"Working from a modest television budget, Harrison and his creative team pushed the limits by creating lavish exteriors and interiors, plausible special effects, and magnificent costumes. Although some of the sets appear stage bound (note the crash scene with Jessica and Paul - it looks straight out of a stage play), Oscar winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now and The Last Emperor) frames these shots with such precision that almost every scene is a feast for the eyes. Ernest Farino's CGI work is excellent, particularly the vehicles and Dune's sandworms," according to Octavio Ramos Jr. .
Harrison's control of characterization is incredible. I hope that this talented writer and director will dig deeper into science fiction, because it is his kind of work that science fiction fans beg for. But Harrison could still improve in further developing the minor characters. In Frank Herbert's Dune (the movie), characters such as Thufir Hawat, Shadout Mapes, and Duncan Idaho don't quite hit the spot. This type of misstep hurts the film the most when Harrison reveals the 'traitor' sequence in which we learn that Dr. Yueh has sacrificed House Atreides in an attempt to rescue his wife from Baron Harkonnen.
The costumes are very impressive, particularly those of the Fremen which are inspired by the Middle East. But the Emperor's Sardaukar seem out of place, since they are dressed in some Samurai suits. This type of detail may be unimportant, but many people will notice it and think that the costume designers are a little crazy. In the book, the Sardaukar never wore anything close to looking like that. The fact that they are not staying with the original material could be harmful to key scenes.
Despite the success of the film overall, Harrison's version on closer examination has a number of flaws that become apparent after having looked at it a couple of times (you will be very impressed the first time around).
