Children of Dune (2003)

Watchseries; It seems that everyone involved took a long hard look at the first miniseries and really learned from their original mistakes. The grandeur of the open desert which was painfully missing from the first one is there, the sets are more realistic and functional. the special effects are in most instances completely seamless and the acting has vastly improved. Alec Newman was a passable Paul Atreides in the first one, in this sequel you get the impression that he has really understood the character and and is far more at ease playing him. Alia is stunningly gorgeous and almost exactly as I imagined her after reading the books and the two kids are convincing, although Ghanima's makeup is a bit odd at times. Stilgar and Duncan fit perfectly and Jessica is at least Saskia Reeves match. Only Susan Sarandon plays things a bit over the top, but not terribly so. Usually sequels are inferior to the original, but this is the exception to that rule. I truly hope Sci-Fi plans to release another feature packed DVD set and more importantly, intends to film the other books in the series. Though not as absorbing as the first books in the series, they do have their moments and with some effort could be made into something at least as good as Children of Dune. Congrats to all involved.

It seems that everyone involved took a long hard look at the first miniseries and really learned from their original mistakes. The grandeur of the open desert which was painfully missing from the first one is there, the sets are more realistic and functional. the special effects are in most instances completely seamless and the acting has vastly improved. Alec Newman was a passable Paul Atreides in the first one, in this sequel you get the impression that he has really understood the character and and is far more at ease playing him. Alia is stunningly gorgeous and almost exactly as I imagined her after reading the books and the two kids are convincing, although Ghanima's makeup is a bit odd at times. Stilgar and Duncan fit perfectly and Jessica is at least Saskia Reeves match. Only Susan Sarandon plays things a bit over the top, but not terribly so. Usually sequels are inferior to the original, but this is the exception to that rule. I truly hope Sci-Fi plans to release another feature packed DVD set and more importantly, intends to film the other books in the series. Though not as absorbing as the first books in the series, they do have their moments and with some effort could be made into something at least as good as Children of Dune. Congrats to all involved.

Children of Dune watchseries. Now this is more like it! While the Sci-Fi version of 'Dune' was much better than the pathetic 1984 David Lynch version, I felt it still suffered from the 'gotta be way out there' syndrome. It was decent, but badly directed and overacted (witness the Guild Reps doing Tai Chi when they talk). Overall it was fair but not really notable.

This version is fantastic however. For me, this is what Sci-Fi should be all about. They took two of Herbert's books (Dune Messiah, Children of Dune) and combined them into a mini-series that actually takes the material seriously and doesn't try to hard to be different. I thought Leto was excellently done, Alia even better, Ghanima a little less than I expected. The effects were good, but I thought the story was actually the driving force for a change.

All in all a great effort. Now let's see if they do 'God-Emporer of Dune'

I sat down to watch the 2003 mini-series "Children of Dune" straight after having sat through the 1984 movie "Dune". And needless to say that I was definitely expecting a major lift up in terms of special effects, entertainment and just all-round what they could do 19 years after the original movie.

And I managed to get through roughly half of the 2003 mini-series, but then I simply gave up. The storyline and plot was just a massive swing and miss for my liking. I can't claim that I was actually overly entertained by what I sat through and saw on the screen. Just the first out of the three episodes was a struggle to get through for me. But I decided to give "Children of Dune" a proper chance to win me over, but it just failed to do so. And halfway through episode two, I just got up, ejected the disc and put the item back on the shelf.

I will say, though, that "Children of Dune" did have some interesting and good choices of actors and actresses on the cast list, with the likes of Susan Sarandon, James McAvoy, Alice Krige and Steven Berkoff on the list. But they were given precious little to work with in terms of script, storyline and proper characters, so even such talents didn't lift up the overall enjoyment of "Children of Dune" for me.

Well, the special effects definitely had a major lift up in the right direction. And I was especially liking the major changes they had given the worms. They were much more menacing to look at now.

This 2003 mini-series didn't work out for me, and I have no intention of returning to watch the last one and a half episode that I am missing. I just simply didn't care about the characters in the story, nor did the plot and storyline appeal to me.

