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Conspiracies abound in Children of Dune, Sci-Fi Channel's praiseworthy miniseries sequel to Frank Herbert's Dune, loyally adapted from the Herbert novels Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by John Harrison, who passed directorial duties (due to a scheduling conflict) to Greg Yaitanes, a 31-year-old TV director and Dune neophyte tackling his biggest assignment to date. Uninitiated viewers face a disadvantage; it's best to read Herbert's books and/or see the first miniseries before plunging into this remarkably coherent tangle of political intrigue, unfolding 12 years after the events of Dune.

To his horror, Maud'Dib--Arrakis emperor Paul Atreides (Alec Newman, reprising his Dune role)--has become the unintended figurehead of a violent dictatorship, and his enemies are multiplying. Vanishing into the desert, he waits as destiny shapes his twin heirs Leto II (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), who must contend with their scheming aunt Alia (Daniela Amavia) while Princess Wensicia (Susan Sarandon), of the enemy House Corrino, plots her own attack on Maud'Dib's familial empire. Exiled Atreides matriarch Lady Jessica (Alice Krige, giving the film's finest performance) returns to Arrakis, where the enormous, desert-dwelling sandworms face an uncertain future. As always, the spice must flow, and the universe's most coveted commodity remains at the center of this richly detailed and physically impressive production. Special effects range from awesome (fly-over shots of the capital city, Arakeen) to awful (the saber-tooth tigers look like Jumanji rejects), and Dune devotees will endlessly debate the miniseries' strengths and weaknesses. Some may desire more action to punctuate the film's inherent verbosity, but consensus will surely conclude that this is Dune done right, with monumental effort and obvious devotion from everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (122)

Fine adaptation of an SF classic
This sequel to the mini-series "Dune" combines action from Frank Herbert's novels "Dune Messiah" and "Children of Dune." Paul Muad'Dib (Alec Newman) has taken control of Arrakis, but all does not go as planned. He has become the figurehead for a violent revolution that is spreading across star systems, various conspirators are gathering against him, and the greening of Dune is playing havoc with the traditional Fremen way of life. His children, Leto (James McAvoy) and Ghanima (Jessica Brooks), are destined to play pivotal roles in the complicated machinations for control of Dune and its spice.

This is a handsome production with mostly impressive special effects. The acting tends to be rather wooden, as a great deal of dialogue is given over to exposition about the various complex maneuverings that are ongoing throughout the story. However, if you enjoy complicated stories full of scheming and strategizing among the powerful, as well as an impressive, fully realized alien milieu, you should find something to enjoy here.

The Saga of Dune is far from over.....I hope
"History is written on the sands of Arakkis..."

So begins the tale of one of the most epic mini-series ever produced;and rarely have truer words ever been spoken.Based on Frank Herbert's second and third books in his Dune saga,Children of Dune is a breathtaking look into the mind of a genius.The science-fiction equivalent of Tolkien,Herbert has brought to life a universe unlike any other,that,without fail,sucks you into it in a maelstrom of love,lineage,and legacy.And much to the surprise and awe of a Dune junkie like myself,director Greg Yaitanes not only manages to do Herbert justice with this small screen outing,but manages to do him proud as well.

With awesome special effects(check out the worms!!),perfect casting,mindblowing cinematography,and the greatest soundtrack I have ever had the privilege of hearing,the Children of Dune mini-series is the ultimate science-fiction saga of our time.Arakkis is as real,raw,and powerful as any Shire,Hogwarts,or galaxy far,far away.

Step inside a world of political intrigue,action, and drama.Bear witness to the triumphs of men as well as his tragedies.Behold the Fremen at his best,and also at his worst.And watch as life is born,ended,and given meaning in a beautiful epic that is,in the best and only way to describe it,undying.

Step inside the majesty of Children of Dune.

