Customer Reviews

Children of Dune [2 Discs]

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

The Atreides family returns in this excellent sequel to Frank Herbert's Dune. Based on the novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune, this miniseries succeeds where its predecessor failed -- it has an interesting, tightly woven plot that, for the most part, stays true to the novels that inspired it.

Children of Dune also has a wonderful cast of actors -- Alec Newman certainly seems to have matured as an actor since the first time he played Paul Muad'Dib Atreides, and Daniela Amavia made Paul's pre-born sister, Alia, a complex and fascinating character. I loved seeing James McAvoy as Leto II and Jessica Brooks as Leto's twin sister Ghanima, and it was also good to see Julie Cox return in the role of Irulan.

The biggest surprises in the cast by far were Susan Sarandon as Princess Wencisia and Alice Krige as Lady Jessica. A project like Children of Dune seems to be so far outside of Sarandon's normal milieu, yet she played the role of the treacherous Corrino princess very well. Alice Krige was an awesome replacement for Saskia Reeves in the role of Jessica (Ms. Reeves had to bow out of Children of Dune because she was pregnant when they began filming), and she is no stranger to science fiction, having previously played the Borg Queen in Star Trek: First Contact.

Although the Children of Dune DVD is noticeably lacking when it comes to special features (save for a featurette about the visual effects), it is one that I would definitely recommend to anyone who has a special affection for the world that Frank Herbert created.

Being a huge fan of Frank Herbert's literary works, and a self-confessed critic of the first mini-series, I must admit I was astounded when I saw Children of Dune. When I say that this rates among the finest mini-series every aired, I am being wholly honest. Forget for one second the rich, vivid, and fully imagined world that John Harrison and Greg Yaitanes had to work with. The performances, special effects, script, and marvelous score alone warrant this a five star rating. I was completely impressed with Alec Newman's performance as Paul, so much so in fact that it actually helped me forget his stilted and cold protrayal of the Mahdi in the first mini-series. The entire cast save one are perfect in their roles. Julie Cox is breathtaking as Irulan. Steven Berkoff has brought an edge to the performance of Stilgar...something Ewe never seemed to grasp the first time around. Daniela Amavia is absolutely stunning in her protrayal of Alia. Alice Krige makes Lady Jessica a sorrowful but proud mother-figure, at once bound by destiny but fearing every tenous step to it's completion... and now for the single complaint. Susan Sarandon is so mis-cast as the devious and deviant Princess Wensicia that I had a hard time even watching her. But her preformance aside, this is a wonderful mini-series, for lifelong Herbert lovers and fans new to the hypnotically exciting world of Dune. I can only hope and pray that Mr. Harrison continues bringing the books to the screen.

I have been a longtime fan of Frank Herbert's opus, and have read the "Dune" novels many times. I consider myself somewhat of a purist, and did not warm up to the theatrical release of "Dune" (David Lynch) back in the 80's. I thought at one point that the saga of Dune simply was too big for both the big and the small screens.

I was pleasantly surprised after I watched and very much enjoyed the Sci Fi channel's 2000 miniseries, "Frank Herbert's Dune." At the time, I reconciled myself with the idea that this was the closest that Hollywood would come to portraying Herbert's epic. Thus, I looked forward to the airing "Children of Dune" with some enthusiasm but with low expectations.

I must admit that when I read details about the upcoming TV event, I had many misgivings: the changes in casting from the first miniseries, the fact that the script was a synthesis of the "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune" books, that the Atreides twins were to be teenagers instead of 9-year-olds, etc. Imagine my surprise when I found that the Sci Fi channel had done it again, and that I liked "Children of Dune" even better than their "Dune" miniseries.

