Noting criticisms of this here, I've seen "wooden acting" and "slow pace" mentioned a number of times. Granted. It wasn't perfect, by any means.
However, I've watched the whole thing three times, and it seems to get better every time. Oddly, this was my reaction to the novel "Dune" also; I didn't particularly like it the first time, got into it the second and third times I read it until I appreciated it for what it was - a classic. This mini-series did its best to treat the book seriously, much better than the wretched Lynch 1984 version. (How anyone could like that one is beyond me. But, I guess, if you did somehow manage to like it, you won't like this one; too serious for you.)
I've never criticised any movie for not religiously following the book; you can't, frankly, especially if the book is long and intricate and written well before the movie. So, this one deviates at times, but not disastrously so. The "weirding" effect in this one was, frankly, "weird," and I didn't particularly like it. This one also toned down the "female vs male" paradigm, probably for PC reasons more than anything else. I've seen criticism of this movie for its "stereotypes" in this regard, however, and they are not justified. (As if all gender roles have to be compliant with current PC-esque attitudes toward gender equality, which have often given us "fem-male" testosterone-driven freaks as "role models," particularly in sci-fi.
The best thing this one does is portray how Paul becomes the Messiah, and how Jessica used the Fremen's superstitions to create it. The Harkonnens were much better than in Lynch's version; yes, their "grossness" comes across strong on screen, but remember they were gross in the book also. TV and film are visual mediums, so the base grossness comes across much easier and faster. Still, the Baron was dangerous in this one, unlike the freak in the Lynch version.
Watch this one, give it a chance. It captures the spirit of the book better than any effort yet.
However, I've watched the whole thing three times, and it seems to get better every time. Oddly, this was my reaction to the novel "Dune" also; I didn't particularly like it the first time, got into it the second and third times I read it until I appreciated it for what it was - a classic. This mini-series did its best to treat the book seriously, much better than the wretched Lynch 1984 version. (How anyone could like that one is beyond me. But, I guess, if you did somehow manage to like it, you won't like this one; too serious for you.)
I've never criticised any movie for not religiously following the book; you can't, frankly, especially if the book is long and intricate and written well before the movie. So, this one deviates at times, but not disastrously so. The "weirding" effect in this one was, frankly, "weird," and I didn't particularly like it. This one also toned down the "female vs male" paradigm, probably for PC reasons more than anything else. I've seen criticism of this movie for its "stereotypes" in this regard, however, and they are not justified. (As if all gender roles have to be compliant with current PC-esque attitudes toward gender equality, which have often given us "fem-male" testosterone-driven freaks as "role models," particularly in sci-fi.
The best thing this one does is portray how Paul becomes the Messiah, and how Jessica used the Fremen's superstitions to create it. The Harkonnens were much better than in Lynch's version; yes, their "grossness" comes across strong on screen, but remember they were gross in the book also. TV and film are visual mediums, so the base grossness comes across much easier and faster. Still, the Baron was dangerous in this one, unlike the freak in the Lynch version.
Watch this one, give it a chance. It captures the spirit of the book better than any effort yet.