The toughest thing about ‘Frank Herbert’s Dune’, presented on the SciFi Channel in 2000, was that all Dune fans knew, fair KNEW, there’d be comparisons made between it and David Lynch’s theatrical release. Although the strong casting, new-found special effects and costumes made Lynch’s version a film to be reckoned with, it level-headed felt unbalanced and lost amidst the deeply textured background world that Frank Herbert created.
The 2000 miniseries gave us more of the actually pages of Dune translated to the shroud, but it’s acting, costumes and special effects were lacking.
So, to my surprise, what should appear but a modern miniseries with reprising roles and some fresh cast members for Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune on the SciFi Channel. Goodbye comparisons. We entered novel screenplay territory since no theatrical version of any other Herbert novels has ever made it out to the public.
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A astounding presentation, Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune combines the Dune Messiah and Children of Dune novels into this modern miniseries and does so with one blooming motion. Well, almost handsome.
I don’t know WHY the SciFi Channel feels the need to maintain a “vast name” in these films. William Distress didn’t assist the first miniseries with his ‘Hurtful’ acting. Likewise, I felt Mrs. Sarandon did nothing to assist in the release of this film/mini. Her character was cardboardish and unimaginative. No action intelligent her at all. Nothing that seemed to encourage depart the storyline along.
Uncharacteristically (and thankfully) Alec Newman reprises his role as Paul (and the recent Preacher) and does so with powerfully strong acting (the staunch opposite of what I saw from him in the novel miniseries) . Julie Cox was amazing as Irulan, Jessica Krige excellently portrayed an aging Lady Jessica, and James McAvoy WAS Leto II. Jessica Brooks balanced the role of Ghanima perfectly by playing Leto’s twin sister. And Daniela Amavia was P-E-R-F-E-C-T as the possessed and tortured Alia (preborn sister of Paul) . She’s also quite an atractive lady.
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The costumes (thankfully) were also ‘toned-down’ a bit, so the substantial head-dresses and triangular suit attachments are gone. The budget for the special effects were increased (to colossal advantage) . Loved the worms, the thopters, Alia’s temple. Amazing cinematography utilizing blue screens.
And the Colossal shocker: the musical gain! Brian Tyler! You the man! A accurate triumph as far as scores go, the music presented in this miniseries is clear to acquire the soul fly, or plummet into the Gigantic Erg as appropriately presented by Mr. Tyler’s fetch.
This miniseries is the original 5 star TV production for the SciFi Channel, and rightfully so. A presentation worth owning…on DVD.
If I were to resolve the best film adaptation of Dune, this miniseries would obtain, hands down. Not because it’s accurate to the book, not because of special effects, but it would gather because entire series is endearing and the performances of the cast are memorable. This production took characters that were hard to recount to because of their super-human abilities and turned them into people we could care about. What sets this treatment of Dune apart from all others is the dynamic performances of the cast.
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Alec Newman, Julie Cox, Barbara Kodetova, P.H. Moriarty, Zuzana Geislerova, and Ian MacNeice reprise their roles as Paul, Irulan, Chani, Gurney, Rev. Mother Mohiam, and the Baron. Even the Newcomers to the cast are: James McAvoy as Leto II, Jessica Brooks as Ghanima, Daniela Amavia as Alia,
Alec Newman *owns* the role of Paul in CoD. While his performance seemed shakey at times in Dune, he embodies the majesty of Muad’Dib and convincingly portrays the fragment of a tormented monarch in this sequel.
Buy,Download, Or Stream Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune (Sci-Fi TV Miniseries)! Click Here
Julie Cox steals the present away everytime she appears. Some complained that the script took (major) liberties concerning Irulan–mainly by giving her more appearances and lines than the book ever afforded her, and making her more likable–but I say anything that gives Julie Cox a chance to appear on hide to flex her acting muscles is a suitable decision. She plays a very convincing imperial princess with her body language (she has probably the best posture I’ve ever seen, but she absolutely shines portraying a fiery personality trapped by her site in life.
As with Alec Newman, Barbara Kodetova reprises her role with remarkable more maturity than in the first series. In CoD, Alec and Barbara both advance benefit with stronger performances and better chemistry.
Speaking of chemistry, however, there was so grand of it between the actors playing the twins it was fantastic to me that they weren’t dating in valid life. James McAvoy, in particular, brings so distinguished spirit and warmth to his role that he brought much-needed levity to the role of Leto by adding humor and warmth to his performance. Jessica Brooks brings thoughtful, pensive Ghanima to life respectably well. It should be eminent that the twins are portrayed as teenagers in the miniseries, which I reflect a wise decision to design them more relatable and easier to contemplate for first-time viewers.
Though I had loved Saskia Reeves’ Jessica, Alice Krige takes a turn in Lady Jessica’s shoes very well. She fleshes out the section of the Atreides matriarch and delivers a very reserved performance, which is befitting the cautious Jessica in the book. Edward Atterton (who played Arthur in TNT’s ‘The Mists of Avalon’ and has appeared on shows like ‘Firefly’ and ‘Alias’) plays a wonderfully convincingly warrior-mentat. Daniela Amavia’s gut-wrenching, explosive performance as Alia was highly titillating to behold, and her last scene brought so great more emotion to the events than the book afforded it. Daniela, Alice, and James came together so well in Alia’s last scene that many people who saw it were teary-eyed after watching it–it had me in tears. The book, however, didn’t arrive anywhere arrive that level of emotional impact.
I concept Susan Sarandon’s performance was tolerable–nothing great–but I consider it is unfair to blame her. She was horribly miscast. In a prove where almost everybody had an accent of some sort, Susan’s thoroughly American accent was completely out of set. Add that on top of the fact that her performance wasn’t as strong as some of the others, and no wonder she’s being singled out as the dilapidated link. She’s unprejudiced not at home playing a science-fiction villain.
As far as costumes, special effects, and props go, I enjoyed each of them immensely. The costumes are calm a bit quirky, but they are great more subdued and realistic than what they were in CoD’s predecessor. Where as the costumes in Dune were downright ‘kooky,’ the clothes in CoD could be considered ‘fasion.’ The special effects were very well done for a television feature. ‘The Voice’ was remarkable cooler in CoD, with soft growls and whispers overlapping over each other on top of the warped speaking to provide a richer, more majestic ‘Voice’ better capturing what it was in the book. The glow-in-the-dark blue eyes are traded in for more subdued blue eyes that are smart without looking radioactive. Everything comes together and molds comfortably with the region create, which boasts soft, warm colors and lighting that manufacture the places perceive like they exist in a perpetual sunset. Indeed, the overall peek is a very stunning one.
The true star of the present, however, was the accumulate. Brian Tyler offers compositions so energetic, radiant, and stunning to hear that he gives Arrakis the heart it sometimes lacked in the book. As with Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings, the region and the characters sometimes were a petite dry when it came to obliging ol’ fashioned emotion. This production would not have been what it was without its music. Brian Tyler does for CoD what James Horner did for Substantial and what Howard Shore did for the Lord of the Rings. Towards the slay of the first installment of CoD, a montage of events play out to a song Tyler created called ‘Inama Nushif,’ and my husband heard the television and wandered from his room to arrive ogle what I was watching because he said the music was, in his words, “so wintry.”
What this adaptation does with its casts’ tour de force performances and Brian Tyler’s soaring come by is create Children of Dune and its characters relatable, memorable, and human, and that is why it was such a resounding success.
Acnezine
Thyromine
