This is Kathleen again. Peter is having a very good time at AggieCon.
I had the chance this weekend to finally watch my way through Children of Dune.
I will say this, I felt like I was reading the books again.
If you didn’t like the Dune miniseries, this was not your cuppa. It was a lot of ponderous images and dialogue. And the repetition of phrases, which I don’t remember from the book.
Over all it looked good and I found myself wanting to watch the next part. Susan Sarandon was faaaabuloussss with some very fetching hair doos and a few hair don’ts.
Finally it all wrapped up and I though, OK I have seen this now I need never see it again. Which is how I felt about the books too. If you have the time to devote to it and liked the books. It is worth your time.
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I tried to get through it, but like the first mini-series, the acting was just too wooden and stiff for me. I compare the movie Dune with the mini-series, and there really is a vast difference. I can’t imagine that those are the best performances the director could get from the actors.
By the way, is there some place where PAD lists his convention schedule?
Personally, I didn’t understand the intentions of the film makers. Why make a film so dense, so confusing, and so inaccesable to any members of the audience who hadn’t just finished reading the books five minutes before the opening credits?
I have read the books so I did know what was going on most of the time…but I can’t imagine how those ignorant of the story beforehand would react. The movie made no sense, was too confusing, and most of the heart and meat was stripped away.
So…you’re left with a fan that will confuse newcomers and disappoint long-time fans.
Hear hear, Kath! I felt exactly the same way. I’ve been so disappointed with so many SF programs, particularly the weekly series that purport to be something interesting and original when they’re actually recycling all the usual cliches, that it was such an enormous pleasure watching this intelligent roller-coaster epic of political intrigue and dynastic tragedy. It’s been decades since I’ve read the books but from the little I recall it did seem to me as well as though the miniseries captured them.
Per the repetition of phrases: there’s at least some of that in Dune Messiah (the first night of the mini is actually based on DM, not CoD), but I’m not rereading Children until I’m done watching the mini.
Oh, and Susan Sarandon may have done a nice acting job… but she’s too old! Irulan is the oldest of Shaddam’s four daughters. (No, I didn’t just finish reading Dune the night before I started to watch the miniseries… )
As for those ignorant of the story… My friend who hasn’t read the books (though he did see the mini of Dune) had no problem following CoD. While I imagine that a complete newcomer could be quite confused, I also offer that the first mini is available on DVD, and Sci-Fi did rerun it shortly before CoD aired, so I don’t think people walking right into CoD would have very valid complaints.
I was not familiar with DM or CoD, but I followed the story rather well.
Questions: they never really did tie up the plot of the stolen Worm which was taken to Salusa Secundus. Did it survive? Did it produce Spice?
Finally, what IS the relationship between Worms and Spice?
I’ve read the first 2 books but couldn’t get through the third. I won’t be watching this untill it’s on video so I don’t give Sci-Fi any more of my viewing hours after they killed Farscape.
“Questions: they never really did tie up the plot of the stolen Worm which was taken to Salusa Secundus. Did it survive? Did it produce Spice?”
Spoilers for God Emperor of Dune: The worm they took to Salusa Secundus failed to start the spice cycle, evidenced by comments by Leto in GEoD that Arrakis is the only planet with worms. I don’t believe that Children of Dune ever addressed it in the novel.
“Finally, what IS the relationship between Worms and Spice?”
As I understand it, spice is basically sandworm waste. Their lifecycle is, I belive, sandtrout -> sandworm (when they hit water) -> spice (excreted), spice essence (when they hit water), and sandtrout (on death).
“I won’t be watching this untill it’s on video so I don’t give Sci-Fi any more of my viewing hours after they killed Farscape.”
Children of Dune comes out on DVD May 20th, FYI.
I haven’t seen it yet, but I didn’t have familial obligations to watch, this time around. Hope it was worthy though. I got to play around in the sets for the original mini, and they were amazing. Of course, I suppose I ought to read CoD first, anyway.
I re-watched the first miniseries twice this month and now I’m watching the second miniseries. I do miss Saskia Reeves, however, as Lady Jessica. Still, like you, I now have an intense desire to read the books.