Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Miniseries)

Rating:
Summary: JUST KIDDING
Review: I was just kidding on my previous review (my sarcasm seems to have been taken seriously!) . . . I actually LOVED this version. It seems to me to be very true to the storyline of the book (which I've only read once), I loved the cinematography, the characters were nicely portrayed and it had a nice accelerating pace leading to the exciting ending. But I love Lynch's version just as much for it's twisted slant on the DUNE universe.

Rating:
Summary: Awesome special effects!
Review: I saw this three part TV movie on TV. I loved the special effects! They were awesome! I especially love what they did to the eyes! I thought the little girl was freaky! Man, she was an awesome actress for someone that young.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the Lexan the DVD is printed on.
Review: I am breaking one of my rules to rate this release solely on it's artistic merits as I see them.

This is not a good movie. This is not good television. This is not good entertainment. This is not even a good drink coaster -- what with the hole in the middle of the DVD and all.

The acting is wooden and easily put to shame by any grade school holiday pageant. The script is soulless and contrived. The sets and costumes were rather obviously stolen both from the David Lynch movie and old episodes of Doctor Who.

In fact, the only originality to be found in this toxic waste dump of a production is it's total lack of any redeeming value. This is one of the worst pieces of television since Cop Rock. It is clearly the product of either severe brain damage, psychotropic drug abuse or acute emotional distress.

Please do yourself a favor and avoid this title like mad cow disease. If you do see a copy somewhere, please send it to the Environmental Protection Agency for proper disposal.

I give this DVD one star and that's only because you might be able to use the case for a good movie, whose case has broken.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Story, Well Told
Review: For those of us who haven't read Dune more than once (most likely when we were teenagers, many years ago), this version of the story is tremendously entertaining and impressive. The story of an interplanetary struggle for power, whose source is the spice trade, and the feudal desert culture which protects the spice, were described with great momentum and careful detail. (Of course it doesn't live up to the expectations of those fans who can quote dialogue and describe hardware in detail, do movies ever live up to books?!) This film does an excellent job of telling one version of the story, albeit a stripped down one (and still four hours long, but the time flew!). This may be the only film I've ever seen that inspired me to re-read the book. I was particularly impressed by the casting, which featured several Czech, German and other European actors in roles that would have seemed hokey if they'd been played by "model turned actress" Hollywood types. Leave the microscopic comparisons to the book and with David Lynch's film on some other web site, one devoted to hardcore fans, and just enjoy this film!

Rating:
Summary: TRUST ME ...
Review: Trust me on this one ... having read the entire DUNE series 317 times, I justifiably consider myself an expert ... dare I say, even more so than Frank Herbert himself. I can list literally dozens of scenes and characters that don't perfectly match MY mind's vision of the story ... and I should know. Of course I'm in no position to actually contribute anything to the world of DUNE, except this review and an occasional tirade aimed at anyone who would listen to a sci-fi nerd like myself . . .

Rating:
Summary: Finally, "DUNE" for the rest of us !!!!!!!!!
Review: Everyone seems so critical of "Dune". This mini-series does this sci-fi epic justice for two major reasons.

First, the DVD is brillantly produced at a very economical value. The colors and sets are very imaginative and the key to this production of "Dune". The DVD extras are your gateway to Frank Herbert's world of "Dune". You must watch "The Cinematographic Ideation of Frank Herbert's, Dune" first. This becomes your introduction and tutorial of this complex world. Now you can understand & enjoy this bold production of this sci-fi epic.

Second, the cast was perfectly placed & the acting was very impressive. These international stars allows us to enjoy & digest the real story / plot of "DUNE".

So buy it, digest it and enter this fantastic color / emotional world Frank Herbert wanted us to experience, "Dune".

Rating:
Summary: Held closely to the storyline
Review: The toughest thing about reviewing this miniseries will be the factthat Harrison stuck so close to the book (in composition) but failedin casting appropriate personnel for costume and set design. Now someof the sets were okay. The inside of the palace at Arakeen wasbeautiful, but didn't improve on the Lynch's movie set in my book.Contrary to some beliefs, I think that William Hurt did a good job.He is a HUGE Dune fan himself and has read the books time and again,so I feel that he understood how to react as the Regal Duke whosacrifices himself for the good of his family and his royal house. Heis somewhat depressed by this (as he shows us) but is also forcedforward by things beyond his control.

