Rating: 
Summary: Ignore those internet fanboys! A very enjoyable movie!
Review: Despite the reviews you probably have read by those Internet fanboys who spend all of their free time in the basement of the Computer Science building, this is a good movie. The cinematography is mesmirizing, and does a good job with helping to describe the vast,complex,and lush universe in Dune. With a few exceptions (who put the dead butterflies on Princess Irulan's dress?) the wardrobes and sets are breathtaking. You can truly understand the wealth of the Great Houses when you see their lavish rooms, and this is in excellent contrast with the poor Fremen. Sometimes,however,when in the desert,you can tell that the background of the sets are just flat paintings(and detailed ones at that), but I think this was done on purpose to give the movie a pleasant stage-play feel to it(besides the obvious savings in production costs). If nothing else, see this movie for its sweeeeet eye candy. There's also ear candy: the music is very good. The different themes which were developed for the various settings/people enrich the story a great deal. Also, this movie isn't confusing. After a while you understand the lingo,the rituals,all of the various groups w/i the Dune universe, their reliance on the Spice,the Machevellian attitudes towards their mantra "the spice must flow", and the suffering of the Fremen. Furthermore,this is a movie that isn't condescending to its audience--it rewards repeated viewing. The movie gives you 'A' and 'C' in the first hour, finally revealing 'B' in the last hour. Besides, you got to love the various plot twists and scheming involved! There's something for every one in this movie. Many neat fight scenes are included,however towards the end things get predictable with the one-on-one combat. But its not all about fighting. There is alot to be said about Dune and its messiah themes, its take on religion and leadership, also there are plenty of tender moments. The acting is terrific. The cast is mostly non-U.S., and Saskia Reeves is HOT! Even if you've read all the books, this still is a good movie, despite it not being 100% true to the book (what do you expect? do you want a movie that's 12 hours long? just relax and enjoy!!) Really, this was the longest I've every watched the SciFi channel, and this hopefully will bring about more maturity to this scrubilicious channel.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a movie that follows the book pretty close.
Review: Ah, yes, the crowning masterpiece of the novel Dune in a TV miniseries. Perhaps the best part of this whole movie is the fact that it follows the book pretty closely. There are a few MINOR changes, but the overall effect of the novel can be found in the miniseries.The characters in the miniseries have the same development as those in the novel. Yes, Paul can seem to be a bit annoying and whiny, but this comes with the territory because of his Messiah complex. Perhaps the best performance is done by Cheni, Jessica, and Jessica's adominination of a daughter. As a result, the characters are a real plus to the miniseries. The scenery of Arrakis, and the worms of the planet are simply awesome. Finally, a director has gotten the correct feel of what Dune really looked like, and what the worms were like. Personally, I think that the images of Dune and the worms are accurate and again add to the success of the miniseries. Perhaps the greatest difference between this movie and the previous movie, is the fact that this movie plays more on the political environment found on Dune. The whole basis of the book is on what is occuring in the local politics and how rebellion will affect the overall rule of the Galaxy. Again, since the political scheme of the novel is found here, it only adds to the success of this movie. So why does this movie fail to get five stars? For one thing, some of the special effects and acting are second rate. For example, there are numerous fight scenes in the movie that seem too choreographed. Perhaps they could have drawn out the fights and produced more realistic blood in order to make it seem more lively. Another reason the movie does not get five stars is because it gets boring at certain parts, but again this could be the negative drawback of following the book very closely. There are many positives in this movie such as roles played by Cheni, Jessica, and Alia. Added to this is the images of Dune and of the worms. Due to the limited number of negatives, the movie is a crowning success. It should be highly recommended to anybody who has read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Frank Herbert's DUNE finally realizes a complete vision!
