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Frank Herbert's Dune (TV Miniseries) (Director's Cut Special Edition) Customer Reviews (19 - 21 of 75 Reviews)

U wont ever please everyone!..
I have the books, the original Dune Movie, now this set.
Some say this lacks, on the contrary, a big fan will lap up any worthy offering, and I feel this is. The original was great however it needed the next 3 - 4 hrs to help explain things, particularly the Dune politics.
This offering goes that far with much deeper political / plot explanations.
If you are not sure.. Heck! hire it, watch it, and then if you love it.. then Buy It!

Horrible
I can't believe that this version touts itself as "Frank Herbert's" Dune. I'm not a fan of David Lynch's liberties with the interpretation (weirding modules, etc.), but even with that, it comes more to the feel and style of the book than the Sci-Fi version. The Sci-Fi version was simply a poorly acted movie about some outerspace adventure - not the extremely intricate and subtle story that Herbert had envisioned. For example, one of the main aspects of the book, the *extreme* value of water, was effectively dismissed by the Sci-Fi version with open windows (Jessica stands near an open window enjoying the Arakeen breeze) and flowing fountains. Castle Caladan looked like the bridge of a StarTrek ship, not the ages old "castle" filled steeped in history. But despite all of this, the acting is what was most lacking. Paul Atreides acts as a petulant child, not the result of strict training and self-discipline. Jessica seems a half-aware dolt asking questions she should know the answers to. All-in-all, I blame the director for this travesty. As I see it, this version has no strengths, only weaknesses.

The Authoritative Version of Dune - In My Opinion, of Course.
I have to confess that I was never fully impressed with Peter Lynch's 1984 version of Dune. While it had its good elements (including excellent performances on the part of Patrick Stewart and others), its weaknesses made me instantly shy away. For one thing, the Pink Floyd music with its cheesy synthesizers instantly dated the movie to the 1980s and makes me cringe to this day. Additionally, its theatrical runtime was simply insufficient to convene the multitude of deep messages about politics, power, and the future of the human race. Even the extended version at 190 minutes somehow fails to please. Lynch even admitted in an interview that he "sold out" and comprimised on his version of Dune.

When the Sci Fi channel announced this new version of Dune some years later, I was skeptical and also enthusiastic. But at the end, I was pleasantly surprised.

For one, Harrison's Baron Harkonnen is much more devious and believable than Lynch's shallow and outwardly disgusting zit-faced Harkonnen. Gone is the antiquated Lynch music, replaced with a soulful soundtrack beautifully by Graeme Revell. The special effects were superior of course, having 16 years to the filmmakers' advantage. The acting in this version was as good or better than Lynch's actors with few exceptions.

Of course the Harrison version still has some flaws - in many scenes, Fremen do not wear their stillsuits, a wasteful practice in the desert world of Arrakis. The "star" of the movie, William Hurt (as Duke Leto), comes off as stilted and weak, not strong-willed and seemingly indominable as Duke Leto is portrayed in the novel. His appearances are brief, however, and easily dismissed. Many people were put off by many scenes in which it is obvious that the actors are on a cheap set. Again, this is easy to dismiss considering the limitations of this made-for-tv movie's budget. In their defense, this version was longer to begin with and had to pay the actors and still have enough for starships, worm scenes, fighting scenes and many other things.

The director's cut strangely develops the Irulan character more, which is slightly irritating given that she has such a small role in the book. This is balanced by the additional scenes that help us better understand the Liet-Kynes character, however.

Of course, I do not believe that any film can adequately express Frank Herbert's vision as well as the novel. The subtleties and nuances are so many, and difficult to put forth onscreen. But overall, I believe this version by Harrison(and to a greater extent, the director's cut) are far closer to the Dune novel than Lynch's version. For my money, this is the best version of Dune, short of reading the novel.

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