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Frank Herbert S Dune Tv Miniseries Ep Version | Year: 2000 Classification: Science Fiction Actors/Actresses: - Alec Newman - William Hurt Shakespeare Star Wars Religion Tremors = Dune I have to thank another reviewer for the Shakespeare meets Tremors idea, but as I was watching Paul ride the sandworm, it made me think of Tremors. What if Kevin Bacon could have been cast as Paul Atreides? Never mind... The 2000 miniseries will forever be compared to David Lynch's 1984 version, as well as the book. I think we need to realize that comparing a film to a book will bring nothing but disappointment. Here's my main comparison: The 1984 version tried to cram too much into a three hour movie, and the resulting edit became practically incomprehensible for those who had not read the book. The Sci-Fi Channel miniseries version has more time to develop the story, so to me there was much more satisfaction. The story is about royal houses jockeying for power and control of the desert planet, Arrakis, and the production of Spice, the single most valuable commodity in the universe. When House Atreides takes over from House Harkonnen, Duke Atreides is soon assassinated and his royal concubine and son are left in the desert. Young Paul Atreides, skilled in mystical fighting/magic methods, embarks on a hero's journey and meets the people of the desert. He eventually assumes a messianic role to lead the Fremen in revolution against the Harkonnens. Still, this was an interesting tale and about as close to the book as one is likely to see. Visually compelling, yet uninspired Dune, Arrakis, desert planet. More than a mere science fiction novel, Dune touches upon a variety of themes: ecology, politics, religion, messiahs, prescience, and ultimately at the core is a detailed study on human nature and how humans deal with larger issues, sometimes leading to unavoidable death and destruction. This is what many Dune fans have waited for, some for as many as three and a half decades. Those who were disappointed by David Lynch's 1984 film release will find a good deal more of the book actually made it on screen this time around with John Harrison's writing and direction. While this may be the most complete version of Dune that will ever be filmed and it is a sumptuous feast of the eyes thanks in part to Vitorrio Storaro's cinematography, the movie as a whole is often uninspired, with some dreadful casting and questionable directorial choices. The most difficult role of the movie, both in terms of casting and in performing, is, undoubtedly, the role of Paul Atreides, the young boy-turned-messiah. In a world of feudal lords, dukes and emperors, this son of a duke, played by Alec Newman, comes across as a spoiled whiny child, with little sense of his position and place in the greater scheme of things. Not a good start for a story that deals with such grand themes. When this boy assumes the leadership that is expected of him, we see unnoticeable growth into maturity but rather the whiny child transforms into a bitter and angry young man. The character is not at all the kind of lead an audience is going to sympathize with nor cheer for. When he finally claims his throne on screen, we find him once again slumped into his chair/throne, with no regal presence and in a karate kid outfit. The role needs a commanding, demanding, and controlling presence, but what we get from Mr. Newman is nothing more than a passive aggressive, whiny brat who finally has gotten his way. With such a weak lead, the movie is left with a substantial black hole into which the movie rapidly gets sucked into. "Like father, like son," the saying goes, and as this Paul is problematic, so is his father, Duke Leto Atreides, played by William Hurt. We are expected to see him as the good guy, but with a performance that lacks any identifiable action in any of the scenes, we are left to wonder what is his motivation? Where is the man who willingly rushes into a battle, a battle which he knows he cannot win, with strength and conviction? Where is the hero we desperately want in a movie? Not here. In fact there are few heroes in this film, not even among the desert folk, the Fremen. The Fremen are a desert people, living on the fringes of society, with deep spiritual beliefs and a notion that a prophet will come from another world and lead them to salvation. Any filmed version of this book will face the challenge of presenting these Fremen as a believable nomadic people, living in a harsh world with harsh consequences. John Harrision gives us a people the other version I am a hardcore fan of Frank Herbert's science fiction. Since other people on here have written very good reviews, I will try to keep mine short and to the point. Yes, I agree very much with what Amazon.com had to say. The architecture is impressive. The sets are very interesting and the costumes, I believe, were made by a cutting edge French fashion agency. This is the strength of this version - the sets and costumes. However. The acting suffers greatly. Like most cg filled epics of our day, this one suffers from what I like to call "Video game cutscene syndrome." That is, that what should be an entertainment experience in its own right becomes little more than a computer graphics showcase (a non-interactive one, unlike a real video game). When acting is sacrificed for the sake of cg graphics, the result is little more than a crippled video game experience, one in which you are unable to control the action and must sit passively watching the equivalent of a video game cutscene. The acting is downright terrible, with the exception of the Baron and some of the development surrounding Duke Leto. This version, unlike the David Lynch one, is pure eye candy, nothing more, nothing less. However, I will say it was a noble attempt. I can see how hard they tried. I can recognize this. Therefore, I give it an average rating. Buy Frank Herbert's 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 Dune Search with the Priority Search Engine on Frank Herbert's Dune This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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