User reviews

A blizzard and 32 inches of snow is the perfect setting to watch a mini-series that has been taped for later viewing. As a long-time Dune book series fan and an owner of the DVD of the Lynch movie and the first Sc-Fi miniseries, I eagerly awaited Children of Dune.

The good: Excellent musical score (hopefully available on amazon.com); better acting in general, especially Alice Krige as Lady Jessica and the young actor who played Leto, son of Paul; better special effects (incredible sandworms!); and just the fact that Sci-Fi took time and money to prodice this miniseries (though I will never forgive the cancellation of Farscape).

The bad: Susan Sarandon, for an alleged fan of the Dune series, was just terrible, all hammy and goofy like some character out of a 60s sitcom; the actress who played Alia, Paul Atreides sister, was OK but seemed to lack the fire that I always envisioned as Paul's sister went mad; and the story, which was a mixture of the second and third books in the series, was so incredibly dense -- even for a Dune veteran like me -- that I wondered if anyone else could watch the mini-series and even figure out what was going on.

Generally speaking, this was a better production than the first miniseries, but the story was harder to tell. I hope that Sci-Fi carries on and does a third mini-series. I rated Children of Dune an 8.

After reading the first two of Frank Herbert's Dune books I had to wonder whether the story of the water forsaken planet still had some potential. Consequently, although I bought Children of Dune, I didn't get to read it to the end. And all the time I was thinking: why didn't anyone do a really cool movie about Dune, as it deserves? Obviously, the moment I laid eyes on "Children of Dune" (the mini-series this time) I felt a terrible urge to acquire it, despite being tempted by more reputed films. In the end, I didn't have any regrets.

That is because the film is not only easy to follow, as long as you've either read the first book (and a bit of the second) or seen the first part of the mini-series (which I haven't), but it's also visually delightful, doing some justice to Frank Herbert's saga. It does not bore but it does not truly have a mesmerizing effect either. Nevertheless it does keep you pretty glued to the chair/sofa for as long as it takes to see the outcome. Unfortunately "Children of Dune" goes along the path I assumed the books would: it simply loses its charm as it becomes a bit too foreseeable. This doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth its hours, but it means it's definitely not as enchanting as the first part of the Dune saga - where everything was still fresh and authentic, original and innovative.

All in all, as a fan, I can't say I've been displeased by the series. It's fun to watch as it delivers certain chills and thrills along the way - just that it's not really the uniqueness of Dune that conquers you, but the fine work behind and in front of the camera.

8.5 out of 10

This review comes for the first part of the Children of Dune miniseries, which is actually the adaptation of Dune Messiah. And after viewing this hour-and-a-half rendition, I must say I'm immensely pleased and impressed. It's every bit as compelling as the Dune miniseries was, and from a technical viewpoint, is actually far superior. The production design, the special effects, the cinematography are all a distinct improvement over both the original miniseries and the David Lynch disaster.

The story picks up twelve years after the conclusion of Dune; war continues to ravage the galaxy, Paul "Muad'Dib" Atreides (Alec Newman) is now seen as something of a curse by the people, as his name is now associated with bloodshed and violence. Conspiracies grow around him, his life is threatened at every turn. At the heart of it is Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon), daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV and sister of Irulan (Julie Cox). Her plans include preventing a new heir on the Atreides throne, sending a ghola of Duncan Idaho (Edward Atterton) to kill Paul, and to have a giant sandworm captured to begin a new spice cycle. With so many plots, Paul's main concern still centers around Chani (Barbara Kodetova) and her accelerating pregnancy.

Children of Dune's biggest asset is its talented cast. Alec Newman, who was very good in the original, has matured the past three years, his performance as Paul Atreides is excellent. Those who had doubts about him before will have them silenced with his great performance here. Daniela Amavia makes for a spirited and appealing Alia, Edward Atterton is definitely superior to James Watson in the role of Duncan Idaho, and Julie Cox is terrific and sympathetic as the conflicted Princess Irulan. Steven Berkoff, Barbara Kodetova, Alice Krige, and P.H. Moriarty are solid in their roles, with Kodetova showing improvement over the last miniseries.

