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Frank Herbert's Children of Dune | Classification: Science Fiction Riveting adaption of Herbert's second and third books Children of Dune is actually an adaption of Herbert's second and third books Dune Messiah and Childen of Dune. Writer/Producer/Director John Harrison manages to condense these tomes and the backstory into a managable and enjoyable epic. The visuals are better in this sequel and the performances are sharp as well. While many have criticized actor Alec Newman's wooden performance in the first miniseries the difficulty isn't just with the interpretation but the way the original character of Paul is written. As the books expand on Paul's character the character improves in depth and detail. Likewise Newman's under rated performance as Paul. He brings an understatement and weariness to the role that works well. 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 Harrison works his magic yet again with Children of Dune! 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). 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! Buy Frank Herbert's Children Of Dune at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Frank Herbert's Children Of Dune Search with the Priority Search Engine on Frank Herbert's Children Of Dune This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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