Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie
Review: This mini-series is the best thing I have seen on TV in such a long time. It stays so close to the book and it needs every hour to do it. The special effects of this film are surpassed only by the actors performances
Rating: 
Summary: Strength in Women; Marxism
Review: I have always been a fan of the Dune series. Whenever someone asks about "Dune", I just tell them that if they want basics, they should look to Star Wars (what I call, "Dune for Dummies".) Of course, for any TV-movie-version, there are many elements that are lacking. However, we should keep in mind that if this were to become a movie (minus the Lynch version), there would be even more elements that are lacking. How can one cut down a 400-some-odd page book to a 2 hour film? Nevertheless, I understand that there was great love and care that went into the making of this series. The greatest elements were that of Saskia Reeves, Barbora Kodetova, and Julie Cox. The female characters of Dune are often overlooked and limited. The sensitivity brought to Jessica, Chani, and Irulan by these actresses were wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better cast of women. Reeves, especially, as Jessica was wonderful: full of heart and maternal nobility. Like Marxism, the character of Paul is a revolutionary leader for the subordinated class. Many question the "downfall" of Paul throughout the series (sci-fi's Children of Dune, and the book series), but it's fitting for Marxism. Looking through history, many revolutionary leaders (Gandhi, Ho Chi Minh, etc.) were great in their attempts for their people, but once they reached their goals, they couldn't function as consistent leaders. Herbert often wrote about the people's obsession with leaders and Messiahs, and this Sci-Fi series, I feel, though lacking in some respects, delivered as a great introduction for the Dune philosophy.
Rating:
Summary: It held my attention.
Review: As an objective voice, let me just say that out of all the sci-fi admirers out there, the fans of the 'Dune' saga (on page and on screen) are at once the most sophisticated and most fanatical. They're not as visible as the "Trekkies", nor are they as vocal as the "Star Wars" junkies, but in their own quiet way, they are more dedicated and more sensitive to any portrayals, adaptations, or changes to the 'Dune' universe. This is severely limiting and daunting to anyne who would even think about trying to bring 'Dune' into a visual medium. David Lynch's film version was met with about 60% approval, 40% scorn. This latest attempt was praised for its devotion to the source material, but belittled for its two leading men and a few liberties taken with minutiae that only a 'Dune' fan would pick up.However, since I only knew the basic outline of the story before I saw this TV miniseries, I was able to watch it with an open mind, and I enjoyed it very much. I can't really make an excuse for William Hurt (who hasn't really given a good performance since 'Children Of A Lesser God'), but Alec Newman was good as Paul "Muah'Dib" Atreides. The supporting cast was stellar, with the exception of Ian McNiece, who would put Al Pacino to shame in an overacting contest. Also, Paul's companion, Chanie (the actress' name escapes me) was super-hot. (On a side note, it would have been interesting to see Kyle MacLachlan, the better Paul of the two, continue the character in a film version of Dune Messiah, but Alec Newman holds his own.) The special effects were good, when you keep in mind that this was made on a miniseries' budget. It's a rare miniseries that can hold my attention for a full 6 hours, but 'Dune' managed it somehow. After I saw the miniseries, I re-watched the movie, and then I finally got around to reading the book. I can see why people are so devoted to the novels. The whole saga is very enthralling, and you can see where it has influenced countless other sci-fi ventures, 'Star Wars' and the later Star Trek films being no exception. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive, cool effects
Review: I recently bought the director's cut Dune miniseries on DVD, and it's pretty good. CGI Graphics are nice and stunning (I like the sandworms) except for the background walls for desert scenes. It looks obviously fake and unnatural. Well adapted from the book on screen. A great 5 hour movie. Costumes look cool.But the book is alot better.
Rating:
Summary: It would be hard to top this...
Review: ...but the Sci-Fi channel is trying with the sequel: "Children of Dune". Finally, somebody made a version of this great story that is faithful to the book. Along with Fred Saberhagen's "Beserker" series, Asimov's Robot stories and Larry Niven's "Ringworld" universe, "Dune" is one if the corner stones of Science Fiction literature and this film version is worthy of the title. Now we can take all the copies of David Lynch's mess and burn them! If you did not get a chance to see this epic on the Sci-Fi channel when it first aired, buy this DVD. You will not be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: hmph.