Children of Dune's compelling plot is executed with precision by director Greg Yaitanes, who does a bang-up job over his predecessor, John Harrison. As a matter of fact, though Dune Messiah's story is naturally a bit weaker than Dune's, the superb execution here makes it superior to any previous adaptations of Dune (it's at least as good as the terrific miniseries, far better than the horrible Lynch film). The cinematography distinguishes itself with darker colors, while still maintaining the vibrancy the original miniseries had. Brian Tyler's beautiful score is evocative, particularly during a wonderful montage segment of literal birth and death.

The special effects are the best I've ever seen for a made-for-TV sci-fi project. The city and planetscapes are dazzling and the desert bluescreens are convincing, wisely ridding of the painted backgrounds that marred the original. There's an absolutely magnificent, visually breathtaking sequence in which the Space Guild kidnaps a giant worm from the desert, doing so in a rather clever and believable manner. So far, that has been this miniseries' highlight. All this builds to the suspenseful finale, which is a conclusion in its own right and paves the way for the next part of the miniseries. I, for one, cannot wait.

This is a very long movie, two DVDs worth. It started life as a TV miniseries with a very fat budget. The sets are lavish. The screen crawls with extras. The costumes are as diverse and bizarre as anything that would come down a Paris runway.

The main reason to see this movie is Alice Krige who plays the grandmother, Lady Jessica Atreides. You will recognise her as the Borg Queen from Star Trek. She has a magical voice and regal manner. She is absolutely riveting. She can make the silliest lines sound profound. She starts out as a rather quiet character and builds in majesty and power. She is like a super-hero Emma Peel. Even though most of this movie is rather silly, she is spectacular.

James McAvoy, as Leto, is eye candy, and conveniently rarely wears a shirt.

The costumes are an eclectic mix of Egyptian, Cecil B. de Mille Ten Commandments and Star Trek original. However, when the empress Alia Atreides paraded around court in a 1950s slut bathing suit, or wrapped in aluminum foil, my credibility choked. The bizarre Japanese-inspired hair styles of Susan Sarandon's character are a hoot, very inventive.

It has an international cast. The principals speak in crisp upper crust British accents, but then Susan Sarandon sometimes slips into her slurring American barfly Louise character from Thelma and Louise. It is jarring and makes no sense. Her accent becomes more regal as the movie progresses. She has not that big a part, but she makes a great villain.

Two actors play Farad'n Corrino, son of Princess Wensicia Corrino (Susan Sarandon). Unfortunately, they don't look even remotely alike, and the adult version has beefy look, dull mien and accent like a Florida quarterback. It is just embarrassing.

There are three generations represented, yet the actors playing them are almost the same age. The actors don't age even when 20 years supposedly pass. Some of the female actors look quite alike, and with all the costume and hairstyle changes it becomes a challenge to figure out whom you are looking at.

I exaggerate, but the plot goes roughly like this. At random intervals a random character suddenly whips out a dagger and kills another randomly chosen character. Why? Often the killer offers a rationalisation, but never once did it make any sense.

Not until the movie is well under way does anyone seem remotely heroic or even sympathetic, other than the child Farad'n Corrino who sick of being groomed for a warrior emperor. Everyone is power mad, greedy, and nuts.

The special effects are movie quality, except for one scene when Ian McNeice (Bert Large in Doc Martin) as the ghost of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen floats around the room like a cardboard cutout from a Topper episode and another when Alia Atreides dodges flying video game saw blades.

One of the most magical moments in the movie is Leto, lying on a grassy meadow. It feels surreal . That proves the movie has impressed its world on your mind.

It is a silly movie; it does not make much sense, but it is visually entertaining. You won't be bored.

Personally I really enjoyed *Children of Dune*. First the major issue about the faithfulness to the books. To quote director Greg Yaitanes; "Try not to get hung up on such details as whether the twins are too old or too young, the eyes are too blue or not blue enough, or that the book says this and we did that. You'll end up robbing yourself of a great experience. The Dune universe is so wonderful because of how human and real its characters are. To not respect that would be the worst offense any of us could make." He's got that straight. This is an adaptation not a re-creation. The screenplay by John Harrison managed to fit in enough of Frank Herbert's vision to remain true to the spirit of the epic Dune saga.