Dune Messiah and Children done RIGHT!
When I rented and watched the first Dune miniseries, I was shocked at how poor a job had been done. True, the story was kept pretty much intact, but the costumes were horrible, the acting wasn't credible, and the sets were even less credible. Most of the time, you could easily tell that the backdrop was a wall painted to look like dunes and mountains. This time, however, the makers got it right. First, everybody who returns for this second mini-series must have gotten acting lesson in between the two. I was shocked at how good some of the performances were (Paul and Irulan for example). Second, some of the special effects are truly impressive. Throughout most of the miniseries, I could believe that this was a very respectable theatrical release- I love Alia's "fight" scene. Also, the music this time around is unbelievable. I don't think it would be an exaggeration at all to say that this is the score that should have won best soundtrack at the most recent Academy awards.

Many people display disappointment over how some plot points were changed or ommitted. However, in my eyes, the miniseries accomplished the highest note that I think it possibly could have reached: it REALLY made me want to read the books again.

I also think that the miniseries accomplished something that the books did not. I think it added more emotion to the characters and made it easier for viewers to empathize with them. I can return to the books, perhaps, with a better idea of what the characters are going through.

Overall, a very commendable effort- not to be missed by any Dune fans (unlike the miserable first mini-series)

The saga of Dune is far from over.....well, let's hope so- on to God Emperor!

Read the book
I bought this DVD recently, after a 20-year lapse since I last read the Dune books. With only a vague memory of what was supposed to be going on, the movie was pretty much incomprehensible.

What was the reason for Leto II transforming himself into a sandworm? I don't remember, and the movie didn't explain. Somehow, this was supposed to be the next evolutionary step, or some such thing, but why? And why did Leto seem so confident and at peace with his decision, when later we find out that he sobbed in his sister's lap and asked her to help him die?

A lot of the acting is truly dreadful, and seems more appropriate to a stage play than a movie. Many of the costumes look like they came from old the original Star Trek series. And many of the sets were obviously just that ... sets with painted backgrounds.

As with the other adaptations of Dune books, too much had to be left out in the interest of time, and if you aren't very familiar with the story, you can easily be left scratching your head.

Considering it's a TV production, a great effort.
John Harrison wrote the script for this , as he did for the first Dune series. I think some are being too hard on this installment(double). It's the best sci-fi TV to come about in a very long time. The acting for the most part was a great surprise. There's some real talent here. Daniela Amavia's Alia puts most disturbed bombshell ladies in horror films to shame. It's true it's more of a petty political soap opera but that's how the sequel novels also seemed. Like another reviewer said, a knockout scene was where Duncan Idaho had to face the moment of truth and a lot of principle characters get killed off, a la Godfather. The scene captured the moment in story in just about the best way possible. The "wierding" effects like the first Dune are a rush, but the directors wisely use it sparingly and go for build up to dramatic highpoints just as Herbert's books do. Considering the recent sci-fi in the movies, this new director hopefully will get to the big screen sometime. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Las Vegas: Then And WOW!
This DVD has three separate sections, each lasting approximately 45 minutes. "Stories From The Strip" begins with a brief history of Las Vegas, from the legalization of gambling and prostitution, to the era of Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel and the Flamingo Hotel. This is followed by the arrival of Howard Hughes, which began the era of the corporate takeover of the casinos. Steve Wynn began buying properties and opened the Mirage in 1988, among the first of the hotels with a specific theme. Later he opened Treasure Island, a more family friendly casino. Steve Wynn's latest creation is the beautiful Bellagio, the most opulent casino in the current era of the megaresort. Speaking of megaresorts, the Venetian hotel is also profiled. A brief mention of adult entertainments and the proliferation of wedding chapels nicely completes this section.

