Review of Children Of Dune

Introduction

It`s been 12 years since the events of Dune unfolded. If you`ve been subjected to the Dune franchise in either Frank Herbert`s original book, David Lynch`s slightly warped and butchered movie or the much anticipated and critically acclaimed mini series then you know the story. I won`t give an in depth recap of events in this review, as it would take far too long. Those who know the uber serious nature of Herbert`s universe know the complex nature of its characters and politics. Unfortunately this Children of Dune DVD will not stand well on its own if you haven`t previously entered into the world of Dune.

The basic plot of the original series revolves around a kind of drug, known as the Spice Melange, that is only found on the lone dessert planet of Arrakis (aka Dune). This drug allows Navigators, humans who`ve been mutated by the Spice, to fold space and travel without moving. This makes Spice a vital element allowing interstellar trade and travel but also makes Spice a commodity to be controlled and said controller a powerful individual. We then get to the politics and the very serious nature of Herbert`s story. There`s assassinations and back stabbings abound from the various known races, or houses, as they conspire to out do one another in a bid to control Dune and the Spice.

The original Lynch movie is a chopped up version of Herbert`s vision. But the Dune mini series gave a sharper interpretation of his ultimate vision. The Dune mini series garnered critical acclaim and a couple of Emmy`s on the way. It was still flawed and couldn`t quite shake of the "made for TV" feel. Unfortunately Lynch`s 1984 take still comes out on top despite the flaws.

Children of Dune on the other hand should be taken as a follow up to the Dune mini series rather than the Lynch movie. The characters have a continuation from the Dune series and the whole feel of the mini series follows through into this venture. Director, Yaitanes has faithfully brought Herbert`s novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune to the small screen but now on an even grander scale. The Budget feels bigger, the fx are bigger and the list of well know actors seems to follow suit! With this being two very complex novels in Herbert`s Dune saga, sacrifices have been made to boil the story down to its most coherent thread.

Now I only managed to see one episode of this three parter when it aired on the Sci-Fi channel here in the UK, so on receiving this three disc review copy I decided to do the whole thing in one sitting. Each episode is just shy of one-and-a-half hours and each disc is split into twenty eight chapters.

Disc One contains episode one and extra features. Disc two and three contain just episode two and three respectively.

Video

Shot in "Lucasvision" sorry I mean digitally, the 1.78:1 anamorphic presentation is clean but is not as perfect as I would have expected. There`s a little too much edge enhancement, generating halos in areas of high contrast. The colour rendering gives this DVD set a boost though with some fabulous skin tone definition, but it`s interior shots of the regal palaces looking their best, with a warm and inviting feel. Whites are very sharp but pushing this DVD to give greater fine definition on smaller objects, which it does well, sacrifices the black levels, giving some heavy greys rather than good strong solids. Some scenes, especially those with CGI elements gave a slight shimmer effect that was noticeable on both of my DVD players, one a reference quality Pioneer 717. Colour bleed and macro blocking were nowhere to be seen!

Audio

Both Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 tracks are supplied. The 5.1 is the obvious winner, giving clean, clear dialogue. The front speakers where strident and punchy but not too overbearing, while the surrounds where aggressive when required and also superbly ambient at times.

What really stands out is Brian Tyler`s score. When it does kick-in it fills the room completely with a almost DTS ambience. Smaller solo instruments punch their way through nicely. It`s a shame this can`t be selected as an individual audio only track.

The R1 release of this DVD set contained a Dolby Digital EX mix. Now my amp is only registers a 5.1 set up so I`m not sure if this R2 release has the EX mix as I had no original box with these review discs.

Features

There`s a nice but short (13:32sec) making of documentary. It comes across as a bit over serious, but hey that`s the nature of Herbert`s material. There`s also a trailer and a set of on set and behind the scenes photo galleries.

The best of the very slight extras is a storyboard comparison. You get to see the storyboards presented in full anamorphic frame, with the completed shot as a smaller superimposed window. I just love seeing this kind of production info and this is the best way I`ve seen it presented on DVD for a while. Well done Warner!

Conclusion

A compelling drama that follows on perfectly from the previous Dune mini series. Not as polished as the 1984 David Lynch movie but as a made-for-TV item it stands out way above many long standing sci-fi outings. Often described as too complex and slow, this series gives the Dune saga a much belated speed boost by dropping laborious story angles and concentrating on the real meat of the tale.

The DVD is a mixed bag of tricks. Little to really recommend it to the casual viewer, this set is aimed squarely at the Dune fan. The picture quality is pretty good, a notch above the terrestrial TV transmission. The audio rendering on the other hand is just fabulous.

All in all a nice set for Dune followers. Those who wish to start, don`t watch this first. Get a copy of Lynch`s movie and then watch the Dune mini series...then progress to this set. Just remember that this takes up three of the six books by Frank Herbert, not to mention about three prequels by his two sons.

There could be even more Dune to come!