My rating of "Children of Dune" lands on a less than mediocre four out of ten stars.

Satisfying, well-written and superbly acted sequel to the Sci-Fi Channel's DUNE mini-series - which was itself vastly superior to the rampant-phallic-symbolism-held-together-by-stamp-hinges-and-cobwebs David Lynch film version. A science fiction hybrid of sword-wielding Old Testament prophets, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, Toho giant-monsters-on-the-rampage flicks and the precepts of the 1970s ecological movement, CHILDREN OF DUNE is a storytelling and visual delight. F/X maestro Ernest Farino, who won the Emmy for his sterling work on the first DUNE mini-series, will likely make a repeat stroll to the podium when next year's visual effects award is handed out. He has created worlds and civilisations and creatures that are at once alien and familiar, wildly imaginative yet rooted in reality. Barring a ticket on the next space shuttle flight, this is the closest you will ever get to other worlds: Farino's effects are genuinely that good. In a production where all of the cast and crew clearly went beyond what their paycheques required of them, Farino's contributions are particularly satisfying. All in all, a magnificent undertaking; this is what that irritating salesman guest in FAWLTY TOWERS meant when he was talking about "televisual feasts."

The production value on this installment of the Dune series is more than I could have hoped for. Thank you for getting rid of those awful painted backgrounds. I had been contemplating how a real movie version of the Dune books would look for years. I liked the sets on the DL version but the lack of story was just too confusing for anyone that hadn't read the books and disappointing for those that did. When I heard about the SciFi channel doing the movie 3 years ago I was all jazzed up and ready to be dazzled. And while the story was more consistent with the book and the acting was good, I was rather disappointed with the sets. Now with Children of Dune I think we've seen what should have been done from the get go. The special effects are right on target as are the performances in this one. In the first installment it seemed more like a filmed stage play. This one is more like the full-on, glossy, Hollywood production these stories deserve. That said, I (and some of my friends) still feel that these movies are not going to be very comprehensible to anyone that hasn't read the books but I don't mind that much as I am a selfish and self-serving person at heart. I also have lost faith that anyone will do the Lady Jessica character justice. DL's Jessica was horrible.. beautiful, yes, but what a simpering little weakling she was. Not so in the book… Jessica was more solid, calculating and strong. The miniseries did a little better but she still seemed weak in comparison to the novel. Hopefully Alice Krige will prove to be better. Since she was barely in last night's part, we'll have to wait and see. All in all I am very pleased with what the makers have done with this part of the series. I can't wait until tonight and the next night and especially (hopefully) for ‘God Emperor of Dune' and ‘Chapterhouse'. If they don't do the whole series, I will be sorely disappointed. Bottom line: Keep up the great work!

After reading the first two of Frank Herbert's Dune books I had to wonder whether the story of the water forsaken planet still had some potential. Consequently, although I bought Children of Dune, I didn't get to read it to the end. And all the time I was thinking: why didn't anyone do a really cool movie about Dune, as it deserves? Obviously, the moment I laid eyes on "Children of Dune" (the mini-series this time) I felt a terrible urge to acquire it, despite being tempted by more reputed films. In the end, I didn't have any regrets.

That is because the film is not only easy to follow, as long as you've either read the first book (and a bit of the second) or seen the first part of the mini-series (which I haven't), but it's also visually delightful, doing some justice to Frank Herbert's saga. It does not bore but it does not truly have a mesmerizing effect either. Nevertheless it does keep you pretty glued to the chair/sofa for as long as it takes to see the outcome. Unfortunately "Children of Dune" goes along the path I assumed the books would: it simply loses its charm as it becomes a bit too foreseeable. This doesn't necessarily mean it's not worth its hours, but it means it's definitely not as enchanting as the first part of the Dune saga - where everything was still fresh and authentic, original and innovative.

All in all, as a fan, I can't say I've been displeased by the series. It's fun to watch as it delivers certain chills and thrills along the way - just that it's not really the uniqueness of Dune that conquers you, but the fine work behind and in front of the camera.