Review: I'm with the people who really wanted to like this production, but was put off by the entirely too cheap sets and use of the HORRIBLE FILTERS! Who ever compared this to Xena was doing a discredit to that show, which at least filmed exteriors in the, well, exterior. One reviewer said, "Nevermind the special effects aren't up to full-blown Hollywood CGI standards." Hollywood? It's not up to cable TV standards. I made the mistake of watching the first part of "Children of Dune" before deciding to watch the first miniseries. The hair, makeup, costuming, effects, and sets are all fantastic compared to the original Dune miniseries. I had already read the review about approaching it as a theatrical production, but I found the direction and sets too distracting. For instance, the moons never moved on the backgrounds, even when time had clearly passed. It's an idiotic error and very careless. The backgrounds are practically comic, at one point Paul and Lady Jessica are shown running against a blue screen, the effect is of a comedy sketch off Conan O'Brien. I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe, and the moment is supposed to be suspenseful! The apparent low budget also hurts the use of extras, there are supposed to be thousands of Fedyakin, and instead there are tens of tens. Not to mention at the end, all the Major Houses are supposed to be participating in the war on Muad'Dib, but instead there are only soldiers shown in Harkonnen and Sardaukar uniforms. Also people are constantly wandering around with their stillsuits off, skin exposed to the desert. It would make me cringe if the desert weren't so clearly a soundstage. And when did Herbert decide that Fremen eyes glow? Time and again, in the book, they are referred to as DARK. So many things in this miniseries are simply careless. My final complaint about the look of the film is in the stupid filters. It was like a madman was in charge of them, "Look I found a green one, and here's a red one! How about blue?!" The scenes are literally bathed in one-tone light and the effect is distracting and gaudy. As to the actual acting and script: I'll stay neutral on the William Hurt issue. I've never liked him, so approaching the film from that angle, I was never going to give him a fair chance. As to Alec Newman, who some feel mis-played Paul, I would say it was the script that betrayed Paul, not the actor. He later does a very convincing Maud'dib. From the first scene of Paul, the whiny brat, being pulled out of the chair, I knew that they were departing too far from the book. While he has his moments, Paul is for the most part collected and thoughtful, and the first half of the miniseries cheerfully dumbs him down. I think they underplayed the strangeness in him, and I can't believe they skipped his first encounter with spice-enhanced prescience. To me that scene is elemental to who he is becoming. At first, I thought it was a budget choice, but then I saw the later scenes with the Water of Life. Maybe they thought it was redundant, I would certainly disagree. The problem for me then was getting into the film on an emotional level. It was until the last third that I could really begin to let the errors go and appreciate the story it was trying to tell. I would have taken this filmed like an episode of Xena in a heartbeat over the supposedly "artistic" way it was presented.
Rating: 
Summary: A great show but not a great Dune
Review: The SciFi "Frank Herbert's Dune" miniseries came out 16 years after the David Lynch movie version. Lynch's movie was just over 2 hours long, and many fans disliked because of the scenes it cut out. I think that after watching a miniseries that went for a full SIX HOURS that still cut out key scenes and had to merge characters together, there has been much more appreciation for what Lynch was able to accomplish. First, one of my key gripes with the SciFi miniseries. It constantly touted itself as being "Frank Herbert's Dune". Not just "Dune" or "based on Dune". And yet many of the characters, scenes and plots are FAR removed from the actual storyline. There are many invented scenes, many characters who have been severely altered. I think the miniseries is fine AS A STAND ALONE STORY. But as a faithful, accurate representation of the storyline, it has many failings. One of my key disappointments is with the character of Paul. As much as you can complain about Lynch and his doings (and I do have my complaints there too), you have to agree that Paul is extremely well done. His character is right in line with the book, and as Paul is the CENTRAL character, that's rather important. Paul is NOT a whiny, spoiled brat in the beginning of the book. He is mature, intelligent, and able to stand up to the Reverend Mother. I can see that SciFi wanted to show Paul's "maturation" but they didn't need to demolish his character in order to do it. I cringe every time I watch the first half of the SciFi miniseries, and what they did to Paul and some of the other characters. The sets and costumes are sometimes pretty, sometimes ugly. You can argue either way, you can argue that asthetics don't really matter. But again, they were made from a "Star Wars" point of view and NOT from a Dune point of view. There were wide open windows on Arrakis!! This would never have been permitted. The stillsuits were a complete joke. The overriding, overwhelming concern of everyone on that planet was water conservation. Stillsuits were meant to keep you from dying. In the miniseries it seemed like you were at a beach and sure, you might get thirsty, but so what. In the book the lack of water and its constant conservation was a KEY element, it was in fact pretty much a character just as important as Paul or Jessica. I can see why the miniseries would appeal to people who didn't know about the books. It's like Star Wars - a great, engaging tale with interesting characters. And again, if it had been billed as "an adaptation" I would have taken it in that sense and enjoyed it. But it is NOT true to the books, and those of us who find great meaning in the books can see that meaning being twisted or lost in this adaptation. If nothing else, the SciFi release has renewed an interest in the books of Dune and its ecology and messages. I would recommend that anyone who finds the concept of Dune even slightly interesting to definitely READ THE BOOK and then watch the miniseries with that background in mind.