If you are a die-hard Frank Herbert fan, I am not going to try to convince you that this is a worthy interpretation of "Dune." I will ask that you watch it with an open mind. However, if you are familiar with the stories and are a fan of science fiction, here are a few reasons why you should be a little forgiving and let yourself enjoy "Children of Dune":

- an excellent soundtrack, superior to that of both the Lynch movie and the original Sci Fi channel miniseries

- a bigger budget and improvements in special effects and in sets

- Alec Newman's reprised role as Muad'Dib (and as The Preacher) was powerful, both at Chani's death and at the climactic ending of the miniseries

- an improvement in the casting of Duncan Idaho, Stilgar, and to an extent the Lady Jessica (though unfortunately the new actress has been typecast in my head as the Borg Queen)

- a continued and interesting expansion of the Atreides adversaries' characters (House Corrino) in particular of Princesses Wensicia and Irulan (who in the books I never even cared about) though I wasn't too taken by Farad'n

- a brilliant teenage Leto Atreides II, who borrows bits of dialogue from "God Emperor of Dune" and makes me hope they make the next Herbert novel into a miniseries as well

- a script and a director who does not try to emulate Frank Herbert yet presents an interpretation of the saga which is respectful of it and which tries to stay true to the spirit of the novels

To conclude, it is well to note that the Dune storyline is in its purest form a Greek tragedy (according to Herbert, the Atreides ancestors are Agamemnon and the House of Atreus.) Both images and music carry the feel of great and noble deeds accomplished at the price of great pain and sorrow. This for me is the final reason that "Children of Dune" is worth watching: that you come to have a better understanding and to care deeply about both the characters and the Desert Planet. The miniseries was hardly over when I had to go looking for the DVD release date. I can only look forward to any special features that come with the DVD.

This review is not from the DVD as it has not yet been released. I watched this miniseries on the SciFi Channel with very high expectations and not having read Dune Messiah or Children of Dune. I state that first to make it clear that I'm not certain as to how faithful to the books this is, but if Harrison's Dune is any indication I would imagine that it is very faithful to the essence of the continuing Dune saga.

My high expectations were met and then some. It has much of the feel of the first one, however the look is somewhat different. The Arrakis "blue" eyes are much more subtle (they appear to be computer effects in this one as opposed to prosthetics as in the first one). Alec Newman carries the first installment of the series, his transformation into Messiah/Emperor complete. The actress portraying Alia is fantastic, but the real treat in this movie is found in the roles of Lady Jessica and Paul's son Leto. Alice Krige has replaced Saska Reeves (for reasons I don't know) but is absolutely delightful as Jessica. The young actor who protrays Leto gives a wonderfully rich performance and sells his character's pre-conscious attributes. The visual effects are stunning and rival those of any made-for-TV mini-series I've ever seen (eg. Leto's confrontation with Alia in the final installment). All in all Children of Dune is a must see for the Herbert fan and complete the saga of Dune nicely (at least for the next couple thousand years in the Dune universe).

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!

John Harrison wrote the script for this , as he did for the first Dune series. I think some are being too hard on this installment(double). It's the best sci-fi TV to come about in a very long time. The acting for the most part was a great surprise. There's some real talent here. Daniela Amavia's Alia puts most disturbed bombshell ladies in horror films to shame. It's true it's more of a petty political soap opera but that's how the sequel novels also seemed. Like another reviewer said, a knockout scene was where Duncan Idaho had to face the moment of truth and a lot of principle characters get killed off, a la Godfather. The scene captured the moment in story in just about the best way possible. The "wierding" effects like the first Dune are a rush, but the directors wisely use it sparingly and go for build up to dramatic highpoints just as Herbert's books do. Considering the recent sci-fi in the movies, this new director hopefully will get to the big screen sometime.

This TV miniseries by SciFi is based on Frank Herberts Two books from the Dune Chronicles: DUNE Messiah & Children of Dune . Its an interesting take on the book except that most of the main characters are not allowed to develop. indeed at times the 6 hours devoted to the two books seems as an injustice to the vision created by the book. However to be fair the storywriter managed to make some memorable scene although i felt that they should have expanded on the Prophet and his preachings. Certainly he was such an inportant figure in the book to just give him only two mewanigful scenes. All in All it was bad but their was definetly room for improvement especially on a dvd.

