DUNE: TV Miniseries (2000)

Frank Herbert's Dune (2000)

Dir. John Harrison | Length: 3 episodes, approx 98 minutes each.

There is a substance, a spice, found in only one place in the known universe, on Dune, a desert planet also known as Arrakis. The spice is the most important substance known to man. It prolongs life and enables interstellar travel. Without it interplanetary trade would cease and great empires would fall. That makes people nervous and nervous people often do desperate things.

The Padishah Emperor controls Dune. He's more nervous than most. People he favours are permitted to mine the spice. People that oppose him are quickly silenced and left to die. There are a number of political houses that the Emperor can use to keep the spice flowing. Each house has its own agenda. Each house has its own problems. Each house hates the other.

There's a prophecy that tells of a time when a man will come. A saviour. That time is now.

Dune is so full of plot that I had to skip 90% of it just to type that. It's about politics, religion, love, death, legacies, oppression, socialism, revolution, truth hidden and truth revealed, and so much more. I hate politics but I love Dune. It makes a dull subject exciting.

In reality, the layered complexity of the original novel makes it unsuitable for a film medium, but they try and I believe they deserve credit for making the attempt. It lacks the voice-over that David Lynch's filmed version (1984) had, and despite what you may think of the commercially available cut of the Lynch film he knew that an inner-voice (the role the v/o takes) was essential.

-Desert power, yo!-

Cinematography is by the renowned Vittorio Storaro, but what he chose to do with the limited budget will definitely irk some people. Same folks will mock the painted backdrops of the set-bound production, while others will be able to look beyond it to see the bigger picture.

Visually, each planet has its own unique style, so we can tell instantly where we are without the need for repetitive establishing shots. The costumes follow the same pattern, and the people chosen to wear them are (mostly) well-suited to their book counterpart.

Having a longer running time than any movie version means it can remain more faithful to the original text. And while it dares to invent a subplot for Princess Irulan that wasn't in Frank's book, it's woven around the main themes well, so it never feels like an intrusion.

-You think you've got problems?-