Dune, Children of Dune movies (Scifi channel)

Television, Movies Games and Books Other Science Fiction
#1

I have just completed Scifi’s Dune movies, and I have to say I am impressed. Here is my mini-review of each:

Dune
Let me begin that channeled my inner Sean prior to watching this. “This is a Scifi production…the same people who brought us Mansquito…” I kept thinking…“be prepared for serious suckatude…”

The first moments of the movie didn’t help. It had the whole “made for tv movie” feel of brightly lit, plastic background set pieces. Then Muad-dib walked on and all I could think about him playing an Augment on “Enterprise.” William Hurt also distracted…only because he is William Hurt and seemed oddly out of place.

However, the overall movie was good. Working with what must have been a limited budget they put forth an admirable. I was annoyed by the fact the made the Harkonians into essentially twisty moustached comic villians. The director made some interesting choices, and in the end, bravo. Special kudos go to Saskia Reeves who plays Lady Jessica…well played, and well…very easy on the eyes.

Children of Dune
This movie was remarkable. Production value punched way up…great use of light, texture and atmosphere to really set the mood. Most of the original cast returns with some notable exceptions…mainly my favorite Lady Jessica. We have a new Duncan Idaho played by none other than our favorite fencer from Firefly…Atherton Wing (can I call you Ath?).

I cannot say enough good things about this movie…especially since they took two incoherent books and put them together in an accesible narrative. The only gripe I have is with the choice of Alia…only because she would occasionally start speaking with an accent that came out of nowhere.

All in all, I would recommend both movies. The movie “Dune” does not and cannot replace reading the book. “Children of Dune” can replace reading “Dune Messiah” and “Children of Dune”.

#2

Horray!! I’m glad you liked the movies, Solai. And you did the smart thing by frist reading “Dune”, then watching the SciFi Dune and SciFi Children of Dune movies.
Interesting tidbit about William Hurt: He’s a HUGE fan of Dune, and always wanted to play Leto Atreides.

As I promised you Solai, now that you have completed Children of Dune I am gonna change my avatar from the “Dune” Duncan to the “Children of Dune” Duncan. That’s so cool: I didn’t put two and two together that he’s the same actor who played Atherton Wing.
Hmmm…well, when you go back to your Malcom Reynolds avatar and I go the Duncan/Atherton avatar…will be still be friends?:wink:

Even though Messiah of Dune and Children of Dune were “skippable” as books, I highly recomend you give the next book “God Emperror of Dune” a try. It’s an interesting one revolving around Leto II, Paul’s son.

#3

I know. I kept on having the same, “Wait, where do I know him from?” that I had with Muad-dib. In preparation for this post I went onto IMDB and remembered that this was still an outstanding question in my mind. I scanned his bio and just started laughing…if I had realized Duncan was “Ath” it would have shifted some things around. I now think that Ath gets some cred for being Duncan.

Of course. Accepting one’s enemy is the mark of a great man.

Guess I am just a good man.

Well, I’m all right.

Will do Ath. I just picked up “Heir to the Empire” but as I read it years ago, new books always take priority. Will go pickup a copy today.

#4

Can you answer another GWC rules question for me? Do we need to say “Sorry Barb” when we say “Ath”?:eek:

I just went up to my dusty attic yesterday and found my copy of “Heir to the Empire”, and I’m probably gonna start re-reading it when I’m done with Sandworms of Dune (only 20 pages left to go!).

#5

I think we will have to take this approach:

“May I call you Ath? (sorry Bath)”

#6

YAY! Someone else that’s gone “really??? Skiffy was behind this? It’s not possible, these are actually good!”

Not that I’m saying anything bad about the DeLaurentis version of Dune, I mean, c’mon, Picard is Gurney! But some of the choices made in that one were really freaking dumb. Uh Sting as the baddest mo’ fo’ around? Sorry, ain’t buying it. But anyway, the movie was how I first came into the Dune universe. Of course I read the book, and all of the sequels immediately after seeing it and went “why didn’t they put that in it? It woulda made so much more sense!”.

So when I heard about the Skiffy series I was really excited about it. And I loved it. It hit all of the really good plot points, wasn’t a freaking joke and really was a genuinely pretty movie. The only problem I have with it now is going back and watching it again I keep expecting the guy that plays the Baron to start doing the town crier hand motions from Rome.

And Children was a great combo of Children & Messiah. It covered the best parts of both stories without all the dry boring stuff. So yay! Plus it was one of the first things that James McAvoy did and he’s just getting better and better as he matures. Oh and Alice Krige as Jessica so yay! Okay, I did love Saskia Reeves in the first one but Alice Krige!!