Rating:
Summary: Once you start watching, you can't stop!
Review: You want to know how good this series is? Well, let me tell you what I thought of it. I sat on my couch for 6 hours and watched the whole series, all 3 parts, in one day. Only pausing it so I could get a snack or to use the bathroom. It's so awesome. If you like 'Star Wars' you'll probably like this. It's a great price. What are you waiting for?!
Rating:
Summary: COSTUMES AND ACTING RUINED IT!
Review: I'm one of the few people who cannot bash David Lynch's dark and dramatic film, especially the 190 version of that monumental film. I did get excited when I heard that the Sci-Fi Channel was doing a new miniseries based on the Frank Herbert novel. I could only sit through the first three hours before I decided not to watch any more. I always thought of Herbert's novel as dark, but this miniseries is anything but. It has some great visual effects and some fine fight sequences. But this version's gripping story of murder, revenge, love, religion and political intrigue is lost in a mishmash of horrifying costumes, lousy set designs, bright scenery and horrible acting. The only good performance in the film is that of the planet Arrakis, or Dune. Watch the David Lynch film instead of this horrible waste of time and energy. At least Lynch's film has character "oomph" thanks to a fine cast (Unlike this piece of ...). Grade: D-
Rating:
Summary: Not Emmy or Cable ACE Award material, but ok
Review: I've seen both the original David Lynch version of Dune as well as the extended version and found them to be quite good, so I bought the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries on tape with high expectations which were, for the most part, not met. For one thing, it seems that director John Harrison can't direct his way out of a paper bag--the pacing of the scenes is so far off in some parts that I found myself having to drink an entire pot of coffee in an effort to stay awake through it. Another issue that concerns me is the casting in this miniseries. William Hurt, while a fine actor in most of his other films, simply did not have the spark and passion needed to play Duke Leto. His lines were delivered in such a wooden manner that I thought an Egyptian mummy could have done a better job than he did. Saskia Reeves wasn't much better; her Lady Jessica had no life at all, and seemed to be little more than animated set dressing. The supporting cast of Frank Herbert's Dune were the one saving grace of this miniseries. Alec Newman delivered an excellent performance as Paul Muad'dib Atreides, the future mahdi of the Fremen, and Barbora Kodetova was a good choice for the role of Chani, Muad'dib's Fremen concubine. Ian McNeice's Baron Harkonnen was wonderfully decadent and evil, as was Matt Keeslar in the role of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and Laszlo Imre Kish as Glossu Rabban. I thought that Uwe Ochsenknecht did a passable job as Stilgar, the Fremen naib who helps Paul to discover his destiny, and PH Moriarty was the most enchanting Gurney Halleck I've ever had the pleasure to watch. Julie Cox as Princess Irulan Corrino was a delight, especially since Irulan got to do more than just stand there. Young Laura Burton made a stunning debut as Paul's sister Alia, who was born to consciousness while still in Lady Jessica's womb. In fact, her Alia rivals the one played by Alicia Witt for sheer creepiness. Once all is said and done, Frank Herbert's Dune is definitely not a miniseries that will be enjoyed by most veteran Dune fans because of the slow pacing, stilted acting by the two main stars, and cheesy costumes that would not look out of place in Rocky Horror Picture Show. For someone who is being exposed to the world of Dune for the first time, however, the miniseries would be a passable introduction. Not worthy of an Emmy or Cable ACE Award, but okay nonetheless.
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