Search - Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Miniseries) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 6/2/2023...

Along the lines of the original movie Dune with a few added scenes. Better if you have not seen the original Dune.

Samuel K. (Solvanda)
Reviewed on 11/25/2018...

In several top 100 Scifi book listings, you'll find Dune in the top ten, if not number one. Like Tolkien's work, a rich mythology is contained, and shifted frames of reference to familiarize oneself with. Aired in year 2000 on the Syfy Channel, this miniseries is the most faithful (so far) to the actual novel, although I think Lynch's 1984 film version more correctly assimilated the tone. This Director's Cut has an extra half hour and a bit of frontal nudity. So ensure all kiddios in the room are blindfolded whilst viewing.

Frank Herbert left us with 6 main Dune novels upon passing. Years later, his son Brian discovered a 5 inch floppy disc in a lock box which contained a detailed outline of where Frank had intended to take the franchise. And so, Brian, a Scifi writer himself has done just so, with the assistance of Kevin J. Anderson. Which has added an additional 17 titles and several short stories to the mix. Brian's writing style is quite linear and different than his father's, who often told his tales with an apprentice/pedagogue dialogue.

I've read all of these selections and am surprised that Hollywood has not latched onto this universe and produced an ongoing television series, which could well rival many of the popular Scifi franchises out there. A two-part film (of the original novel) is currently being made by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival and Blade Runner 2049.) Which will give us a third version of this tale.

Patricia L. (pattyloof) from MOORE, OK
Reviewed on 5/11/2011...

This is the Sci-Fi produced miniseries of the book Dune by Frank Herbert.

The story follows teenager Paul Atreides as his family travels to take legal control of the planet Arrakis -- otherwise known as Dune -- the only source of the enormously valuable "spice". There Paul finds out the truth about his heritage and hidden powers. (not to spoil the story for anyone)

It's the best adaptation of this amazingly complex novel that I've ever seen. Although they add in some things that are kind of strange (The Baron flying? Irulan actually meeting with Feyd?), as a whole the miniseries does a great job of presenting the story.

The CG of the worms is amazing. The battles and sets are a bit low-budget, but hey, it's a miniseries, not a Hollywood movie. I'm glad they put the money into the planet.

I think the sequel miniseries, "Children of Dune" is even better than this one.

Nicole P. (scarabesque)
Reviewed on 7/31/2009...

I really enjoyed this movie. I thought the writers did a great job adapting the book to screen. The cast was near perfect right down to little Alia (she was a bit green but looked the part perfectly) The soundstages are magnificent. I felt almost like I was watching a play. The use of colour for different emotions was wonderful. IF you are a fan of the book, this version is a must have.

Where the heck did Duncan Idaho die anyway?

frez1975 | San Antonio, TX United States | 02/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After seeing this miniseries and the original David Lynch theatrical release, I felt compelled to read the book and settle some plot inconsistencies (i.e. where did the weirding weapons go and where the heck was Duncan Idaho really supposed to die? In the Atreides compound during the initial Harkonnen attack or blown to bits by Harkonnen patrols in the desert spiriting Paul and his mother to safety?). The Sci-Fi series got it right.I did not find Allec Newman annoying as some people did. Sure, he was wooden, but Paul was schooled in the controlling of his own emotions by his mother so that they did not betray him. After the Harkonnen attack his ruthless, unemotional behavior became more pronounced as he was immersed in the grim Fremen culture.In terms of following the original story, the Sci-Fi Channel series is superior to Lynch's version. Sure, nobody seems to be able to get the fact that Paul Atreides is supposed to be 14-15 when the story starts and that he is described as being much darker complected than either actor who has played him in the past, but things actually happened in the sequence they were supposed to in the miniseries. People die where they are supposed to and events take place in the proper sequence.Another nice element of the miniseries was the use of knives. Everybody has knives in the miniseries, just like in the book, where knives play an important part of Fremen culture. In the miniseries, characters are more likely to duke it out up close with knives than shoot blasts from weirding modules (which aren't even in the book).Karel Dobry's Dr. Kynes and P.H. Moriarty's Gurney Halleck (characters who, despite their importance to Herbert's original story, were glossed over in Lynch's version of "Dune") are both given the attention they deserve in the miniseries. I thought both actors did well, as did the actor who played Stilgar (Uwe Ochsenknecht). I liked both Ochsenknecht and Dobry's quiet, understated menace. Despite their lack of emotion and stoic demeanor, you could instantly recognize them as the most dangerous men in the room. In the miniseries Gurney Halleck looks and feels like the battle-hardened ex-slave who would die for his Duke. If anything, Patrick Stewart's portrayal in the movie (when his character was on screen) was too "clean" to be Gurney Halleck.Hey, Raban even had some dialogue in the miniseries (like he did in the book) instead of wandering around and giggling perversely while eating some indescribable meat product like he did in Lynch's movie. Feyd even gets to do things in the miniseries besides offering Sting's characteristic leer of the Lynch interpretation. Sure, his clothes stunk in the miniseries, but he was shown as being much more dangerous (both physically and mentally) in the miniseries than Sting was in the movie version. Stepping out of a steam-bath and cocking on eyebrow on cue don't concern me as much as the man who looks harmless and has terrible fashion sense, but is a cold-blooded killer. Ian McNiece surprised me as Baron Harknonnen, since I'm used to him in more effeminate, comedic roles. I thought he did a fine job as the Baron, mixing the vicious with the pathetic (now if only I hadn't seen quite so much of him wearing nothing but his suspensor harness...).The miniseries does have its weaknesses. Once again, the actor who played Yueh fell short. I never once saw the tattoo Yueh had on his forehead that signified his imperial conditioning. How many times is this blasted tattoo mentioned in the book? William Hurt has as much intensity as a corpse. I do think that Lynch's movie made the Bene Gesserit more menacing with their bald heads and black gowns. The Bene Gesserit attire of the miniseries was laughable. In fact, hats were pretty terrible throughout the series. I also like Lynch's interpretation of guild navigators and Harkonnen "garbage bags with green eyeholes" shock troops. However, other visual elements, like the stillsuits (the primary wardrobe of the second half of the story) and vehicles, are more accurate in the Sci-Fi miniseries.Is it perfect? No. Was it enough to cause me to buy a copy of the book to find out if they did a better/worse job? Yes. Is it more faithful to the original story? Yes."

