"Dune" Miniseries Vs. "Dune" 1984

[Truth_Seeker]

I've always considered "Dune" 1984 to be one of the ugliest high budget movies ever made. It was also a huge dissapointment to the fans of Frank Herbert's novel. The 2000 miniseries on the other hand does a much better job of telling this epic and complex story. The cast is great, there is much more character development than the movie and it explains everything much better instead of leaving the viewers wondering what words like "quizats haderah" actually mean.

 

[Shurik]

The miniseries were infinitely better.

 

[Harvey]

I prefer the miniseries. I don't understand why Lynch felt the need to introduce the weirding modules and the gross, bizarre depiction of the Harkonnens. The miniseries was much closer to the spirit of the book. I also can't stand the color palette used in the movie--Arrakis looks incredibly bland and the Emperor's palace has so much gold it's disgusting to witness. And Storaro's cinematography in the miniseries is quite beautiful. The film does have a great cast, however they're mostly wasted.

 

[Lindley]

I prefer the mini.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

I've always considered "Dune" 1984 to be one of the ugliest high budget movies ever made.

Dune (1984) Production Budget: $40 million
Yes that's a pretty large budget for 1984.

For comparison
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Budget $17 million (estimated)

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Production Budget: $32.5 million

Though not as much as Ishtar (1987)
Production Budget: $55 million

 

[DarKush]

I prefer the mini, though I liked the visual look of the movie better. I also thought the movie had almost perfect casting. The mini was a bit spottier. Some I really liked, like the Jessicas, Paul eventually, the ghola Duncan, Baron Harkonnen, Irulan, and Feyd Rautha and the second Stilgar, but others like Alia, the first Stilgar, Duncan, Shaddam IV just didn't work for me.

 

[Chris_Johnston]

I so loved the mini-series, for all the reasons that have already been stated. Truly felt like what I'd seen in my mind while reading the books.

My only gripe was with the use of translites as background for the scenes on the open desert, filmed on a soundstage.
They had the same problem as with a matte painting outside the window of a high-rise apartment/office set, where the illusion is ruined if the camera angle on the set doesn't match with the perspective in the painting, i.e. if the camera's tilted up, and there's a downward angle on the BG; or if the illumination on the FG subjects is from a different direction as in the BG, etc.

 

[StarCruiser]

The miniseries was deliberately done as if it were a stage play, rather than a movie. As such, you have backdrops to give the impression of a larger stage, just as is often done on a real stage production...

It was a creative idea, and yeah, it didn't work so well on TV.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

The movie doesn't hold up that well. All those voice over "thoughts" are a tedious narrative for one thing.

In its defense:

1. The wierding modules give the Emperor a straight-forward reason to back Harkonnen's against the Atreides, basically Leto is building weapons of mass destruction (and in control of the source of what makes long distance travel possible...sound familiar? )

2. The Harkonnen's are gross so that the we, the assumably uniformed viewer, will know they are the despicable villains.

3. The idea that the Guild third stage navigator is like a giant, big brained fetus is cooler than that thing in the mini.

4. The spice giving the Shaddam IV long life gives him a greater stake in the outcome. (I have to wonder how he has such young looking daughter, he waited some 480 years to have kids? His sperm count is still that good? Gimme some spice melange!)

 

[stj]

The miniseries copied most of the visual style of the Lynch movie. The claim that the miniseries is so very superior therefore just seems odd.

 

[clint g]

The miniseries copied most of the visual style of the Lynch movie. The claim that the miniseries is so very superior therefore just seems odd.

It's superior because the mini followed the book better than the movie did

 

[The Wormhole]

Got to go with the mini. The movie has its flaws, and we all know what they are. There's no need to go over them again. Though I never tire of complaining about its ending. Seriously, that's fucked.

The mini was entertaining, faithful to the book, and just downright cool.

 

[Hyperspace05]

I'd go with the mini-series. My short pro/con lists:

Dune (1984)...
Pro:
- Neat design work/costumes
- Good cast
Con:
- The thought narration... OMG the laziest script writing cliche ever put down on paper!!!
- The weirdling modules

Mini-series...
Pro:
- Enough time to tell the story
- Good cast (even if William Hurt is most miscast)
Con:
- Stage "look"
- Irulan character plot changes

The Children of Dune mini-series is by far the best adaptation of Herbert's books, though. All the pro's of the first mini-series, plus great VFX and score.

 

[Lindley]

I don't count the expanded Irulan plot as a con. I thought it worked quite well in the mini. Especially given Irulan's role in the Children of Dune mini, the fact that she was so prominent in the first one makes her work very well as a link through the whole thing.

However, I do regret the excising of the Howat and Idaho stories beyond the attack.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Got to go with the mini. The movie has its flaws, and we all know what they are. There's no need to go over them again. Though I never tire of complaining about its ending. Seriously, that's fucked.

The rain? That was proof that Paul could destroy the worms using brain magic.

Okay, that's a shaky rationalization.

 

[arch101]

I read the book before the original film came out. After I saw the film, I thought the story would be much better served if it were filmed on something like "Masterpiece Theatre" over many weeks. The effects and locations wouldn't be as good as the film, but the story would be done much better. The miniseries is much closer to my ideal presentation of 'Dune'. I just wish they had filmed "God Emperor" to finish the story off.

 

[The Wormhole]

Got to go with the mini. The movie has its flaws, and we all know what they are. There's no need to go over them again. Though I never tire of complaining about its ending. Seriously, that's fucked.

The rain? That was proof that Paul could destroy the worms using brain magic.

Okay, that's a shaky rationalization.

But he just won, why the hell is he killing the worms and destroying the spice?

 

[Kirkman1987]

I'm not really a fan of either adaptation. I will go with the Lynch version though just for the visual flair and casting.