The entire cast, Alec Newman [Paul Muad'Dib], Daniela Amavia [Alia Atreides], Julie Cox [Princess Irulan], Barbaroa Kodetova [Chani], James McAvoy [Leto II], Jessica Brooks [Ghanima], Susan Sarandon [Wensicia Corrino], Alice Krige [Reverend Mother Jessica Atreides], Edward Atterton [Duncan Idaho], Ian McNeice [Baron Harkonnen], Steven Berkoff [Stilgar], P.H. Moriarty [Gurney] and Johathan Bruun [Farad'n Corrino] gave me characters I could relate to as well as care about over the course of the miniseries. I especially enjoyed watching Alice Krige because her ability to convey depth of emotion with facial expressions is a well developed art.

The CGI effects were fantastic. Sharp & crisp. The best I've seen done on television and the use of computer generated 3-D backgrounds added so much stature to the sets. CoD was far superior to *Dune* which used mat backgrounds in terms of it's visuals. The movement of CGI objects like Thopters around CG backgrounds and the use of shadow rendering to add realism were absolutely first rate. As an example the shots of the Thopter landing at the Royal Palace in Arrakeem where the ships shadow moves across buildings then follows it down to the landing pad brought a big smile and a sigh...wow! CoD won an Emmy Award in 2003 (Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or Special).

The costumes by Academy Award winner Theodor Pistek and his son Jan were outstanding. A visual feast for the eyes & the heart. The wedding scene at the Royal Palace was as worthy as any major motion picture costume drama and should have earned another Emmy in the costuming category.

The cinematography by Arthur Reinhart was stunning. The use of High Definition digital cameras instead of standard 35mm film and being shot in 16:9 true LBX format also made it look like a feature film rather that a TV miniseries (the DVD looks great as well). The use of lighting during camera pans over actors faces or on shots as characters moved across sets was again vary well used.

The music score by Brian Tyler was at times dark and moody, then majestic, adding to the grandeur of many of the key scenes where the score helped lift one's feelings to the level of emotion being presented by the actors as the story unfolded on the screen. The background soundtrack as the camera followed characters though the zocalo's of Arrakeem or the desert sietche's added a mystical quality where one could almost smell the food cooking or the incense like fragrance of the Spice Melange.

Overall *Children of Dune* has to rate with the best mini-series' that have ever been produced over the years and may even set a new standard for work being done for television with it's quality production. A 9 out of 10.

I have never read any of Frank Herbert's novels and I didn't really like the 1984 film Dune so I am not sure that I am the most authoritative commentator for this mini-series. That said, I thought Children of Dune was fairly engaging science fiction despite the fact that I had forgotten practically everything about the first film even though I saw it only a few months prior. Especially, given that it was a television production and not a feature film, the look of the film was achieved quite spectacularly. The special effects were fairly convincing even with the limitations and the costumes seemed appropriate enough. Other than Susan Sarandon, I wasn't familiar with any of the cast. Perhaps these attractive performers will continue to build their profile. Interesting science fiction, 7/10.

This four hour miniseries actually covers two books, the shorter sequil to <i>Dune</i>, <i>Dune Messiah</i>, and the next (longer) <i>Children of Dune</i>. I was stunned by how well it was able to capture such complex concepts as were introduced in the books in the visual medium. There were very few times I felt the film hadn't stayed true to the book, most of which were minor. I think anyone who hadn't read the books or at least seen the previous movie would be a little lost, so I recomend this as complimentary to the books; but as such it was a wonderful treat. Actors, make-up, set design were all perfect. I think I liked David Lynch's stillsuits better, these ones don't look like they'd do the job very well, but I suppose it was a trade off with seeing some of the wonderfully figured women =)

The part that would be the end of <i>Dune Messiah</i> had me nearly in tears. Wonderful job. For anyone who's read the books, a must see.