Review: The first time I read Dune, I was in the eighth grade, desperate for science fiction. I was astounded; it was as complex a novel as I could have hoped for. Now, years later, I still find depth to the work every time I read it. I've read the series more times than I can count, and even though I have to force myself to finish "Children of Dune," the books as a whole have inspired me like no other work. Therefore, especially considering Lynch's admirable - but ultimately lacking - attempt at a screen "Dune," this miniseries had a LOT to live up to. Never once did it disappoint. In fact, the two versions are totally different animals, and comparisons are probably unfair; as far as I'm concerned, this miniseries is the ONLY Dune. This miniseries managed to totally and completely capture Herbert's vision, leaving a vast majority of the depth of the original book intact. The costumes accurately reflected an empire mired in politics and complacency, and the harsh desert reality of Arrakis as well. The sets were excellent; it was nice to have shots of Arrakeen from the air, and everything from the design of the Guild's spaceships to the Navigators themselves to the wonderfully crafted palace on Arrakis fit the tone perfectly. The dialogue - or at least some of it - was created to make up for the nonexistent voiceovers and internal monologues. Never once, though, did the casual viewer have to sit there and say, "What the heck is going on?" Everything seemed to flow together coherantly, and it only dragged as it was trying to introduce the characters and plot situations in the first hour or so. The almost minimalist score never detracted from the movie, and faded almost perfectly into the background, creating a uniquely Arrakeen atmosphere. There were some changes for the miniseries, most notably that Paul is a little more "human" than he was in the book; he acts much more like a teenager being forced to move from the comforts of his home to a place he doesn't want to go, and then has responsibility that he doesn't want and can't refuse handed to him. This changes his character slightly, especially at the first part of the movie, but Alec Newman develops the character beautifully. The second major change is the introduction of Irulan as a major player, first establishing her as a kindred spirit for Paul, suggesting their marriage may not be as loveless as the books portray them, and setting the stage for her betrayal in Dune Messiah, which should, if this miniseries does well enough, be produced along with Children of Dune as another miniseries from SciFi. The acting was a little bad in places, especially minor characters, and the voices sometimes sounded like the dubbing didn't always capture the correct pitch; one line would sound like a character spoke it in the desert, his next line like he was in a cave - but he was still in the desert. In addition, the Baron Harkonnen spoke these stupid rhyming couplets at the end of his speeches that weren't in the book; the man was supposed to be a monster, not Shakespeare. It was a nice reference, but a little overused and a little out of character. The only other issue was that almost everything was shot on a soundstage, and it certainly shows, especially in the desert scenes. In fact, many of the backgrounds look painted, which doesn't necessarily detract from the film; in fact, it gives it an almost play-like or opera-like quality that is certainly present in the novel, and is more than appropriate for the scale of the drama that unfolds. Dune is destined to become a science fiction masterpiece worthy of Herbert's name. There are rumors of a DVD release, perhaps with the half-hour or so of scenes deleted for content and length from American TV, but that European audiences got to see. If there is no DVD, I'll be one of the first to get a copy of this tape.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing
Review: Look, this was an astonishing take on a timeless epic. to tread upon its ground, to make an attempt at even the slightest alteration, is to invite some kind of death, some kind of humiliation, unless it is done flawlessly. and here it is. i could not believe my eyes. the transition between book and movie is invisible. each complements the other in a harmonious unison. grandeur with intelligence. beautiful. like a dream only so tangible. you cant afford a hypnosis session...here is your escapade. buy it now now now!
Rating:
Summary: Different not better (though story more coherent)
Review: At almost five hours, John Harrison's DUNE is a much more coherent story than David Lynch's 1984 version. But while the first fifteen minutes promised great things, the film is only sporadically superior to its predecessor: worms, spacecraft and shields are much improved, stillsuits less romantic (if more practical), royal finery a bit too Buck Rodgers-sparkly to suit the attempted austerity. As promised, Harrison is more faithful to the novel (the absence of Lynch's ridiculous 'weirding modules' is particularly welcome), but there are still changes, seldom for the better: Where are the chrysknives? Dialogue (and whole scenes) where Harrison departs - seemingly arbitrarily - from the novel are painfully obvious, giving much of the script an uneven quality. And while I found the voiceovers of the Lynch version clumsy, the complete excision of internal monologue from Harrison's version forgoes much of the power of the novel. Finally, Harrison seems to have misunderstood (or taken poetic license with) ornithopters, which should flap their wings like birds (or at least the flies they resemble). Still, the story is mostly intact, Paul is dashing, the visuals are great and overall it's a gripping yarn.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor - If you ever read the bood, stay away!