The costumes: Well theytried. The head-dresses were a little over the top for my taste(especially for Helen Gauis Mohiam) who looked like a giant butterflyhad landed on her head. The Lynch version showed the Aba robes of theBene Geserit sisterhood in a dark-light, indicating backroom deals butincredible elegance (note in the Lynch version how the robe of theEmperor's truthsayer flows magically as she is asked to leave thethrown room in the beginning when the Guild Navigator arrives). Ididn't mind the stillsuits in either version and thought that both dida good job on different aspects (the Lynch version looking like a'pumping-type' suit in Herbert's vision versus the face flap in theHarrison version that was lacking in the Lynch movie).

For purity,I think that this Harrison miniseries blows the Lynch version out ofthe water, however. Harrison seemed almost anal in his 'sticking trueto the book' version. There were no 'weirding modules' like in theLynch version (where the heck did he come up with that anyway?).Harrison showed us the vision of Frank Herbert, but if you hadn't readthe book I feel that much might have been lost (for instance whenDr. Kynes asks Paul about who helped him on with his stillsuit for thefirst time and Dr. Kynes just stares at Paul for a while...there's alot going on there that's not being said).

The Guild Heighlinersin both versions held up well in my opinion. Both seemed futuristicand real. The Guild Navigator in Lynch's version looked moreworm-like however, versus Harrison's version that looked more like agiant bat. But the bluer eyes of the Harrison navigator held truer toHerbert's vision.

The worms in the Harrison version were better,hands down. When I first saw the worm taking down the spice harvesterin Harrison's version I was highly impressed. And the 'thopters' inthe Harrison version seemed to hold truer to Herbert's version aswell, versus the flying machines in Lynch's version.

And the endingof Harrison's version held to the book precisely versus the Lynchversion ...

Good and bad from both versions I guess is what I'mtrying to say. Neither got it perfectly, but if you are a Dune'purist' I think you'll like the Harrison miniseries better. Ifyou're a movie buff, the Lynch version will probably standout for you

Rating:
Summary: Look past the casting and costumes
Review: Some people don't like the costumes, whose occassional hats are pretty outlandish. Some don't like the casting, which includes a whiney Paul and a subdued Duke Leto. But if one looks beyond that, one sees a rather impressive and unusual thing: a movie that accurately reflects the books. There is little added, and anything that is is minor. There are a few things left out, but one is hard-pressed to choose a scene to delete to make room for anything that wasn't included. Given that this was a made-for-TV movie, I think it is a phenominal achievement in translating book to screen.

That having been said, there are things not to like. Tactics that are only marginally better than those in Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers (I won't call it Heinlein's Starship Troopers), bad hats, sound stage rather than on-location, and acting that, at times, is questionable. Lastly, this is a movie for those who read the books. I imagine that some who have not read the books may be confused by a great deal of things in the movie.

Overall, however, it deserves the highest rating. Any negative things my willful suspension of disbelief more than compensates for.

Rating:
Summary: A Valiant Effort
Review: Though nowhere nearly as striking in beauty as David Lynch's adaptation, the mini-series of Frank Herbert's great novel is actually better. Why? Well, it does what Lynch's film needed to do--take time and explore the characters in more depth. Simply put, the mini-series tells the story better because it has more time to do so. Sure, it's lacking the big-budget spectacle of Lynch's film--though it does pay homage in several cases. Take it for what it is--a TV mini-series with some experimental lighting/set design that actually enhances the production. If you do this, you'll find it to be a rewarding viewing experience.

Rating:
Summary: Is there a way to give negative stars?
Review: An instructor of mine once said that any Sci-Fi with anything less than total efffort in all fronts of a project should be classified as "Digital Masturbation." The TV-mini series of Dune lives up to that axiom. William Hurt, if you don't like acting, retire and let someone who does enjoy the craft get some work for a change. The Paul was even less convincing, in the scene where he realizes that his child has been murdered I thought he might have just been chilled as the blanket had come off his bed. Costumes, well I don't think that I'm qualified to speak of things that lived in Frank Herbert's imagination, but I don't think the costume designer does either.

The visuals were great, between opticals, SFX, and CG they did a great job. The only things lacking were adequate acting skills from the ensemble and adequate directing. When all is said and done the praise or blame falls on the director. John Harrison has not quite mastered the art of balance and this piece falls short of what it could be. Anyone who wants to make another version of Dune should remember the short commings of the prior two attempts and leave bad enough alone!