Children of Dune did have a couple of areas where things could have been improved, Susan Sarandon overacts with an accent that was at home in Thelma and Louise but out of place here, the mini-series does get to a slow start and can drag a little at times and there are occasional moments of cartoonish effects, stilted dialogue and incompleteness. That of the way, Children of Dune is good, of the three Frank Herbert Dune adaptations- the others being the David Lynch film and the 2000 adaptation- as an adaptation and on its own it's the best one, and that's saying a lot as the other two adaptations had moments but were lacking in too many areas. The production values in Children of Dune are just great, the costumes are eye-catching with a very interesting and never weird mix of styles and the sets are gorgeously rendered with a lot of striking colours and attention to detail. The special effects clearly look as though time was spent on them, they look well textured and designed and they look natural, there are a few cartoonish ones here and there but not many at all. The whole mini-series is also very well-photographed throughout. The music has the right moodiness and majesty, in the more moody elements it is so compellingly dark it's haunting and the majestic elements are genuinely rousing and somewhat uplifting too. Overall, an appropriate and very dynamic music score. Most of the dialogue provokes thought and is intelligently written, a few instances of awkwardness but not in a way that hugely problematic. It is also relevant to each scene and doesn't try to include too much exposition or filler. Adaptation-wise, Children of Dune does a good job with a complicated book though towards the end at times feeling incomplete. There are a few changes like the maturing of the twins but nothing that is enough to annoy anybody, and it is true in spirit to the story and Herbert's style. Children of Dune succeeds even more on its own terms(to me adaptations are always much more fairly judged on their own merits), the story here is thrilling, mostly well-structured, always maintains interest and unlike Lynch's film is easy to follow. The directions shows solidity, a sense of involvement and heart and a willingness to take charge but being sympathetic to the actor's needs. Never is there the sensation that the director didn't know what to do with Children of Dune or have little interest with it. The acting is good on the whole and greatly improved from the 2000 adaptation. Alec Newman is a very good lead and much more at ease. James McAvoy is an inspired addition and Alice Krige is regal and somewhat calculating, stealing all her scenes. Only Sarandon doesn't come off so well. All in all, a good and highly satisfactory mini-series. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I admit being a big fan of the 'Dune' books. I consider them being a masterpiece, not only of the science-fiction genre, but of the world literature as a whole. Yes, nothing less. I am a books lover, and I have read very few books reaching this level of complexity and with such a philosophical depth when reflecting what the faith of mankind will be in the future. Reflections on democracy and dictatorship, ecological balance, holy wars, genetics, love, you find them all melted at high artistic temperature.

Having revealed this, any film inspired by 'Dune' must reach a high stake for me to like it. A great director as David Lynch already tried his forces, with good (but not perfect) results. The current series, inspired by the second and third books in the series are very faithful to the original. Certainly the books are that powerful, so people who did not read them may find some details obscure, or some conflict details un-explained. Well, my only advice - go and read the books! You will not regret.

'Dune' is golden material for mini-series, but also puts some serious technical challenges. The team who realized 'Children of Dune' met them well for most of the time. Some of the effects look Disney-like, and this is the only big minus I found in this film. Otherwise, a very good cast does a wonderful job in re-creating Herbert's world of characters. The action has logic, and each of the third parts is well driven from a tension point of view.

I hope that more is coming. If they approach the fourth book, that one has even more challenges, as Frank Herbert's fantasy got even wilder, in what I think was one of the best books in the series. In any case, 'Children of Dune' is memorable, and gets a 9/10 on my personal scale.

and Anyone other than Jürgen Prochnow as Leto and Kyle MacLachlan as Paul/Muad'Dib... there's a sense in which this and the other Dune movies since 1984 just don't work for me.

But, in spite of that, this one was pretty good.

Alice Krige (one of my favorite actresses along with Helen Mirren and Naomi Watts) is absolutely perfect as Lady Jessica. She has that ethereal, almost UNreal mix of haunting beauty and savvy-strength: it's so incredibly unique. Her Lady Jessica is much more of a warrior-woman and a Mystery than Francesca Annis'. I like it.

I REALLY did not want to see Alia die -- especially the way she did -- though I know the story well enough from the books to know how things went with her. I know, too, when my heart-strings are being tugged hard, but, hey, it's alright.

