Sorry about not getting back sooner, I had posted a reply but sciforums lost it. Let's get to it then, goofy!
but I detest all film versions of books
You have a right to do this, the books are always, always better than the movies, but that does not mean that the movies cannot be good in their own right.
Dune is a great novel and possibly (open to debate) the greatest science fiction novel
You're probably right, Dune is the Lord of the Rings of science fiction, but there's also the Foundation Series and the 2001 Series to keep an eye on. There's plenty of good scifi out there, you just have to know where to look. Awhile ago I read 'The Stone Canal' by this scottish author guy, I can't remember his name but it was pretty good. I recommend it to anyone interested in the genre.
The casting was terrible, the costumes cheesy, and this version did nothing to help those who hadn't read the book understand the complex story line.
The storyline for Dune is very, very complicated with loads of new words, and in the book Herbert really introduced most of them all at once (except for maybe the Bene Tlielaxu, christ I have no idea how to spell that), using them as if we were supposed to know what they meant when we were still newbies to the series. It's usually the best way to go with science fiction but it was really complex and I think that the miniseries really solidified what I already knew by having Paul ask questions, or even the opening scene of the movie where his instructor, Doctor Uwey, is telling him about the political tripod of the Empire.
To me the mini-series Paul was a whiny brat, constantly arguing his lot in life with others
I think he was like this more in the beginning and in the middle. I have the dvd and I watched some of the extras and before then I would have agreed with you but it so turns out that the director wanted to show how he was more of a child in the beginning and how he developed from an adolescent into an adult leader (his hair changed, he grew a beard, and he sounded different).
The gratuitous scenes with Irulan
I really liked Irulan, I guess it's just a difference of taste. The only problem I had with her was her dress in the scene where she meets Paul in Arrakeen. She has butterflies all over them, but where the hell did they come from? This is 100910 for christ's sake. Anyway in the extras she's actually quite the foxy lady.
You're right about gurney, but I think he did really act like a good father figure for Paul. The Sarduakar uniforms did suck and the Harkonnen uniforms looked reminiscent of stormtroopers. I really liked the eyes in this, I wanted to start a company that sold contacts that would do the same thing (well, I
did want to).
But I really think that it's just a difference of taste in film. BTW not only is Irulan a foxy lady but whatsherface, uhh, that fremen woman that he falls in love with is really a looker in the behind the scenes part too.
Since my family sees almost all scifi movies, we rented it - then decided it is not worth buying...
I agree with you kmguru. It would make better use of Tom Hank's rope for his raft in Castaway. I'd never watch it if I had it on tape and I'd hide it if any of my friends came over. If they found it I'd just say that I taped over the whole thing with pornography or something, that would be more acceptable...