Review: (Saw this on the Sci-Fi channel last nite.) Just simply awfull. Paul Maud-dib, the Messiah of the known universe is a whiny little jerk. The "special effects" are terrible. The computer generated blue eyes keep drifting off of their eyeballs, the ships look like they are low-res representations. They changed the story, god knows why. If you pre-ordered this, cancel now before it is too late!
Rating:
Summary: Epic science fiction
Review: As a TV miniseries, this version of Dune worked extremely well. As a DVD it is nice because you can watch as much of it as you like at one time - it's broken into three 90 minute "episodes." The acting is much better than average for television, and the sets and costumes are really superb. The portrayal of the primitive yet sophisticated (and beautifully spiritual) fremen culture will have you cheering for their cause. And the evil baron and emporer, as well as the weasly spicing guild nerds, provide a terrific and fun element of comedy to the production. (They sure have a lot of weird, funky hats in this universe !!) The special effects and battle scenes do leave something to be desired, although the space scenes actually look pretty real. One star is lost for the cheesy looking battle scenes and fake looking desert mouse, and the DVD itself is pretty bare bones. Nevertheless, this DVD is worthwhile addition to your science fiction collection, especially since the price is so reasonable. PS - I'm getting really annoyed with reviewers who compare a film to the book upon which it is based, and complain when they don't coincide exactly. When a film is "based" on a novel, it is not necessary to copy it verbatim. So, all you anally retentive Dune (and Lord of the Ring) geeks out there - lighten up already !!
Rating: 
Summary: the other version
Review: I am a hardcore fan of Frank Herbert's science fiction. Since other people on here have written very good reviews, I will try to keep mine short and to the point. Yes, I agree very much with what Amazon.com had to say. The architecture is impressive. The sets are very interesting and the costumes, I believe, were made by a cutting edge French fashion agency. This is the strength of this version - the sets and costumes. However. The acting suffers greatly. Like most cg filled epics of our day, this one suffers from what I like to call "Video game cutscene syndrome." That is, that what should be an entertainment experience in its own right becomes little more than a computer graphics showcase (a non-interactive one, unlike a real video game). When acting is sacrificed for the sake of cg graphics, the result is little more than a crippled video game experience, one in which you are unable to control the action and must sit passively watching the equivalent of a video game cutscene. The acting is downright terrible, with the exception of the Baron and some of the development surrounding Duke Leto. This version, unlike the David Lynch one, is pure eye candy, nothing more, nothing less. However, I will say it was a noble attempt. I can see how hard they tried. I can recognize this. Therefore, I give it an average rating.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good interpretation of a cult sci-fi blockbuster
Review: I saw both the David Lynch film version for theater release 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? No, the acting is spotty. But it is the most faithful version yet of this unwieldy blockbuster of a science fiction masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Better Adaptation than Lynch's
Review: And that is the truth. This miniseries is not without its flaws, but it holds closer to the story than the feature-length movie. There's one review that says that Paul did not have a son in Dune...well, READ AGAIN. Chani and Paul had Leto before the twins, and he was killed by the Sardaukar. Any person who's read the book and is a true fan of Dune would know that! To the film...there are some incredibly wooden performances. William Hurt's talent is absolutely wasted in what little screentime he has. Alec Newman doesn't shine till "The Prophet" and that doesn't happen till the last half hour. And there are some absolute gems...Ian McNiece is a wonderful Baron Harkonnen. His rhyming couplets at first are a bit offcolor, but they get better. Feyd is played well by Matt Keeslar, who doesn't go so far over the top as Sting did. Saskia Reeves shines as Lady Jessica, and Julie Cox is absolutely wonderful as Princess Irulan. I cannot wait to see her role grow in the next miniseries. The extras are where it's at. The roundtable discussion of Dune is the best part. Another great featurette is Willis McNelly. Absolutely wonderful. The 30 minutes od extra footage doesn't add much to the story, but is still enjoyable to watch. If you're a fan of Dune, you'll still have a slight bitter taste in your throat. If you're new to Dune, you'll enjoy it. If you're just some sad sap who can't think for themselves, you should just dig a hole, fall into it, and never come out.
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