"Monster", "Abomination": these things said of one who was essentially a child (despite all those voices in her head... how exquisitely ironic that the bene gesserit "witches" would do this to her. they would have done better to just call her the Ur-child or the Un-foreseen); a product not just of her parents' love, but also of their scheming. It's apparent, almost to the point of feeling painful, that she could have been SO much more if she'd not been imprisoned in the fact of her uniqueness. Watching that last scene of her, I found myself thinking of some of the things that the Atreides of Classical Mythology did, because of Ambition, to their children.

And, yea, I found myself thinking, too, of Helen Mirren's Morganna from the movie "Excalibur"; and of Krieg's Alma Mobley from "Ghost Story".

One of the things that the people who made "Children of Dune" did best was set up in it echoes between father-son, brother-sister, mother-daughter relationships. It's way true to some of the stuff that I took from Herbert's books. There's a strong sense that something in these families (and, perhaps, in all of us) will never die. And that something might not be entirely good.

The production value on this installment of the Dune series is more than I could have hoped for. Thank you for getting rid of those awful painted backgrounds. I had been contemplating how a real movie version of the Dune books would look for years. I liked the sets on the DL version but the lack of story was just too confusing for anyone that hadn't read the books and disappointing for those that did. When I heard about the SciFi channel doing the movie 3 years ago I was all jazzed up and ready to be dazzled. And while the story was more consistent with the book and the acting was good, I was rather disappointed with the sets. Now with Children of Dune I think we've seen what should have been done from the get go. The special effects are right on target as are the performances in this one. In the first installment it seemed more like a filmed stage play. This one is more like the full-on, glossy, Hollywood production these stories deserve. That said, I (and some of my friends) still feel that these movies are not going to be very comprehensible to anyone that hasn't read the books but I don't mind that much as I am a selfish and self-serving person at heart. I also have lost faith that anyone will do the Lady Jessica character justice. DL's Jessica was horrible.. beautiful, yes, but what a simpering little weakling she was. Not so in the book… Jessica was more solid, calculating and strong. The miniseries did a little better but she still seemed weak in comparison to the novel. Hopefully Alice Krige will prove to be better. Since she was barely in last night's part, we'll have to wait and see. All in all I am very pleased with what the makers have done with this part of the series. I can't wait until tonight and the next night and especially (hopefully) for ‘God Emperor of Dune' and ‘Chapterhouse'. If they don't do the whole series, I will be sorely disappointed. Bottom line: Keep up the great work!

There was a lot of good stuff in Children Of Dune, all the great characters and themes from the book, and a lot of talent went into making it. But all anyone *does* is wander around looking like they're plotting something. Who wants to watch that? It was more like Next Generation than the original Star Trek. Picard always wants to pursue a dialogue and find a diplomatic solution, occasionally raising his voice in an authoritative shakespearean manner. Yawn! Kirk would get in there and punch someone's lights out, or kiss them. Or both! Sex and violence, kiss 'em and kick 'em, that's what we want to see.

So, good to look at, if you're a Dune fan and just want to see the story told in moving pictures. Otherwise, zzzzzz....

Now this is more like it! While the Sci-Fi version of 'Dune' was much better than the pathetic 1984 David Lynch version, I felt it still suffered from the 'gotta be way out there' syndrome. It was decent, but badly directed and overacted (witness the Guild Reps doing Tai Chi when they talk). Overall it was fair but not really notable.

This version is fantastic however. For me, this is what Sci-Fi should be all about. They took two of Herbert's books (Dune Messiah, Children of Dune) and combined them into a mini-series that actually takes the material seriously and doesn't try to hard to be different. I thought Leto was excellently done, Alia even better, Ghanima a little less than I expected. The effects were good, but I thought the story was actually the driving force for a change.

All in all a great effort. Now let's see if they do 'God-Emporer of Dune'

Children of Dune (2003) is a visually worthy production which struggles to connect with its audience. While pomp and ceremony may have been the fabric of the civilisation invoked by the dominion of Emperor Moadib; overall, the writing and creative story projection are hamstrung by the innate inhumanity of the storylines premise. That is, while a strong story remains undiscovered concerning the Atradies family legacy, the tale of the people involved seems entirely servile to the need to reproduce Frank Herbert's editoral vision. Consequently, the oration which is represented in the character portrayals informs figures who are emotionally remote from the audience, sterile and innately bound in the political machinations of the ethos of the empire. Much of what is reflected in this production mirrors the structure, politics and culture reflected in the machinations of the legacies of the church of Rome.

