Amazon.com

It's a mixed blessing, but Frank Herbert's Dune goes a long way toward satisfying science fiction purists who scoffed at David Lynch's previous attempt to adapt Herbert's epic narrative. Ironically, director John Harrison's 288-minute TV miniseries (broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2000) offers its own share of strengths and weaknesses, which, in retrospect, emphasize the quality of Lynch's film while treating Herbert's novel with more comprehensive authority. Debate will continue as to which film is better; Lynch's extensive use of internal monologue now seems like a challenge well met, and Harrison's more conventional approach is better equipped to convey the epic scope of Herbert's interplanetary political intrigue.

This much is certain: this Dune is a sumptuous treat for the eyes, with sets and costumes that were conceived with no apparent limits of budget or creativity. In terms of architecture alone, this is one of the most impressive films in science fiction history. And although the special effects fall short of feature-film quality, writer-director Harrison (who rose from an extensive background in TV) admirably tames the sprawling narrative that pits the opposing houses of Atreides and Harkonnen in a struggle to control the lucrative market for the spice melange. This is as accurate as any Dune adaptation is likely to get (i.e., there's no need for another attempt), and even then, it can be tricky to keep track of who's doing what to whom. Unfortunately, the film's biggest flaws are the casting of a nearly comatose William Hurt as Duke Leto, and a wooden Alec Newman as the messiah-to-be, Paul Atreides. These are regrettable shortcomings, but this Dune remains altogether respectable. That Frank Herbert would be impressed is perhaps the biggest compliment one can pay. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (463)

Something About Cheesy
Dune generates a lot of interest--witness the hundreds of reviews written about this SF Channel version and Lynch's early 80's film. I really liked the Lynch film, even though it's been dubbed a 'guilty pleasure' by Premiere magazine. The plot was not difficult for me to understand, even though I had not read the book first. What's wrong with this version?--though much more accesible to viewers, there's a cheesy quality (not always visible) that suddenly rears its ugly head, reaches out and bites the watcher. The women's clothes, for example, are jarring, distracting, often ugly and just plain cheesy. And stop the hat madness! William Hurt is a major disappointment (catch his helicopter rescue lingo--not sure if he's in Top Gun or straight out of WWII)and Jessica is bland and unconvincing as a drop-dead gorgeous witch (catch Francesca Annis in the Lynch film to see a woman who could cause a Duke to eschew marriage with another noble House). Paul Atreides does well enough, as does the Harkonnen Duke, but overall the casting of this mini-series can't compare to the film's. I'd call it well-meaning and often entertaining, but watch the quirky Lynch film to experience the mystery and wonder of Dune.

the other version
I am a hardcore fan of Frank Herbert's science fiction. Since other people on here have written very good reviews, I will try to keep mine short and to the point. Yes, I agree very much with what Amazon.com had to say. The architecture is impressive. The sets are very interesting and the costumes, I believe, were made by a cutting edge French fashion agency. This is the strength of this version - the sets and costumes. However.

The acting suffers greatly. Like most cg filled epics of our day, this one suffers from what I like to call "Video game cutscene syndrome." That is, that what should be an entertainment experience in its own right becomes little more than a computer graphics showcase (a non-interactive one, unlike a real video game). When acting is sacrificed for the sake of cg graphics, the result is little more than a crippled video game experience, one in which you are unable to control the action and must sit passively watching the equivalent of a video game cutscene. The acting is downright terrible, with the exception of the Baron and some of the development surrounding Duke Leto. This version, unlike the David Lynch one, is pure eye candy, nothing more, nothing less.

However, I will say it was a noble attempt. I can see how hard they tried. I can recognize this. Therefore, I give it an average rating.

Great Movie!
Great Acting,Great Script,Great Special Effects,Great Story!There are millions of Frank Herbert fans all across the world.Dune is one of those TV Miniseries that people will be talking about for years to come.Most Sci-Fi fans like Dune better than the original Star Wars trilogy.Most Star Trek fans said that they prefer Dune over all other Sci-Fi movies.Buy the Special Edition 3 DVD Set from Artisan Home Entertainment.Dune won an Emmy award for best tv miniseries."DUNE" is simply great!

