I don't often write reviews but I had to... having loved the first movie by David Lynch since I was a kid and just finished the book I had to write!This rendition is the truest to the book out of the two movies and it's hard not to compare this to David Lynch's version. However huge liberties were taken by the writers and imho it dumbed the story line and made it somewhat ridiculous turning one of the best sci fi books written to an almost comic book level. The emperor is made to seem naive and the princess irulan a genius... not sure how that works, as the emperor wouldn't be naive.. and certainly wasn't in the books. Irulan shouldn't have had such a grandiose story line... clearly they wanted to give her more lines.Gurney Halleck is played by PH Moriarty and was appalling and not remotely believable. Chani played by Barbora Kodetova, again not remotely believable and should never have been given such a powerful role. The baron Harkonnen played by Ian Mcneice had flashed of genius but very limited and over acted... he's a cold calculating character who thinks he if far smarter than he is, was a disappointment overall.The set design and costumes were garish and looked like something out of the 80's it would have been better to have spent their budget on decent outdoor sand scenes. Saskia Reeves I think did a fair job, clearly she had a great grasp of who Jessica is meant to be. Alec Newman was badly cast in my opinion, Paul Atredies is meant to be 15-16 and Alec was not only too old to play him but did a shocking job... wooden and two dimensional and doesn't remotely inspire an audience let alone a legion of fremen warriors.That all being said, the script kept some important scenes that David Lynch's version didn't and was all the richer for it. The weirding way was much better shown, although I like the ideas of the weirding module in David Lynch's version. The scene with the reverend mother and Jessica and the water of life I think was quite well done and the introduction of Alia and her as a child was very good.All in all I gave it 4 due to the content being more accurate, but deducted 6 for the shocking acting and writer liberties. The book is good enough as it is, it doesn't need rewriting by writers that think they know better. I would just like to see a clever, well acted, try to the book version...

"So that was Dune." Henry said with a wry smile. Halfway through the movie they had started a game of backgammon and followed the series in a half hearted way. Then they had enjoyed a Chinese- Indonesian take out diner. Kristl had suggested to order it as it was her time to cook and she had given up on cooking some years ago because she her interpretation of a meal seemed to differ from the tastes of others. Kristl nodded. "It was funny. I mean it almost looked like the movie of Lynch, but with lesser actors, lame dialog and fake landscapes. It was funny but because there is already a movie the series seems a bit superfluous.""Yes.. it is." Kristl said."But we watched it." Henry said."Some movies are very nice as background imagery. You just can follow the whole thing even if you fail to see parts of it. Dune is like that." Kristl nodded."So what is this?" Henry pointed at a white plastic container."It is called babi pangang. Just eat it. I'll mention what was in it after wards.""Not something like monkey flesh or insect bodies?" Henry shuddered."No, it's mundane." Kristl shook her head."Anyway, what was your favorite scene?" Henry asked."Not so much a scene.. more I found the clothes the princess was dressed in pretty. She had the proper figure for these fashion dresses. Same with the emperor. So it's not a particular scene, but more how they were dressed.""Strange to hear that from you. I would not have figured looks were something that interested you." Henry looked Kristl up and down. What he saw was a woman in her mid forties wearing fade jeans trouser, heavy combat boots and a leather jacket that resembled one of those that were the fashion in the eights. Kristl, so Henry thought, has never gone beyond the punk of the eighties.. Fashion wise she was frozen or retro, because everything became retro after a while."The fact I look like left over punker from the eighties, does not mean I have no eye for beauty and fashion. I can not wear it, but I can enjoy looking at it." Kristl laughed, "But what was your memorable scene?""The moment the Harkonnen baron was poisoned by that little girl. It was funny to see the surprised look on his face." Henry laughed and then made gargled sounds. "It is interesting you mention a girl doing that. Because I was not really impressed with the story and specifically with the role of women in the movie.""Ah. Not impressed means usually that you were offended.""That is a good description. The women in the movie have about two roles. Women either are helpless creatures good for breeding or they are backstabbing schemers not above sleeping with someone just to gain an advancement.""Ah.""So, no I was not impressed by the whole. But how did you like the story, Henry?" Kristl said "It was okay, nothing remarkable. I liked the idea of the spice. If I am correct that spice is important because space travel over vast distances at great speed can only be accomplished by using spice because it allows you to see into the future. That is something I remember. It is actually not really mentioned in that series, only that without it you can't travel in space. What do you think?""I think that if the story of the books resembles that of the movie in general outlook then it is a tacky badly written story. Let's take the overall idea: there is an emperor that for reasons unknown puts the noble house Atreides in charge of the single most important planet in the universe, yet he fears the growing influence of those same Atreides to the point that he helps the Harkonnen in regaining the planet through bloody murder and open warfare. What is even more surprising is that the influence and respect that the Atreides have among the houses seems not to translate itself into any noticeable form of power. And then this whole Harkonnen plot is visibly condoned by the emperor and secretly supported by him, but that does not seem to have any repercussion for him or for the Harkonnen. Everything is contrived and would not work in reality. And while I can accept a certainly liberty for a story, it remains reality that determines what is likely to work or not. Fantasy, however pushed it its limits, is limited by reality.""But everything is just unbelievable. The good guys are very good and the bad guys are very bad. And then these fremen are so nonsensical with their system of killing each other of to establish a ruler. It is utter nonsense because no system like that can work. There has never been a society like that because such a society would rip itself apart and the fact that someone is good in fighting does not mean that he(it is always a he) is also good in making decisions or in any other skill that you require to lead a community. Therefore it is overall a badly written nonsensical story.""Hmm.. Lucky it is just a story." Henry said"Yes, it is.""And this series is just superfluous?""Yes, you can watch the movie instead.. it is a lot shorter and better acted and so on and as nonsensical as this series. ""Hah"

to adapt Dune is a strange work. because the result can be only suggestion of novel atmosphere. so, if the David Lynch version was perfect for the before read the book, this series is perfect for after. it is beautiful, and this is basic virtue. it is fresh and realistic and poetic and fascinating. a large puzzle with a remarkable cast. but, in a sense, it becomes more than a brilliant/nice/convincing adaptation. it is a closed universe , a large painting in which director, scriptwriter, cast impose options, vision and honey.amber of ambition. it is a symphony and this is not a real mistake but only a form of escape from novel circle. a beautiful film. a correct adaptation. but something remains in promise skin.

Frank Herbert's "Dune" series is one of the most respected science fiction epochs of all time. The saga begged to be adapted into a drama and in 1984 master director gave us a 2 hour feature of the first book. The project was plagued by creative restrictions, leaving both Lynch and audiences disappointed with the final product.In 2000 Sci-Fi Channel adapted the same opening book into a five hour miniseries. The project was helmed by director John Harrison backed by a big-for-TV budget. The result is a visually extravagant and experimental drama with a grandiose scope. I watched it all in one sitting and was completely engaged throughout the experience.Harrison has reached a unique and beautiful tone with a magnificent visual look and dramatic music and the actors do for the most part solid work. Alec Newman doesn't quite have the charisma of a messianic character, but the script doesn't give him as much to work with as one might have hoped.The characters overall are left a bit distant, the situations coldly surreal. I found myself preoccupied by the look and the tone and not horribly engaged with the story and the drama itself. The plot moves forward painfully slowly at times, but there are so many wonderful details to enjoy that it's almost worth it. And as is the case with the source material, the religious and political themes are universally relevant and well presented, even though we experience them on a rather large scale, removed from the experience of the characters.