Overall, I found this to be the most enjoyable Dune adaptation for television. I guess it won some sort of Emmy for visual effects, and overall they were very nice except of course for the floppy-eared sabretooth tigers. This lends a believable atmosphere to the whole film, and draws one into its story.

The characters are also well done, some likable and some not, though perhaps to the opposite effect of what was intended. The government of Arrakis is a real Byzantine empire with all the intrigue and subterfuge that goes with it. My own take on it was that the show was stolen by Alia (Daniela Amavia), the ruler of Arrakis, posessed by an evil spirit from the past. Her powerful leadership and fragile state of mind were a real joy to watch - it's these sort of deeply flawed characters that are at the heart of any succesful drama. On the other hand, you've got Leto II (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), the two heirs to the kingdom, who prefer to spend their time playing games, acting like immature children, and babbling on about destiny and fear and letting it pass through you, etc. Although asked by Alia for their input in running the government, they respond only with giggling and condescending remarks, then years later come back all in a self-righteous huff about how badly things have turned out. Well, maybe if they would have assumed their responsibilities instead of mindlessly repeating their cliched platitudes about the "mind killer" and other such rot, but whatever. The whole subplot about growing powerful in Dune's version of "the force" is really irrevelant except as a journey of self-discovery for Leto. There's also a big problem with the ending, as if all the competing forces set in motion throughout the picture would just magically fall into perfect order after what is done. It seems to me that there would be a bigger mess than ever before, and the two heirs to the throne certainly aren't interested in dealing with anything beyond their own all important emotions.

Although there are certainly problems with the film if you judge it by the standards it wishes to be judged by, I would still recommend it as it does take you away to another world filled with intrigue, drama and well drawn characters. Take it as a triumph or a tragedy, choose your own heroes; the film works well either way.

If you have read the books then you know what I mean: Too much is compressed into a three part miniseries. It leaves me wanting for more detail, like the first dune series. The first Dune series was very true to the book, while this series is less true as it has to creatively compress two books into a three-part series, but in the process it shows more like a movie than a play (the first series seems more to me like a screenplay than a movie). Also, the special effects are better than the Dune miniseries, the music is more moving, and the plot does stay relatively in tune with the books except for a few critical parts--enough so to remind me of various quotes the main characters make, various incidents, etc., even though I haven't read the books in some time.

Perhaps if they had made the third part a little longer and made Leto's transformation look a bit more dramatic (after all in the book his transformation is very dramatic and written in such detail). But perhaps they didn't want to get in the way of the actor's appearance too much, I suppose.

Also, while I haven't read Dune Messiah and Children of Dune lately, I believe they shuffled some parts of the plot around for convenience and sake of keeping some suspense.

One thing I liked was the detail they devoted to Alia throughout the movie.

Also, the casting is very good for this movie, with some notable changes from the first series to the second of the cast that are easy to get past.

A great movie to watch that will leaving you wanting for more especially if you have read farther ahead (God Emperor of Dune, etc.). Will they continue the series? There is much left to be told about the "Golden Path"; things that they only hint of at the end of this movie. There are many loose ends and I hope they continue on with it.

Also, one last comment, the packaging of this series is much better than the first. I received both used and The Children of Dune's package has held up much better than the prior Dune miniseries, which has a crease down the spine from opening it. Children of Dune's package looks almost new due to the more modern packaging technique.

I give this movie 5 stars because the first miniseries deserves 4 in my opinion, and this one is better by far.

Frank Herbert's Dune Messiah and Children of Dune are brought together to form the next installment of the Sci-Fi Channel's continuation of the Dune series in mini-series format for television. What more need be said than that? All of the answers to the quality and quantity of this DVD release are summed up in the subtext of that first sentence. The Sci-Fi channel continues its track record with less than fantastic choices in bringing this epoch to the screen.