A LETTER 4 JOHN HARRISON
Actor Mark Hamill would made a terrific aging Moneo for 'God Emperor of Dune'. He's a memorable sci-fi icon. He can act and inexpen... well,he's not as expensive as Mr. McBeal. But you'll get a great mixture of star,talent & economical value. Really gives an advantage to the REAL STAR of the movie(s)... THE STORY to the great FINALE of the Atreides saga.
Oh! about the movie..5 star for the daring effort of ARTISAN which no other company would try...just like NEW LINE CINEMA. BRAVO!!

Sci Fi Shakespere
There are a lot of arguments over hardcore David Lynch fans and fans of the movie compared to fans of this min series. So I am going to look at both in my review of this.

Good points of the Lynch movie:
Costumes, a lot of people consider this a strong point, they were from outer space, which was fitting. The makeup was a bit overdone, but worked for some characters, such as the mentats. The cinematography was interesting and original.

Bad Points of the Lynch movie:
It was choppy and poorly edited, they seem to jump over ideas and plot elements with little or no explanation. The baron wasn't believable, he was loud and thuggish, didn't seem at all like a leader a large group of people would follow. Sting was a poor choice for Feyd, Rabban was barely touched on. Some of the sequences were a bit cheesy, when they were riding the worms the music and the filming was almost laughable. Though I love Patric Stewart, he was too rigid as gurney hallek.
There is also the interesting note that David Lynch hated this movie and considered it his weakest project. Allegedly his name wasn't on the poster but was attached to the movie later due to contractual obligations.

The mini series

Good points:
It was much longer and had an open feel to it, didn't jump from place to place. They spent more time with some of the main characters. The empiress actually has a role rather than just a few lines. It followed the book, and added scenes that fit the story, i.e. the banquet on Arrakis, the Baron plotting with his nephews. The Harkonnens seemed more realistic; the Baron was a flamer, devious, and egotistical. Feyd seemed much more the spoiled sociopath that he was supposed to be. Rabban was thuggish and violent. Gurney Hallek was more animated and would play his instrument. The show had a feeling of a shakesperan play with the pacing and dialogue.

the bad
Two of the main actors weren't up to par. William Hurt was poorly chosen and seems more like a aide to a Duke than the Duke himself. Paul Artredes just seems lazy, like this wasn't the role he wanted, just the role he got. They didn't do what a lot of people were hoping for, more of a look into the Bene Gesseret. The Lady Jessica wasn't terrible, but also wasn't spectacular. She was a tough character though, someone who was basically a plant for another order who'd given up on her duties.

All in all I did like some aspects of the David Lynch movie, which is saying a lot, I hate David Lynch's other movies. But in a whole I don't consider it a good movie. It is a collection of ideas, interesting sequences, and good costumes, not a good movie. Even the extended versions make you feel like you are missing something. Although it could be argued that parts of it were better than the mini series, they are only parts, not a movie.

The mini series gave more of a broad view of the world of Dune. The characters are explored beyond what the book gave us. They also add scenes that were not originally in the novel, but they fit. Feyd's training on slave gladiators, Baron's plotting with his nephews, the banquet of the royal houses on Arrakis, the daily lives of the Freeman, etc.... For its shortcomings, it is a much better movie in the whole. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Predictably predictable
A regrettable rental, this run-of-the-mill conspiracy silliness is made all the more painful by the its actors' sincerity. Basically, in the mid-90s someone got the idea of capitalizing on the country's X-Files fetish by producing this paint-by-numbers, half-hearted script. Everything that isn't telegraphed in advance is an inevitable cliche. You end up wanting to ask this dedicated ex-FBI woman as she's wandering around in her desperate confusion, "What's wrong with you? Haven't you seen any conspiracy flicks before?" Typical dialogue:
"They will stop at nothing."
"But who are They?"
"You never know who They are. They are like shadows."
"That's right. You never know who They are until it is too late."
"What are Their objectives?"
"Only this: Power."