"Destination: The Strip" also beings with a brief history of Las Vegas. This is followed by a brief history of Sin City's world class entertainers, including the always popular showgirls. The swinging era of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr. (the Rat Pack) is followed by the greatest entertainer who ever lived, Elvis Presley. Wayne Newton, Siegfied and Roy, Lance Burton (an excellent magician) and Danny Gans (a great comedian and impressionist) are also mentioned. The Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Circus Circus and the Rio Hotel are featured for their unique offerings to visiting tourists. A visit to the natural beauty of Red Rock Canyon makes a nice contrast to the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas. "Thrill Rides, Las Vegas Style" is the bonus feature. It shows the Big Shot ride on the top of the Stratosphere tower, as well as the roller coaster outside of the New York, New York casino. Bungee jumping, water slides and helicopter rides are among some of the other thrill rides featured in this section. It's an interesting extra to go along with the main sections of this well made DVD. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Aw, come on!
The season's over, so I come onto this site expecting a DVD release date, yet there's nothing slated. What a jip! Ah, well. Summer re-runs and all that jazz. Life is good.

I haven't been this involved in a new television show since the Sopranos first premiered. And now that we have to wait until we all start collecting Social Security until season six finally arrives, I decided to find an alternative. I saw the promo for "House" and was interested. After the very first episode, I was hooked. OUTSTANDING show. Great writing, great ensemble.

Great main character.

Greg House is one of the most interesting characters to come along in a while. Sarcastic, mean-spirited, misanthropic, brutally honest and with a heart of gold. Truly worthy of the "complex" handle. And Hugh Laurie... wow. If this man doesn't recieve an Emmy or a Golden Globe (preferably both), it will only reaffirm my belief that the people in charge of running those awards things suck moose balls.

Not a single weak episode; this is one of those shows that progressively gets better and better until finally crashing into the legendary "cliffhanger" finale. Can't wait for season two!

World affairs can wait; this has to be released on DVD as soon as possible.

There's a scene where House is interviewing applicants to replace one of his underlings. A young kid walks in and basically attests that conformity is the enemy and how he admires Dr. House's attitude towards life. House fires back with a comment about conformity and an Asian tattoo the applicant has on his wrist. I mention this because it's the hardest I've laughed at a television show in years. One of many gold moments. Watch the re-runs. Support this show!

Best thing that's happened to TV in YEARS!
It's been so long since there's been anything on TV, anything at all, to sit up and watch on Tuesday nights.I can't wait to have this series on DVD!Hugh Laurie is brilliant, yeah, but we already knew that (grin).The ensemble cast is terrific (the best performances from Laurie wouldn't be as effective without the supporting players).The writing is solid, solid, solid, and -- wonder of wonders!there's character development and continuity!Ai yi yi!

Rather than start off on some of the wonderful things about House I'd better just shut up and say, Can't wait for the DVD . . .

British Import Hugh Laurie: A Treat for American Audiences
House, M.D. is bar none THE best television drama of the 2004-2005 season.FOX scored big with this hit.The recent episode "Three Stories" is the best episode I've seen on televion in YEARS!Hugh Laurie gave the most outstanding acting performance that should see him winning major acting awards in television.A British import, Laurie is a welcome treat for American audiences.

The supporting cast and the writing are top notch, especially the dialogue involving Dr. Gregory House.House's sharp yet caustic quips, called "Houseisms," are quickly becoming infamous among the show's exploding fanbase.Thisshow is smart, and smart is sexy.Special effects of the human body give House, M.D. a cutting-edge feel.

Season 2 promises to be every bit as good as House's freshman season, and that is no easy feat in today's television.However, House, M.D. can't miss ... It has all the right stuff.

I can't wait to add the DVDs to my entertainment collection alongside other classics such as X Files.

YES. YES. YES.
A top notch show with everything a person can look for: Humor, Drama, Comedy, Suspense, even a level of Romance, all rolled into one show.

Oh, and just a little Sarcasm from Dr. House......

AWESOME Show!!
I have to admit that I didn't watch this show when it first came and then one night I watched it because nothing else was on and I AM ADDICTED! Dr. House is awesome (I just wish he and Dr. Cameron would hook up already). I can't wait for the DVD's to come out so that I can watch the few shows I missed. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A slightly new direction, but strong as ever
The fourth season of 'Alias' had the distinctive misfortune of coming off the tail end of the show's much maligned third year.Add to that ABC's decision to change its timeslot from Sundays to Wednesdays and to hold off on airing the season until January, almost 8 months after season 3's finale aired.To say the least, Season 4 had its work cut out for it.

