialogue between Paul and Jessica that just didn't work. Some of the special effects were questionable; particularly a few of the desert backgrounds and especially the little mouse. I am convinced that no movie can completely capture the grandeur of the book, but these are about all the complaints I can list... Except that Paul is maybe just a little too cool with his spiky hair.
The good aspects far outnumber the bad. The palaces of the Corrinos, Atreides, and Harkonnens are portrayed beautifully and the lighting captures the mood of each location. The casting choices are excellent. The Baron is his fat floating self, Feyd is dangerous, clever, and conceited, Duke Leto is somber and stalwart to the end, Jessica is loving and coldly calculating at the same time, and Chani is exotically beautiful. The audience watches as Paul himself grows from a pampered Duke's son into a battle hardened leader.
The battle scenes, with their close up sword fighting, are a triumph. The two toughest armies in the galaxy fight to the death and the result is impressive. The one-on-one duels are even more spectacular. Even the sound track is well done. On Dune there is the Arabic theme backed with drums. In emperor's palace, where blue evening light floods through the windows, there are the pompous strings in the background. In the red lit halls of the Harkonnens there is a cold metallic sound to set the mood. Overall, I was greatly impressed by John Harrison's version. Though there are some flaws, I see the miniseries as a grand redemption after the abomination of David Lynch's Dune. To pay homage, I have enthusiastically added the Dune miniseries to my collection.
Rating:
Summary: Bad
Review: What a disappointment! Not nearly as good as David Lynch's version.
Rating: 
Summary: Chlostrophobic
Review: I, unlike many sc-fi fans I know, actually like Lynch's version...flawed as it was. I have also read the book, and I have to say when I saw this miniseries I was a bit torn. It is much more faithful to the book than Lynch's version, but lacking in the spectacle of the original film. For all of Lynch's manipulation of plot, he had moments (the Robot fight, the dream sequences, the sandworm attacks) which gave that film the otherworldly feeling that sci-fi fans love to experience. This one lacked that. Furthermore, as a cameraman, I was incredibly annoyed by the overuse of matte paintings and studio shooting. The book is about a desert planet...go out to a desert and film it! You never feel the desert come alive as it should...the bizarre lighting and cramped studio shots make you feel like you're in a studio the whole time. Much of the acting was either good or adequate, but I can't help but feel that Paul and Feyd were miscast. Both actors were fine, but bland...and sometimes Paul was downright annoying. A whiny kid who needs to grow up already (even after he becomes Muad Dib). However, the sandworm and ornithoper effects were impressive, and a film this faithful to Herbert's book can't help but be fascinating. It was enjoyable to watch, and they did the book more justice than any production to date.
Rating:
Summary: Special Edition
Review: The movie was good, but it would have been nice if I'd known this feature-packed special edition was going to be available before I ordered the regular DVD.
Rating: 
Summary: Splendiferous Space Opera
Review: This is just fun. It's nice to look at. The costumes and special effects are groovy. Harrison's use of lighting nicely conveys good vs. evil and the primary emotions of a true space epic. The real ideas of the space saga surface through the archetypal saga like waters through the sands. Good supporting cast with complex characterizations. Ian McNeice, Saskia Reeves and Julie Cox do particularly well as Baron Harkonnen, Lady Jessica and Princess Irulan.
Rating:
Summary: If you like soap operas, this is the movie for you...
Review: I am a hardcore fan of Herbert's books, unlike other people, that, as I've read in their reviews, base their comments and opinions on David Lynch's very dark and obscure version, but yet, at the same time, more respectful to plot and ambience than this cereal box tv version, from what they understand or don't understand about either movie. It's very simple, if you watch a couple of hours of film, where a gigantic book (I'm not talking about amount of pages here, but depth and complexity of the plot and story) has been squeezed in, having to omit some of the "explanatory" parts not having read the book will leave you completely in the dark. The whole deal of political, religious, philosophical, and mental comings and goings, along with the Sci-Fi background, is simply too much to put into one film.
So.. what does this TV version do?.. it turns the book, into a cheap love story, creating character interaction that does not exist in the book, along with completely skipping the parts of the plot, that would have forced the producers to make something more obscure, than this pre-digested let's-make-something-that-sells-and-appeals-to-young-mindless-audiences-who-think-they're-into-psi/fi-because-they-like-spaceships kinda thing.
In simple terms... Read the book, several times, then watch both movies again. Then maybe you'll see what I'm talking about.
Herbert must be twitching in his grave, screaming at the people who sold the rights to make this lame version!
Rating:
Summary: A Beautiful Interpretation
Review: This version of Dune has a luminous beauty to it; a symphonic contrast between the evil of House Harkonnen and the nobility of Paul and Leto Atreides.
Rating:
Summary: As flawed as the Lynch production, yet worth seeing.
Review: While many find the Lynch version of Dune flawed this one is equally as flawed if not more. Still it reveals parts of Dune that were missing from the motion picture. While holding to the story "text" more than the motion picture they failed to adhere to the simplest elements of the story. Namely the fact that the cast did not appear visually correct. Paul and his father were not blondes, and their uniforms were definitely not brown as depicted. Only the emperor's daughter came close to her description and she was entirely overused, taking the dialog meant for other characters. The movie also portrays the fremen and their sieches incorrectly, showing Fremen outside without still suits, and presenting an open air siech. We have a Paul who acts as a spoiled brat at the beginning of the film, which itself, the beginning that is, didn't start off well with having the Atreides starship presented as some Star Trek knock off. Overall they present more of the book than was presented in the movie, just take some of the more obvious gaffes with a grain of salt and the feeling of Dune comes through.
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