"Originally aired on cable television's the Science Fiction Channel, John Harrison's visual adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune is a stunning, four-hour epic that captures much of the novel intact, bringing to life Herbert's cultures, ideas, and even ideologies. Although lacking the immediacy and star-powered genius of David Lynch's cinematic adaptation, John Harrison's version is a feast for those who have never read the book or who read it long ago and only remember a 'Cliff Notes' version of it.
The strong stage background of the actors supplemented the filming style, which of course, was a terrific bonus for the director," according to film reviewer Octavio Ramos Jr. .
The film stars Alec Newman as Paul Atreides, son of Duke Leto and perhaps the universe's greatest being. Haunted by dreams of his father's death and of other strange bits and pieces of the future, Paul must face a Bene Gesserit test involving a box and a poisonous ring known as a gom jobar. Although Paul passes the test, he is powerless to stop his father's death and the fall of House Atreides to House Harkonnen, led by Baron Harkonnen (Ian McNeice) and his two nephews, Raban and Feyd. Hiding in the desert with his mother Jessica (Saskia Reeves), Paul soon forges an alliance with the Fremen, a desert people who hold the key to unraveling the mystery of the spice Melange, which various cultures in the universe use as a source of power.
As Paul becomes an almighty force, alliances are forged among the Great Houses (who use Melange for commerce), the Bene Gesserit sisterhood (who use it to manipulate bloodlines and to develop supernatural abilities), and the Spacing Guild (who use it to 'fold' space and travel vast distances in little time). While these forces gather, Paul learns about Dune's frail ecosystem: giant sandworms create the spice; without these creatures, spice production would end. With this knowledge, and with the spice changing him mentally, Paul soon becomes the leader of the Fremen, calling forth a Jihad against all who would stand against him.
