Cheap Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (TV Miniseries) (DVD) (Greg Yaitanes) Price

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Customer Reviews of Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (TV Miniseries)

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.

Excellent Adaptation
This movie continues to haunt me nearly a year after seeing it on the Sci-Fi channel. It a grand epic filled with intrigue, mystery and human drama. The creators strike a perfect balance between giving us the large-scale panorama of a galactic empire and the flawed and tragic family who have wrested control of it.

The two most important story elements from "Children" and "Messiah" are here and deeply compelling: Seeing Alia's doomed reign and Leto II begin his transformation into the God Emperor on film gave me new appreciation for the second and third books in the series.

The film is technically excellent for a television mini-series. The actors are all well-cast for their roles. The score is filled with beautiful and haunting interludes and themes. The production values (sets, lighting, sound, etc) are top-notch. Many of the CG elements aren't as realistic as today's top films, but the creators weren't working with a $100 million budget.

Dune fans (like me) rejoice in seeing more of the Dune stories filmed. People who are unfamiliar with Dune can sample this film and it's Sci-Fi predecessor and decide if they should be Dune fans.

Dune Messiah and Children done RIGHT!
When I rented and watched the first Dune miniseries, I was shocked at how poor a job had been done. True, the story was kept pretty much intact, but the costumes were horrible, the acting wasn't credible, and the sets were even less credible. Most of the time, you could easily tell that the backdrop was a wall painted to look like dunes and mountains. This time, however, the makers got it right. First, everybody who returns for this second mini-series must have gotten acting lesson in between the two. I was shocked at how good some of the performances were (Paul and Irulan for example). Second, some of the special effects are truly impressive. Throughout most of the miniseries, I could believe that this was a very respectable theatrical release- I love Alia's "fight" scene. Also, the music this time around is unbelievable. I don't think it would be an exaggeration at all to say that this is the score that should have won best soundtrack at the most recent Academy awards.

Many people display disappointment over how some plot points were changed or ommitted. However, in my eyes, the miniseries accomplished the highest note that I think it possibly could have reached: it REALLY made me want to read the books again.

I also think that the miniseries accomplished something that the books did not. I think it added more emotion to the characters and made it easier for viewers to empathize with them. I can return to the books, perhaps, with a better idea of what the characters are going through.

Overall, a very commendable effort- not to be missed by any Dune fans (unlike the miserable first mini-series)

The saga of Dune is far from over.....well, let's hope so- on to God Emperor!