Operatively, the breadth of the storyline is so diverse, so deeply rooted in the cultural legacies of the Frank Herbert universe, the inherent psychological reticence of the characters reflects people best represented as facsimiles of Russian babushka dolls. Who each character is, in fact, as a human being, remains deeply nested in political, social and psychological intrigue and multicultural complexities likely only meaningful to an esoterically primed audience.

Consequently, the failure of this production it that the storyline assumes the audience is automatically vested in the deeply complex political and cultural intrigue evident in the imperial society of Frank Herbert's design. For me, I found this production inherently boring, sterile and characters overly disconnected with their audience. There are some exceptions, however, but, sadly, this does not carry sufficient weight to draw the story away from its inevitable downward spiral. Again, for me, character portrayals who consistently labour under the illusion of their own importance, are unfortunately, human caricatures of little more than shallow, vacuous representations of humanity - unreal and innately self-involved. I could not complete the viewing of the three-part series. I found it a trial to observe it to the halfway mark. Disappointed.

Satisfying, well-written and superbly acted sequel to the Sci-Fi Channel's DUNE mini-series - which was itself vastly superior to the rampant-phallic-symbolism-held-together-by-stamp-hinges-and-cobwebs David Lynch film version. A science fiction hybrid of sword-wielding Old Testament prophets, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Toho giant-monsters-on-the-rampage flicks and the precepts of the 1970s ecological movement, CHILDREN OF DUNE is a storytelling and visual delight. F/X maestro Ernest Farino, who won the Emmy for his sterling work on the first DUNE mini-series, will likely make a repeat stroll to the podium when next year's visual effects award is handed out. He has created worlds and civilisations and creatures that are at once alien and familiar, wildly imaginative yet rooted in reality. Barring a ticket on the next space shuttle flight, this is the closest you will ever get to other worlds: Farino's effects are genuinely that good. In a production where all of the cast and crew clearly went beyond what their paycheques required of them, Farino's contributions are particularly satisfying. All in all, a magnificent undertaking; this is what that irritating salesman guest in FAWLTY TOWERS meant when he was talking about "televisual feasts."

It seems that everyone involved took a long hard look at the first miniseries and really learned from their original mistakes. The grandeur of the open desert which was painfully missing from the first one is there, the sets are more realistic and functional. the special effects are in most instances completely seamless and the acting has vastly improved. Alec Newman was a passable Paul Atreides in the first one, in this sequel you get the impression that he has really understood the character and and is far more at ease playing him. Alia is stunningly gorgeous and almost exactly as I imagined her after reading the books and the two kids are convincing, although Ghanima's makeup is a bit odd at times. Stilgar and Duncan fit perfectly and Jessica is at least Saskia Reeves match. Only Susan Sarandon plays things a bit over the top, but not terribly so. Usually sequels are inferior to the original, but this is the exception to that rule. I truly hope Sci-Fi plans to release another feature packed DVD set and more importantly, intends to film the other books in the series. Though not as absorbing as the first books in the series, they do have their moments and with some effort could be made into something at least as good as Children of Dune. Congrats to all involved.

This Children of Dune (2003) by Greg Yaitanes being the continuation of the 2000 miniseries by John Harrison , and based on on the second and third novels of Frank Herbert's series and may be confusing and really complex to the uninitiated . Now 12 years since Paul Atreides (Alec Newman) has become emperor of Arrakis , which has a monopoly on the precious commodity Spice , but his ascension to the throne has caused a holy war across the universe . Dealing with the twins (James McAvoy , Jessica Brooks) of Paul "Muad'dib" , the real protagonists of the tale . As Atreides family become embroiled in the political landscape of Arrakis ("Dune") and the rest of the universe . It has also caused rivalry with the deposed royal family led by scheming Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon) . Paul's children , Leto and Ghanima who are being groomed to rule , soon come to realize they must destroy their father's legacy in order to save their world. Then, Alia Atreides (Daniela Amavia) , Paul sister, takes over the rule. The Atreides Family must overcome a conspiracy that threatens to destroy their legacy and undermine their House in the eyes of The Empire . Born to rule an empire !. Destined to tear it apart !. The saga of Dune is far from over...! Discover the greatest treasure in the universe !.