I just wish that Skiffy would spend the money to do the rest of them. That’s on my list of “great things that will never happen” but hey, a girl’s gotta dream right?

#7

That guy was awesome in his small part as the town crier in Rome, wasn’t he?—crying out news and advertisements on the streets of Rome.

“God Emperor of Dune” would be great as a Skiffy movie.

Here’s a little Duncan Idaho appreciation: http://forum.galacticwatercooler.com/showpost.php?p=49607&postcount=51

#8

Thanks Thot! While I really loved Duncan in the mini(s) I prefer Alec Newman. Send me arm porn from him!

And yes! Ian McNeice is AWE-some! I think the Rome producers realized it after his first bit because they kept putting him back in all the time and I really looked forward to those bits. Not that this is on topic but did you see that the chick that played Atia is going to be in Caprica?

#9

I haven’t read Dune yet.

ducks behind rock

So I’m curious about the comic villians comment. I enjoyed Ian McNeice’s performance since it is so over the top. I love when he breaks the fourth wall, it feels intimate and exclusive. Like letting the audience in on stuff the characters don’t know but not doing it as a typical narrator.

#10

YES! I was thrilled to hear that. Polly Walker is awesome!

#11

RobMooreHasPrettyHair, if you’re out there somewhere, I hope you read this post.
It’s mostly for you, but I suppose it’s probably useful for anyone working their way through the Dune universe.
On another thread we were discussing the Brian Herbert/Kevin Anderson books that pick up from Frank Herbert’s original Dune series, in other words Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. (I forget what thread it was so I’m picking it up here.) Anyway, I remarked at the time that I was nearly done reading Sandworms of Dune and how I was worried that it might end with an unsatisfying conclusion. And you said you wanted to know what I thot of the conclusion. Well, last week I did finish it, and I regret to say that it does indeed disappoint.
So I have to say that you’re better off stopping with Frank Herbert’s last book in the Dune series Chapterhouse Dune. You’re better off letting your imagination wonder how FH would have concluded the series than subjecting yourself to Brian Herbert’s double train wreck that is Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. Why I faithfully kept ready to th end, I don’t know. But you shouldn’t bother.

All that said, I did for the most part, enjoy the Brian Herbert Dune Prequel Trilogy (House Atriedes, etc.) and the Lengends of Dune Trilogy (Butlerian Jihad, etc.). Those can be thot of essentially as original works of Brian Herbert although based on his Dad’s Dune universe, characters and history. But I know think it was a mistake for him to try to pick up and continue his Dad’s core Dune series–and by doing so he tainted it.

#12

I liked the new books they did post Chapterhouse, up until the last two chapters then I wished I could brain bleach the entire book from my brain.

Seriously, don’t bother. They make baby Yoda cry.

#13

Yeah, I kinda felt the same way. I felt myself engaged with the two books, but because the conclusion is so unsatisfying, it kinda ruined the whole experience. That’s why I can’t recommend them.

#14

Hmmmmmm…It looks like Brian Herbert will be involved in the new Dune movie.
http://www.duneinfo.com/new-dune-movie/

I’m not sure how I feel about that, after getting burned by Sandworms of Dune.

#15

I feel your pain on the Hunters and Sandworms books. I too felt the need to read them to the end and wish I hadn’t. I could pretty much figure out how it would end about 1/2 way through Sandworms. I’m really disappointed in the ending. :frowning: I’ll be skipping the new Dune movie if B Herbert is going to be involved.

#16

I’m a huge Dune fan!

I’ve read all the books, Frank’s and Brian’s. Seen the Movies, and written research papers on the merits and techniques of them (as well as a brief biography of Frank Herbert).

I have to say these films were FANTASTIC. Dune (1984) just couldn’t do it for me. While there were certain elements in the film that were noteworthy (the use of character internal thought particularly comes to mind), due to its extreme break from the book story line, I couldn’t like it as much as I’d like.

I partially agree with comments above regarding that while the new movie is a must see, it is no replacement for the book, however, as slow and boring as Dune Messiah is, Children of Dune is definately worth reading. My rankings of the Dune Chronicles are as follow:

  1. Dune
  2. God Emperor of Dune
  3. Heretics of Dune
  4. Children of Dune
  5. Chapterhouse Dune
  6. Dune Messiah
  7. Everything else done by Brian Herbert (oh god it hurts, please make it stoppp)

It should be noted that while I disliked the Brian Herbert novels, that is not to say that he is not a decent writer. By most modern comparrison, he is not bad. However, when compared to the true genius of Frank Herbert, nearly anyone looks “ordinary”. Brian Herbert may have inherited his father’s notebooks, however he did not inherit his attention to detail nor his vision.

(sorry this ended up getting longer than I intended)