I guess if we actually swallowed such farcical and lazy writing, we would be seized with paranoia, but since our leaders are admittedly only so-so when it comes even to geography, it's hard to be impressed by such callow, pandering ridiculousness.

Worth Seeing
As made for video movies go, this is much better than most with solid performances and a conspiracy story-line which is much more than what you expect. Give it a try. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE
TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE is a horror anthology that contains three gruesome stories that are bookended by a wraparound story."The Wraparound Story" is about a little boy who tells scary stories to a modern day cannibal in order to save some time before she cooks the little boy for a dinner party. "Lot 249" is about a college student who brings an ancient mummy back to life in order to seek revenge against the people who have done him wrong. "Cat From Hell" is about a rich man who hires a hitman to kill a cat that he believes has come to kill him. "Lover's Vow" is about a man who witnesses an act of murder committed by a demonic creature and is given the chance to live if he promises never to speak about what he saw. All these stories contain plenty of gore, humor, and scares to keep you on the edge of your seat! Plus, you have a great cast of actors in the movie!

sometimes great but not that great
it starts out as a lady comes home to cook a boy for dinner but the boy tells the lady three storys from the Tales From The Darkside book. the first one is Lot 249 with Christian Slater, Julianne Moore and Steve Buscemi, which this one is the best with of course Slater's character. then the next one is The Cat From Hell with William Hickey and David Johanssen, this one is ok but it sometimes shallows the movie with its annoying and mangling old people. the last one is A Lover's Vow with James Remar and Rae Dawn Chong, it starts off good with Remar but then ends up being a cheesy story with its lame gargoyle effects.

A Hilarious Black Comedy.
It's got gore, it's got cannibals, it's got a really sneeky kid who pushes a woman into a furnace. What more could you ask for? Each story is interesting and hilarious. This isn't scary at all, but it wasn't meant to be! From Stephen King (Pet Sematary), Michael McDowell (Beetlejuice), George A. Romero (Night Of The Living Dead) and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) comes Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, an all-star horror anthology packed with fun and fright. "The Wraparound Story" concerns a little boy who spins all the tales... to distract a modern-day witch who wants to pop him in the oven! This movie is better then the TV series. Buy or rent today!!!

Excellent and underrated horror anthology!
From the producers of " Creepshow 1 & 2" gives us another fine collection of bone-chilling stories, based on the popular 80's TV show that defined the era for Television fear. This movie is about a deadly wicked Witch ( played by Debraoh Harry) who plans on cooking a little boy ( played by Mattew Lawrence) but while she's preparing for the dinner, he reads her three horror stories. The first story is called " Lot 249" which is about a Mummy being resurrected by a Archeologist, the second story is called " Cat From Hell" which is about a hired assassin that has been hired by a old rich man to kill a cat that's really a murderer and the last story is called " Lover's Vow" which tells the story of a New York artist who saw his friend slaughtered by a winged monster and the creature spares the man's life by telling him a promise to not tell anyone about the creature or the murder. But then the artist keeps his promise, he suddenly runs into a woman and falls in love with her then marries her, but can he keep his promise forever?
Very entertaining, spooky and unique anthology flick from the minds of Stephen King, George Romero ( Creator of Night of the Living Dead, Creepshow and Dawn of the Dead), Michael McDowell ( Creator of " Beetlejuice"), Richard P. Rubenstein and Arthur Conan Doyle ( Author of " Sherlock Holms). A great cast such as Steve Buscemi, Rae Dawn Chong from "Commando", " James Remar, Julianne Moore, Christian Slater, Debraoh Harry, William Hickey, and David Johansen. And plenty of superb make-up effects by Robert Kurtzman, the third story however is basically a remake of the "Woman in The Snow" story from the Japanese horror classic " Kwaidan" and the ending to that story will scare the pants off of you.
This is a must see for anyone who loves " Creepshow", " Goosebumps", "Tales from The Crypt" or " Asylum".