This is the follow-up to Dune series (2000) a three-part miniseries on politics , betrayal , lust, greed and the coming of a Messiah played by Alec Newman accompanied by William Hurt , Saskia Reeves , P. H. Moriarty , Ian McNeice , Matt Keeslar , while this sequel Children of Dune (2003) is well performed by Alec Newman , Julie Cox , Ian McNeice , Steven Berkoff , James McAvoy , Jessica Brooks, Daniela Amavia, Susan Sarandon , Edward Atterton and Alice Krige . Dealing with a sinister conspiracy in which only Paul's children can stop this catastrophe from destroying everything and saving House Atreides from this malevolent force . As usual , there are habitual confrontations between Atreides/Corrino houses who attempt to take violently control of Arrakis , also known as Dune , the planet desert , the valuable spice drug , the Freemen inhabitants , and of course, the giant worms . This miniseries successfully combines visuals with character , though the complicated story is still somewhat overwhelming . The series boasts great set design , breathtaking special effects in 3D computer generator , muddled scripting and a good main and support cast .

Furthermore these two teleplays : Dune (2000) by John Harrison and Children of Dune (2003) by Greg Yaitanes , there're the infamous David Lynch version : Dune (1984) with Kyle McLachlan, Francesca Annis , Sean Young Jose Ferrer , Linda Hunt , Max Von Sidow , Freddie Jones , Brad Dourif . And the best rendition Dune (2021) by Denis Villeneuve with Timothée Chalamet , Rebecca Ferguson , Oscar Isaac , Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård, Chang Chen , Dave Bautista , Zendaya , Charlotte Rampling, Stephen Henderson , Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem.

I am glad to see Herbert's novels get on the screen, but I would hope to see a better job in the future. The one bright star in this was Julie Cox. She does an outstanding job as Irulan Corrino. She carries herself in a truly regal manner, just as one would expect of royalty. But Alec Newman wears thin and tiresome as Paul Atreides. When he is on the screen, I find myself thinking "I can't wait for this to end" as opposed to when Julie Cox is on screen - "What a refreshing moment!"

I hope this film will end this series and the producers will pickup with Brian Herbert's prequels. That way we can be done with Alec Newman.

This sequel to Dune 2000 was better by far than the earlier film. The actors seem to have finally gotten comfortable with their roles and the story (based on the second and third "Dune" books of Frank Herbert were more on the mark. This production was more stylish and took pains to get it right, and while I still feel that it could have been done better I was heartened after the disappointment of the earlier mini-series. Once again, if I had one complaint it would be the Fremen still suits which looked more like used cammo uniforms of some third world army. They do not give the impression of survival capability that the costumes from the 1984 theatrical version did. Other than that this version manages to accomplish the second and third book stories rather well.

Considering this was the first ever screen adaption of Frank Herbert 2nd nd 3rd books about "Dune" I was most impressed. Visually this sci-fi channel original was fantastic, actually an improvement over the first mini-series. The opening act is the strongest. Alia (wonderfully played by Daniela Amavia) is sexy and just a touch mad. Paul is weary and introverted. Then there is a real shocker at the end of part 1. Wow. Unfortunately this pace is not maintained is parts 2 & 3. It becomes convoluted and even a bit sillier. Susan Sarandon basically does a wicked witch impersonation and tries to foil the Atredies twins with tigers?!? It comes off a bit lame. The religious allegory is fine and Alec Newman (Paul) does well with the ridiculous "prophet" getup he's saddled with. Still Leto seems to indicate a we've met the deities and they is us message and that seems awfully forced after all the Spice-induced magic we've seen. Also although Alia spice addiction is better handled here than anywhere previously in the "Dune " universe it still could be better. Add some depth and realism for Pity's sake! Overall this is very good, but still I think, with all due respect to Mns. Lynch and Harrison, the definitive version of "Dune" is yet to come.