Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (TV Miniseries)
Conspiracies abound in
Children of Dune
, Sci-Fi Channel's praiseworthy miniseries sequel to
Frank Herbert's Dune
, loyally adapted from the Herbert novels
Dune Messiah
and
Children of Dune
by John Harrison, who passed directorial duties (due to a scheduling conflict) to Greg Yaitanes, a 31-year-old TV director and
Dune
neophyte tackling his biggest assignment to date. Uninitiated viewers face a disadvantage; it's best to read Herbert's books and/or see the first miniseries before plunging into this remarkably coherent tangle of political intrigue, unfolding 12 years after the events of
Dune
.
To his horror, Maud'Dib--Arrakis emperor Paul Atreides (Alec Newman, reprising his
Dune
role)--has become the unintended figurehead of a violent dictatorship, and his enemies are multiplying. Vanishing into the desert, he waits as destiny shapes his twin heirs Leto II (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), who must contend with their scheming aunt Alia (Daniela Amavia) while Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon), of the enemy House Corrino, plots her own attack on Maud'Dib's familial empire. Exiled Atreides matriarch Lady Jessica (Alice Krige, giving the film's finest performance) returns to Arrakis, where the enormous, desert-dwelling sandworms face an uncertain future. As always, the spice must flow, and the universe's most coveted commodity remains at the center of this richly detailed and physically impressive production. Special effects range from awesome (fly-over shots of the capital city, Arakeen) to awful (the saber-tooth tigers look like
Jumanji
rejects), and
Dune
devotees will endlessly debate the miniseries' strengths and weaknesses. Some may desire more action to punctuate the film's inherent verbosity, but consensus will surely conclude that this is
Dune
done right, with monumental effort and obvious devotion from everyone involved.
--Jeff Shannon
| uuid: |
57D5FE2E-489E-4733-8182-6984F5323BED |
| upc: |
0012236138723 |
| title: |
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (TV Miniseries) |
| theatricalDate: |
16-03-2003 |
| purchase date: |
16-07-2006 |
| publisher: |
Live / Artisan |
| published: |
20-05-2003 |
| price: |
$14.98 |
| net Rating: |
4.5 |
| MPAA Rating: |
Unrated |
| minutes: |
266 |
| number of media: |
2 |
| last lookup time: |
174719632 |
| genre: |
Top Sellers
Miniseries
Dune |
| fullTitle: |
Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (TV Miniseries) |
| features: |
Anamorphic
Closed-captioned
Color
Dolby
Widescreen
NTSC
1.85:1 |
| director: |
Greg Yaitanes |
| currentValue: |
$6.47 |
| created: |
174719616 |
| country: |
us |
| aspect: |
DVD |
| asin: |
B00008RUYH
|