John Harrison returns to write the script, but not to direct this time. If you like the liberties Harrison took with the dialogue and story-line in Sci-Fi's Dune, this series abounds with many, many more. Frank Herbert's dialogue is muddled and over-simplified and we even have echoes of Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson with people talking about their "plans within plans," even though there is only ever one plan and an obvious one at that.

A few of the casting choices continue into this film, yet with no great improvement. Alec Newman as ~sigh~ Paul Atreides returns, as does Julie Cox as Irulan. Barbara Kodetová returns as Chani and P.H. Moriarty is Gurney Halleck again. Ian MacNiece reprises his role as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, a haunting ghost to Alia's inner lives. One or two other actors return as well, but many other key figures are new actors, some for the better, some for the worse. We have a new Jessica, a new Stilgar, and of course, a wooden Susan Sarandon to match the previous series' wooden William Hurt. I'd much rather see another Czech actor in her role with the "English-as-a-second-language" feel than a named actor who doesn't care about the role. An equal on the "wooden scale" is the new Duncan "ghola" Idaho. As with the previous installment, Julie Cox brings the strongest performance to screen, with Alice Krige's Jessica right there along side, albeit in one or two awkward costumes that have to make performing the role rather limiting.

The costumes of Alia's priests look like precursors to Doctor Who's Sontarans and stand out as odd and inappropriate. Makes them all look like pinheads. The overall production values lack the vision and clarity of Vitorrio Storraro from the previous mini-series. Computer animation abounds in this movie, and when it is projected on a large screen, it looks more mechanical than some of the cheapest computer games on the market. Storraro's painted and lighted drops at least defined a world of production values in Dune; the world of Children of Dune tries to be too big and fails in the details as a result.

The movie plays at two notes. It drags along tediously in places with no apparent purpose or goal, or plays at a shouting level, racing on and on like Leto running over the dunes. Each of three parts is approximately 90 minutes in length. The first part, which chronicles Muad Dib from approximately 12 years after the previous series to the birth of his children, (essentially all of Dune Messiah) drags the most. There is a 3-5 minute sequence toward the end of this part which is fantastic, where the music finally comes together with the visuals (rather than indicating and underlining with too broad of a marker as it does in the rest of the movie.) This sequence is the birth of the twins, where several key figures are also killed for their complicity in plots against the regime; a simply beautiful sequence and the only thing keeping this film from dropping to two stars. The music throughout the second two parts is announced often with too broad of a stroke, and the same themes are repeated everywhere verbatim. Each part begins and ends almost exactly the same in terms of score; why are there three different stories if they don't warrant three different scores, or at least variations on the same score framework?

The editing is rather sloppy as the vocal sync is off more often than not, and the special features are rather lame and simple. The Laza Tigers were bad enough in the film, do we really need to have a special feature pointing them out more? This Children of Dune is more a simple illustration of major points of the books than an in-depth and thorough study of the world created by Frank Herbert.

The Dune series deserves at least as much careful attention as the Lord of the Rings did under the care of Peter Jackson. Are you up the challenge after King Kong and The Hobbit, Peter Jackson? Please, someone with some talent choose to tackle the Dune series: Ang Lee? Wim Wenders? Lasse Halström? Julie Taymor? Terry Gilliam? Even the Coen Brothers would be a good choice. David Lynch, are you ready to redeem yourself of your first crack at Dune? Come on, Sci-Fi, let's get some top notch leadership and directorial talent on board on one of these. You have three more chances ahead of you.

I rented it before I bought it and fought hard with my conscious for several weeks before I finally caved in and bought it. I am still a hardcore Dune fan and because this may be the only visual presentation of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune to ever come to the screen, I felt obligated to own it. This movie gets three of five stars for effort and deserves to lose one star due to it's flaws. I can bear through the flaws of Sci-Fi's Dune, but the flaws in Children of Dune are difficulty to sit through. I'm not sure if I should look forward to God Emperor of Dune coming to a small screen near you. It's bound to look absolutely dreadful on a big screen.