Another Interpretation of Frank Herbert's Masterpiece

M. Hart | USA | 03/18/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"David Lynch's 2-hour feature film (later extended to 3 hours) and John Harrison's 6-hour TV miniseries each have very different interpretations of Frank Herbert's masterful sci-fi novel "Dune". Separately, neither effort adequately captures Herbert's vision of humanity and struggles for power in the far distant future; but each work brings varying degrees of depth to the screen, giving the viewer a glimpse of what Herbert envisioned.Strengths of Harrison's TV miniseries interpretation:* Better character development: especially Duke Leto Atreides (William Hurt), Princess Irulan Corrino (Julie Cox), Padishah-Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV (Giancarlo Giannini) and Stilgar (Uwe Ochsenknecht).
* A more comprehensive telling of the story: including the Corrino family, the ordinary lives of the Fremen, the ties between the Harkonnen and Atreides families, and the influence of the Bene Gesserit. Strangely, Paul is never called Usul.
* Better special effects and panoramic views, except for the often-used surrealistic lighting.
* Little use of stock footage scenes, which was often used by Lynch.Strengths of Lynch's feature film interpretation:
* Better costumes overall, especially the all of the uniforms and Fremen stillsuits, which, unlike the TV miniseries, looked as if they would actually work.
* Better portrayal of the Mentat.
* Hearing the thoughts of the characters added an extra element.
* Better acting overall: especially Lady Jessica (Francesca Annis), Baron Harkonnen's doctor (Leonardo Cimino), Shadout Mapes (Linda Hunt), Paul 'Muad'Dib' Atreides (Kyle MacLachlan), Baron Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan), Duke Leto (Jürgen Prochnow) and Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart).Someone who hasn't read Herbert's novel and only sees Lynch's feature film may not understand the story, but someone who hasn't read the novel but only sees Harrison's TV miniseries will probably understand the story without difficulty. Anyone who has read the novel and sees either live-action interpretation will probably be disappointed to some degree by both, but each one can be appreciated for what each brings to the screen. The acting from Alec Newman as Paul 'Muad'Dib' Atreides was by no means perfect in the TV miniseries, but did shed a different light on the character from Kyle MacLachlan.Overall, I give Harrison's TV miniseries version of "Dune" a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. It is interesting to speculate how David Lynch would have added more to his film if he had been able to create a more comprehensive piece like the TV miniseries, as well as use CGI special effects and the best actors from both. Clearly, each screen interpretation shows what each director was able to accomplish with his available resources and artistic license."

Pretty good interpretation of a cult sci-fi blockbuster

Joanna Daneman | Middletown, DE USA | 04/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw both the David Lynch film version for theater release and then the "director's cut." While the director's cut was an improvement, the original Dune film left a lot to be desired. Now we have John Harrison's 288-minute TV miniseries with more time, a more leisurely pace with which to deal with Frank Herbert's magnificent novel Dune. Did Harrison succeed? Well, not quite. Let's start with the cast. William Hurt fails utterly as the charismatic Leto, who was supposed to be such an inspiring leader as to make his fighting men as good or better than the Emperor's crack troops, the Sardaukar. He is mild and lovable, but about as inspiring as milk and water. Boo. We get a slightly wimpy Jessica who is able to rise to the occasion once in a while, and a young pup of a Paul who never really hardens into the holy terror Muad'Dib. The emperor's daughter, Princess Irulan, is turned into a viable character here, with excellent acting and credible changes to the novel to make her a vital player. Irulan is well acted, so are Chani, Alia, Liet, Rabban and other minor characters. Alas, the leads like Leto, the Baron, Feyd-Rautha, Paul and Jessica are not quite up to snuff. What about the costumes, script, dialog, battles? The costumes are based on the Art Nouveau magnificence of Mucha and work well to convey the imperial feudal aspect. The worms are fabulous. Perfect in every way. The worm-riding scenes are as right as can be. The dialog is a mish-mash of lines from the book and good condensation. There are absolutely perfect moments, generally near the end of the series, and others that make no sense unless you are steeped in Dune the novel and even then leave you flat. The best scene was probably the transformation of Jessica to Reverend Mother. That was done so well. Unfortunately, the rest doesn't come up to that level. So close...sigh.The battle scenes were long and in some cases, downright stupid. At the end, the Fremen wield just their crysknives against the rapid fire weapons of the Sardaukar. Come on! Who brings knives to a gun fight! Should you see it? Sure! If you love sci-fi, it's worth a look. Is it all one would hope for? No, the acting is spotty. But it is the most faithful version yet of this unwieldy blockbuster of a science fiction masterpiece."