Editorial Review:

Description:
The spectacular epic that began in the Emmy Award-winning Frank Herbert’s Dune mini-series continues in this dazzling new journey into sweeping interstellar intrigue and visionary sci-fi adventure! On the desert planet of Dune, the ancient prophecy has been fulfilled: the rule of the legendary Muad’dib has triggered a miraculous transformation of the arid wastelands. But as always, the Great Houses of the Empire are alive with rumors of conspiracy, plotting and betrayal. And when Muad’dib no longer wields absolute power as the Emperor, his young son Leto Atreides and daughter Ghanima face the prospect of a disastrous civil war on Arrakis - and chaos on a galactic scale. Now, with the future of the vital Spice trade in the balance, the destiny of humanity itself will depend on the courage, strength and otherworldly wisdom of The Children of Dune!

Amazon.com:
Conspiracies abound in Children of Dune, Sci-Fi Channel's praiseworthy miniseries sequel to Frank Herbert's Dune, loyally adapted from the Herbert novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by John Harrison, who passed directorial duties (due to a scheduling conflict) to Greg Yaitanes, a 31-year-old TV director and Dune neophyte tackling his biggest assignment to date. Uninitiated viewers face a disadvantage; it's best to read Herbert's books and/or see the first miniseries before plunging into this remarkably coherent tangle of political intrigue, unfolding 12 years after the events of Dune.

To his horror, Maud'Dib--Arrakis emperor Paul Atreides (Alec Newman, reprising his Dune role)--has become the unintended figurehead of a violent dictatorship, and his enemies are multiplying. Vanishing into the desert, he waits as destiny shapes his twin heirs Leto II (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), who must contend with their scheming aunt Alia (Daniela Amavia) while Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon), of the enemy House Corrino, plots her own attack on Maud'Dib's familial empire. Exiled Atreides matriarch Lady Jessica (Alice Krige, giving the film's finest performance) returns to Arrakis, where the enormous, desert-dwelling sandworms face an uncertain future. As always, the spice must flow, and the universe's most coveted commodity remains at the center of this richly detailed and physically impressive production. Special effects range from awesome (fly-over shots of the capital city, Arakeen) to awful (the saber-tooth tigers look like Jumanji rejects), and Dune devotees will endlessly debate the miniseries' strengths and weaknesses. Some may desire more action to punctuate the film's inherent verbosity, but consensus will surely conclude that this is Dune done right, with monumental effort and obvious devotion from everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon

Uh! What an amazing lost weekend you have ahead for yourself now! Stock up, invite your friends, get some great bold Italian Red Wines to sip, chocolate, maybe some cognac too, bring all necessary additional accoutrement so may you fold space in luxury. You are the Kwisatz Haderach, at least for the weekend, or as long as your girlfriend lets you. Welcome to the future! So long and thanks for all the fish!

Dune is excellent of course! Can't wait for more!

The thoroughness of the countless hours you can spend watching these two very lengthy renditions made for television are amazing. It took me all weekend to watch. This breaks all the molds for made for television. William Bloody Hurt is even in it as Duke Leto for gods' sakes!

I beheld this sand worm length rendition in marathon fashion without stopping -- after a while I saw tracers and had that space cadet glow with a little help from my friends, I am the Walrus, coo coo ca choocoo!

No really. It is superb if you love Herbert's work. If you don't like it, who cares. Don't bother to tell me as your limitations will go unheeded. All that holds meaning is what is meaningful. Keep your meaninglessness to yourself and free your mind.

Have a great time, let go a little more...

~ William
[...]

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set)

Average Rating:

Rating: - Genius! Lucky you, if you've not seen this & the other series to follow.
Uh! What an amazing lost weekend you have ahead for yourself now! Stock up, invite your friends, get some great bold Italian Red Wines to sip, chocolate, maybe some cognac too, bring all necessary additional accoutrement so may you fold space in luxury. You are the Kwisatz Haderach, at least for the weekend, or as long as your girlfriend lets you. Welcome to the future! So long and thanks for all the fish!

Dune is excellent of course! Can't wait for more!

The thoroughness of the countless hours you can spend watching these two very lengthy renditions made for television are amazing. It took me all weekend to watch. This breaks all the molds for made for television. William Bloody Hurt is even in it as Duke Leto for gods' sakes!

I beheld this sand worm length rendition in marathon fashion without stopping -- after a while I saw tracers and had that space cadet glow with a little help from my friends, I am the Walrus, coo coo ca choocoo!