That said, I must declare that I was never of the persusion that Season 3 was a weak year.I thought that, like the two previous seasons, there were obvious faults, but overall, I think the show managed to sustain itself beautifully through the loss of the beloved Lena Olin.And on that note, it seems clear to me that the first half of season 4 suffered bad fan reaction for the same reason season 3 did: Spymommy go bye-bye!

I was able to get over that rather quickly.And thank God!Because I found so many reasons to enjoy Alias's 4th season that it's almost unbelievable to me that so many fans dismissed the first half without much thought.Yes, the first half of the season focuses more on individual episodes than a larger story arc, but fear not, for many of the pieces presented in the earlier episodes show up during the second, more cohesive half of the season.

In retrospect, Season 4 really offered fans a lot (whether they were willing to take what was offered is another story, of course...).First and foremost, the return of Lena Olin in the last two episodes of the season.My, oh my, was it good to see her again.We also get a decent amount of sisterly action and tension, both between Syd and Nadia, and between the sisters Derevko.The return of two things I missed sorely from season 1: Anna Espinoza and the big red Rambaldi ball. "In Dreams" (which marks Garner's directorial debut) provided a haunting appearance of Sloane's wife, Emily.And speaking of Sloane, who could not love the concept of Sloane Cloane? And Lastly, the old mix of emotional complexity, throbbing action, heartbreaking drama, artful storytelling, fantastic fight scenes, fabulous wigs and outfits, Marshall's infamous rambling, romance (that's not without its problems), and yes, Rambaldi, is all there for you to enjoy.

Finally, to those who brush off the first half of the season, I only have to say that you probably missed the point.'Alias' rebuilt itself because it had to.Whiny fans and the need for higher ratings forced these changes.The way I see it, everything that happened had to happen in order to get to where we're going.Anyone doubting the incredible power of this show, however, need only watch the last minute of the season finale to realize that, as most good Alias fans *should* already know, everything can change in a single instant.With perhaps the greatest cliffhanger the show has ever offered, "Before The Flood" will bring even the nitpicky whiners back to their knees in worship and praise of the most thrilling television show airing today.