Wonderful horror anthology.
Unlike the silly television series, Tales From the Darkside: The Movie, takes you on a heck of a ride as a boy spins three harrowing tales of horror to a modern day witch (Harry) who wants to pop him in the oven! The first anthology tale ,"Lot 249", is a tale in which a mummy is suddenly brought to live and gruesomely murders several college coeds. A very ugly mummy to say the least.
The 2nd tale is about an old rich man who hires a hitman to kill an evil black cat in "The Cat From Hell". Gore hounds will love this one!
The 3rd tale is probably my favorite, "The Lovers Vow". It is a very moving tale about a poor artist who is the eye witness to a live gargoyle. The gargoyle promises not to kill the man if he will promise to never tell anyone about seeing the gargoyle. The man agrees and promises to never tell a soul, and the gargoyle lets him live. But can the man truly keep his promise? Find out.
This movie is awesome. I love it. If you love bloody horror anthologies then this is just the flick for you.
Rated R for violence, gore, language, some nudity, and a scene of suggested sex. ... Read more

Reviews (463)

Something About Cheesy
Dune generates a lot of interest--witness the hundreds of reviews written about this SF Channel version and Lynch's early 80's film. I really liked the Lynch film, even though it's been dubbed a 'guilty pleasure' by Premiere magazine. The plot was not difficult for me to understand, even though I had not read the book first. What's wrong with this version?--though much more accesible to viewers, there's a cheesy quality (not always visible) that suddenly rears its ugly head, reaches out and bites the watcher. The women's clothes, for example, are jarring, distracting, often ugly and just plain cheesy. And stop the hat madness! William Hurt is a major disappointment (catch his helicopter rescue lingo--not sure if he's in Top Gun or straight out of WWII)and Jessica is bland and unconvincing as a drop-dead gorgeous witch (catch Francesca Annis in the Lynch film to see a woman who could cause a Duke to eschew marriage with another noble House). Paul Atreides does well enough, as does the Harkonnen Duke, but overall the casting of this mini-series can't compare to the film's. I'd call it well-meaning and often entertaining, but watch the quirky Lynch film to experience the mystery and wonder of Dune.

the other version
I am a hardcore fan of Frank Herbert's science fiction. Since other people on here have written very good reviews, I will try to keep mine short and to the point. Yes, I agree very much with what Amazon.com had to say. The architecture is impressive. The sets are very interesting and the costumes, I believe, were made by a cutting edge French fashion agency. This is the strength of this version - the sets and costumes. However.

The acting suffers greatly. Like most cg filled epics of our day, this one suffers from what I like to call "Video game cutscene syndrome." That is, that what should be an entertainment experience in its own right becomes little more than a computer graphics showcase (a non-interactive one, unlike a real video game). When acting is sacrificed for the sake of cg graphics, the result is little more than a crippled video game experience, one in which you are unable to control the action and must sit passively watching the equivalent of a video game cutscene. The acting is downright terrible, with the exception of the Baron and some of the development surrounding Duke Leto. This version, unlike the David Lynch one, is pure eye candy, nothing more, nothing less.

However, I will say it was a noble attempt. I can see how hard they tried. I can recognize this. Therefore, I give it an average rating.

Great Movie!
Great Acting,Great Script,Great Special Effects,Great Story!There are millions of Frank Herbert fans all across the world.Dune is one of those TV Miniseries that people will be talking about for years to come.Most Sci-Fi fans like Dune better than the original Star Wars trilogy.Most Star Trek fans said that they prefer Dune over all other Sci-Fi movies.Buy the Special Edition 3 DVD Set from Artisan Home Entertainment.Dune won an Emmy award for best tv miniseries."DUNE" is simply great!