No really. It is superb if you love Herbert's work. If you don't like it, who cares. Don't bother to tell me as your limitations will go unheeded. All that holds meaning is what is meaningful. Keep your meaninglessness to yourself and free your mind.

Have a great time, let go a little more...

~ William
[...]

Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries) (Two-Disc DVD Set)

Rating: - Otherworldly
The way this film was made, one could easily believe that this world really exists. Children of Dune is the second miniseries based on Frank Herberts' novels and personally, I think it to be the better of the two. Each character was strong and purposeful throughout the film. Some had destinies, some tried to make destinies, but in the end, the strong survived, and the wicked were punished. There were several warring factions in this series, which was a bit confusing on watching it the first time, between the multiple storylines and dozens of characters. But in the end, they are all combined and all that intrigue comes together to make much more sense. No story is left hanging or plot left unended.

The musical composition is incredible as well. Bryan Tyler did an amazing job with the score, and after watching the film and purchasing the score, I still can't get enough of his subtle melodies.

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Rating: - What a great film
Received my DVD the other day and it looks great. Even some years before I was coming to realize this may be the best SF film ever made. I have seen every important and not so important SF film made and have read the best in SF literature from E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman and Jack Williamson's Legion of Space to Jack McDevitt's wonderful Infinity Beach and Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn Trilogy.
Children of Dune is a perfect child of the promise of combining the best of SF literature and film that we have waited so long for but rarely had. The promise of SF literature like A.E. Van Vogt's The Weapons Shop from 1942 was a modern SF work far ahead of any genre of film at the time but it seems we are finally starting to catch up.
Children of Dune is arguably the finest film adaptation of a work of SF literature ever done, Blade Runner notwithstanding. Certainly the original Dune Trilogy is the most nuanced literature that film has ever attempted to adapt.
Children of Dune scores at the top in all areas: screenplay, script, cast, acting, art direction, set design, special effects, editing, the works.
Now who has the courage to do Hamilton's, Night's Dawn Trilogy? Ah, now that would be something to see done with the panache and capability of the team that made Children of Dune.

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Rating: - Exceeded my Expectations!
The Children Of Dune movie is a powerful and compelling drama. I just loved the direction, special effects, and the acting. I recommend this DVD whole heartedly.

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Rating: - A Pleasant Surprise: This One Doesn't Suck that Bad
After watching the abomination the original miniseries was, I approached this one with really low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised.
The acting on this series is much better than in the previous one, it actually can be described as very good. Not only Daniela Amavia's portrayal of Alia is spot on, she also looks great. Some purists may scoff at the director's decission of making Leto II and Ghanima teenagers instead of children as in the book, but to me it's really very wise: I can't think of any child performers who could effectively deliver the psychological complexities of both characters. Shedding their prior wooden performances, both Alec Newman and Barbara Kodetova give us truly convincing and engaging portrayals of Paul and Chani, the former really excelling in his interpretation of a world weary, complex and reluctant religious leader who wants to stop the madness he unwillingly started. And thankfully, this time the actors worked really hard to minimize the crazy accents that plagued the first series.
The special effects this time are much more convincing, and the desert scenes look realistic enough. The CGI effects can be hit or miss, but overall are much better than the original miniseries and can hold their own against any medium budget movie. Some scenes are very well done, like the sandworm trap or the thopter rides, yet some CGI characters still look obviously fake, like the tigers or the guild ambassador. Thankfully, the costumes are also much more restrained and functional this time around: I actually payed attention to what was happening onscreen rather than rolling my eyes or laughing out loud every time a new character appeared.
That said, the main problem with both miniseries is that in general terms, the production design looks too much like most average science fiction TV shows thus failing to capture the feel of the books effectively. The Dune universe is suppossed to be unique because of it's stunted technological development and it's medieval mentality, yet most of the spaceships, costumes and props look like they were lifted from a Star Trek or Babylon 5 episode. Even if the sets are either baroque or ancient, you can see props that are obviously derived from digital technologies, which look and feel completely out of place in the Dune universe. And that's where Lynch's movie got it completely right: everything was deliverately retro, organic, low tech or wooden, and props and costumes were conceptualized with 1930's materials, fashion, valvular technology and art deco designs in mind to avoid an excessively futuristic look. So, even if this miniseries is a step in the right direction, I still find Lynch's movie the best Dune adaptation yet.

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