Frank Herbert's Dune (2000)
Last Watch Date - March 10, 2024
Total Times Watched - Once
Comments
Oh boy, another Dune thing! To be clear, I watched this strictly because of the hype for Dune Part 2 coming out. I wanted to reassure myself that I am not really a fan of Dune. Not so much the visuals and wahtever, but the story itself. Since I've already discussed my lack of enthusiasm for the story, this will be more on the entertaining-ness of this miniseries (yeah, not really a movie but it's basically 3-1h45m movies).
From a story perspective, this movie seems to stick the closest to the source. From what I recall at least. It's been a BIT since I've read any of the book. There is some extra stuff, but nothing is really cut out. I think this was the best way to go about the source, too. Three movies, each portraying one of the books parts. There's no rushing or artificially stopping the momentum in the middle of book part 2 (as this new Dune Part 2 does - this is probably mildly confusing). There's also no weird super hero stuff from Aquaman in this one.
Given the source material, you need some strong acting to pull it off anywhere remotely near what I would consider as "good." The cast is quite good overall. William Hurt gets top billing, but he's out of it pretty quickly. Alec Newman is ok as Paul. Saskia Reeves is quite good as Lady Jessica. Hatchet Harry appears as Gurney Halleck! You also have Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen and Lars from Psycho Beach Party as Feyd-Rautha. Even Irulan is well cast. I don't really have any big complaints from an acting perspective. Everything that sucks about it is because of the source.
The other major thing about this miniseries is that it was originally a Sci Fi Channel production and ... well it appears that way. The computer effects are quite poor, looking a bit like old FMV from mid-to-late 90s video games. Maybe even worse in some areas. The blue lights in the Fremen eyes were pretty funny because from a side, they didn't even bother to put it in. Also if they were already in light of some sort, they only half-assed it. In the dark, they glowed like flashlights.
Oh yeah, I should also mention that Part 2 has a pretty decent amount of nudity. I found this odd because of its roots as a Sci Fi Channel original. But you will see some male and female nudity. Is that enough for you to want to watch it? Maybe!
Recommended?
If you're looking for the most faithful adaptation of the novel, go for it. But it's very dated and the story SUCKS.
