Les Enfants de Dune

Long live the Golden Age -- we need more movies based upon the classics.

COD is good, better than Soderberg's Solaris (I know, I've got a chip on my shoulder).

I did not enjoy the sequel novels as much as the original Dune novel, and so I had no real hopes for this SciFi Channel Production.

It was head and shoulders better than the original mini-series for the following reasons:

1) Better casting -- in particular James McAvoy, who brought power, emotion, and sensitivity to his role. An almost Shakespearean hero. 2) Stunningly beautiful score -- thanks to Brian Tyler.

I'm not going to beat up on the story, original or screenplay, I have no real complaints, it was well paced and well told.

The film seemed very sumptuous, although I agree that, at times, COD had a very 'filmed on the set' feel to it, particularly the deep desert scenes, the true character of Arrakis still has yet to be realized on screen, and computer effects still have a long way to go (on any film) to lose the sterile feel.

Because of the better casting and score, I found it very easy to suspend disbelief, allow myself to be drawn in, and become emotionally interested, something which science fiction films seem to have trouble doing (Gattaca is an exception).

On that note alone I would give COD a very high rating and call it the best science fiction film I have seen in a couple of years.

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."

Personally I really enjoyed *Children of Dune*. First the major issue about the faithfulness to the books. To quote director Greg Yaitanes; "Try not to get hung up on such details as whether the twins are too old or too young, the eyes are too blue or not blue enough, or that the book says this and we did that. You'll end up robbing yourself of a great experience. The Dune universe is so wonderful because of how human and real its characters are. To not respect that would be the worst offense any of us could make." He's got that straight. This is an adaptation not a re-creation. The screenplay by John Harrison managed to fit in enough of Frank Herbert's vision to remain true to the spirit of the epic Dune saga.

The entire cast, Alec Newman [Paul Muad'Dib], Daniela Amavia [Alia Atreides], Julie Cox [Princess Irulan], Barbaroa Kodetova [Chani], James McAvoy [Leto II], Jessica Brooks [Ghanima], Susan Sarandon [Wensicia Corrino], Alice Krige [Reverend Mother Jessica Atreides], Edward Atterton [Duncan Idaho], Ian McNeice [Baron Harkonnen], Steven Berkoff [Stilgar], P.H. Moriarty [Gurney] and Johathan Bruun [Farad'n Corrino] gave me characters I could relate to as well as care about over the course of the miniseries. I especially enjoyed watching Alice Krige because her ability to convey depth of emotion with facial expressions is a well developed art.

The CGI effects were fantastic. Sharp & crisp. The best I've seen done on television and the use of computer generated 3-D backgrounds added so much stature to the sets. CoD was far superior to *Dune* which used mat backgrounds in terms of it's visuals. The movement of CGI objects like Thopters around CG backgrounds and the use of shadow rendering to add realism were absolutely first rate. As an example the shots of the Thopter landing at the Royal Palace in Arrakeem where the ships shadow moves across buildings then follows it down to the landing pad brought a big smile and a sigh...wow! CoD won an Emmy Award in 2003 (Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or Special).

The costumes by Academy Award winner Theodor Pistek and his son Jan were outstanding. A visual feast for the eyes & the heart. The wedding scene at the Royal Palace was as worthy as any major motion picture costume drama and should have earned another Emmy in the costuming category.

The cinematography by Arthur Reinhart was stunning. The use of High Definition digital cameras instead of standard 35mm film and being shot in 16:9 true LBX format also made it look like a feature film rather that a TV miniseries (the DVD looks great as well). The use of lighting during camera pans over actors faces or on shots as characters moved across sets was again vary well used.

The music score by Brian Tyler was at times dark and moody, then majestic, adding to the grandeur of many of the key scenes where the score helped lift one's feelings to the level of emotion being presented by the actors as the story unfolded on the screen. The background soundtrack as the camera followed characters though the zocalo's of Arrakeem or the desert sietche's added a mystical quality where one could almost smell the food cooking or the incense like fragrance of the Spice Melange.

Overall *Children of Dune* has to rate with the best mini-series' that have ever been produced over the years and may even set a new standard for work being done for television with it's quality production. A 9 out of 10.

A blizzard and 32 inches of snow is the perfect setting to watch a mini-series that has been taped for later viewing. As a long-time Dune book series fan and an owner of the DVD of the Lynch movie and the first Sc-Fi miniseries, I eagerly awaited Children of Dune.

The good: Excellent musical score (hopefully available on amazon.com); better acting in general, especially Alice Krige as Lady Jessica and the young actor who played Leto, son of Paul; better special effects (incredible sandworms!); and just the fact that Sci-Fi took time and money to prodice this miniseries (though I will never forgive the cancellation of Farscape).

The bad: Susan Sarandon, for an alleged fan of the Dune series, was just terrible, all hammy and goofy like some character out of a 60s sitcom; the actress who played Alia, Paul Atreides sister, was OK but seemed to lack the fire that I always envisioned as Paul's sister went mad; and the story, which was a mixture of the second and third books in the series, was so incredibly dense -- even for a Dune veteran like me -- that I wondered if anyone else could watch the mini-series and even figure out what was going on.

Generally speaking, this was a better production than the first miniseries, but the story was harder to tell. I hope that Sci-Fi carries on and does a third mini-series. I rated Children of Dune an 8.

I admit being a big fan of the 'Dune' books. I consider them being a masterpiece, not only of the science-fiction genre, but of the world literature as a whole. Yes, nothing less. I am a books lover, and I have read very few books reaching this level of complexity and with such a philosophical depth when reflecting what the faith of mankind will be in the future. Reflections on democracy and dictatorship, ecological balance, holy wars, genetics, love, you find them all melted at high artistic temperature.

Having revealed this, any film inspired by 'Dune' must reach a high stake for me to like it. A great director as David Lynch already tried his forces, with good (but not perfect) results. The current series, inspired by the second and third books in the series are very faithful to the original. Certainly the books are that powerful, so people who did not read them may find some details obscure, or some conflict details un-explained. Well, my only advice - go and read the books! You will not regret.

'Dune' is golden material for mini-series, but also puts some serious technical challenges. The team who realized 'Children of Dune' met them well for most of the time. Some of the effects look Disney-like, and this is the only big minus I found in this film. Otherwise, a very good cast does a wonderful job in re-creating Herbert's world of characters. The action has logic, and each of the third parts is well driven from a tension point of view.

I hope that more is coming. If they approach the fourth book, that one has even more challenges, as Frank Herbert's fantasy got even wilder, in what I think was one of the best books in the series. In any case, 'Children of Dune' is memorable, and gets a 9/10 on my personal scale.