A LETTER 4 JOHN HARRISON
Actor Mark Hamill would made a terrific aging Moneo for 'God Emperor of Dune'. He's a memorable sci-fi icon. He can act and inexpen... well,he's not as expensive as Mr. McBeal. But you'll get a great mixture of star,talent & economical value. Really gives an advantage to the REAL STAR of the movie(s)... THE STORY to the great FINALE of the Atreides saga.
Oh! about the movie..5 star for the daring effort of ARTISAN which no other company would try...just like NEW LINE CINEMA. BRAVO!!

Sci Fi Shakespere
There are a lot of arguments over hardcore David Lynch fans and fans of the movie compared to fans of this min series. So I am going to look at both in my review of this.

Good points of the Lynch movie:
Costumes, a lot of people consider this a strong point, they were from outer space, which was fitting. The makeup was a bit overdone, but worked for some characters, such as the mentats. The cinematography was interesting and original.

Bad Points of the Lynch movie:
It was choppy and poorly edited, they seem to jump over ideas and plot elements with little or no explanation. The baron wasn't believable, he was loud and thuggish, didn't seem at all like a leader a large group of people would follow. Sting was a poor choice for Feyd, Rabban was barely touched on. Some of the sequences were a bit cheesy, when they were riding the worms the music and the filming was almost laughable. Though I love Patric Stewart, he was too rigid as gurney hallek.
There is also the interesting note that David Lynch hated this movie and considered it his weakest project. Allegedly his name wasn't on the poster but was attached to the movie later due to contractual obligations.

The mini series

Good points:
It was much longer and had an open feel to it, didn't jump from place to place. They spent more time with some of the main characters. The empiress actually has a role rather than just a few lines. It followed the book, and added scenes that fit the story, i.e. the banquet on Arrakis, the Baron plotting with his nephews. The Harkonnens seemed more realistic; the Baron was a flamer, devious, and egotistical. Feyd seemed much more the spoiled sociopath that he was supposed to be. Rabban was thuggish and violent. Gurney Hallek was more animated and would play his instrument. The show had a feeling of a shakesperan play with the pacing and dialogue.

the bad
Two of the main actors weren't up to par. William Hurt was poorly chosen and seems more like a aide to a Duke than the Duke himself. Paul Artredes just seems lazy, like this wasn't the role he wanted, just the role he got. They didn't do what a lot of people were hoping for, more of a look into the Bene Gesseret. The Lady Jessica wasn't terrible, but also wasn't spectacular. She was a tough character though, someone who was basically a plant for another order who'd given up on her duties.

All in all I did like some aspects of the David Lynch movie, which is saying a lot, I hate David Lynch's other movies. But in a whole I don't consider it a good movie. It is a collection of ideas, interesting sequences, and good costumes, not a good movie. Even the extended versions make you feel like you are missing something. Although it could be argued that parts of it were better than the mini series, they are only parts, not a movie.

The mini series gave more of a broad view of the world of Dune. The characters are explored beyond what the book gave us. They also add scenes that were not originally in the novel, but they fit. Feyd's training on slave gladiators, Baron's plotting with his nephews, the banquet of the royal houses on Arrakis, the daily lives of the Freeman, etc.... For its shortcomings, it is a much better movie in the whole. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

YOU GOTTA HAVE HEART
DONOR UNKNOWN is a puzzling success: it's an unknown film, for sure, but it has some interesting things going for it:
*The plot is unique, although at times ambiguous;
*Peter Onorati does a good job as the man given a new heart after he suffers a near fatal heart attack, although one has to wonder how a man with his physique could possibly have heart problems;
*Alice Krige (Ghost Story) is beautiful and convincing as Onorati's wife;
*Sam Robards is suavely villainous and vet bad guy Clancy Brown surly and frightening.
Onorati discovers that his heart was supplied via the murder of a young Hispanic, the murder being propagated by Robards to advance his own financial needs to set up a transplant clinic.
Onorati gets in deeper and deeper, getting to wear some sharp tailor-made suits and a tux, too!
I liked the feel of this movie; there was a darkness in it that hasn't been captured in similar organ-donor films. The ending is downbeat, but in some ways, the only way to end it.
A good movie all around, though. ... Read more