Ending Begins: Season 4 of One of the Greatest Shows on TV
At the end of Season 3 of Alias, most fans considered it to be the show's weakest year.Even though I also thought that it wasn't as strong as the brilliant Seasons 1 and 2, I didn't think that it was as terrible as many people were complaining (although a lot of people just didn't like the fact that Sydney [Jennifer Garner] and Vaughn [Michael Vartan] weren't together).However, whether or not people liked S3, I think that most people can agree that the cliffhanger ending made us wnat to see what happened next.Sloane (Ron Rifkin) and his newly-found daughter Nadia (Mia Maestro) ran away from CIA custody to find one of Rambaldi's most powerful artifacts, while Sydney discovered something that her father Jack Bristow (Victor Garber) did not want her to find.Meanwhile, Vaughn had just discovered a Rambaldi prophecy stating that the Chosen One (Sydney) and the Passenger (Nadia) would fight to the death.So it is understandable that most fans couldn't wait to see where Season 4 took our characters.
Unfortunately, for the first half of the season, they didn't go far.In the season premiere, "Authorized Personnel Only", events pick up a few months after the end of S3, instead of right where things left, which has been done in all previous years.In the first episode, we do find out what was written on those papers that Sydney had found, but there is something not quite right about the answer we get.Furthermore, we don't know what it was that Sloane and Nadia found (at least not until the end of the year), but whatever it was, it was powerful, because the CIA gave Sloane command over a new black ops division in exchange for the artifact.The division was named APO (short for Authorized Personnel Only, which is the DUMBEST name for a black ops division that anyone can think of; personally, I'd have called it SD-0 or SD-X, but that's beside the point), and its members include Syd, Vaughn, Jack, Nadia, Weiss (Greg Grunberg), Dixon (Carl Lumbley, who was very underused this year), and Marshall (Kevin Wiesman).Another problem with this is that Sloane has somehow betrayed pretty much all of those people in the past, and many of them actually worked for him before at SD-6, when they were really working for terrorists against their knowledge, so it is very hard to believe that they are now all voluntarily working for this man again.After all, Sloane killed Syd's fiance and best friend, he had Dixon's wife killed, he injected Nadia with a serum to force her to find the Rambaldi artifact, and he betrayed Jack's trust.
And then, for the first half of the season, the episodes are completely self-contained (this was the first season in which every episode didn't begin with a "Previously" montage- in fact, very few episodes did this year).This wouldn't have been as much of a problem as it was if the episodes weren't sub-par for Alias standards.I mean, one of them even had pseudo-vampires!There are no vampires on Alias!!The dialogue, plots, and jokes were all below the quality they've been in past years, and I almost gave up hope for this show.
Then things started picking up again in the second half of the season.Major story arcs began developing, old characters were brought back (sadly, Sark [David Anders] was only in two episodes this year, and Will [Bradley Cooper] didn't appear at all, but it was good to see Anna Espinoza [Gina Torres] again), and the Rambaldi storyline was reintroduced.Also, we finally got some answers for questions that have been around since the first season.
If you are willing to look past the terrible first half of this year, the second half is a very good block of episodes.While they still aren't as good as the first two seasons, I doubt that any new episodes will be able to live up to those years.Until Season 5...

alisa season 4
HELL EVERY SHOW HAS ITS BAD SPOTS, WHAT THEY COULD NOT THINK OF ANY GOOD PLOT TWIST AFTER SEASON 3 OR ARE THEY JUST TRYING TO SLOW IT DOWN. NOT AS HOT OR ACTION FILLED AS SEASON 1 & 2 BUT MAYBE THE WRITERS HAVE A PLAN MOST DO OR SHOWS FLOP. FRIENDS TELL ME IT IMPROVES AFTER WEEK 11 I FEEL A TAD LET DOWN BUT IM A FAN AND ENJOY THE SERIAL PLOTS AND TWIST THAT ALWAYS CROP UP GOOD JOB. (I'M STILL WAITING FOR THE SPICE.) I WOULD ADVISE ANYONE TO WATCH THIS PROGRAM IF YOU ENJOY WILD RIDES AND FAST RACEY PROGRAMS ALIAS HAS IT ALL WATCH AND SEE I CHALLENGE ANY HARD CORE FAN TO DISAGREE EVEN IF SEASON 4 IS A BIT SLOW. BUY ALL THE OTHER 3 AND ENJOY ME AND MINE HAVE.

Alias Season 4 DVD set:An anachronism (like Rambaldi)?

Click on the "customer reviews" link to the left, and you'll see the following statement by Amazon near the top of the page:

"Availability: This title will be released on December 31, 1969. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives"

Is this strange message Rambaldi's attempt to communicate with future generations?Or is the Rambaldi artifact actually an imperfect time machine?Hopefully this will all be explained in season 5!

Warning to people of 1969:Don't waste your money buying this item!DVD players won't be around for at least 20 more years (though, under the right light, the discs are very shiny and pretty to look at!).

[Of course the World Wide Web doesn't exist in 1969 either, so why am I bothering to warn them?]

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ORIGINAL REVIEW (March 7th, 2005): Sydney goes so deep undercover that you can't see her AT ALL (or anyone else for that matter) on the Season 4 DVDs!

Any semi-verifiable ideas as to the release date?

first half was ok, 2nd half was just like old times.
The first 7 or 8 episodes of this season aren't what we've come to expect from Alias. Its very procedural with no real "goal" like there was in the other seasons. The major reason for this is because the network wanted the show to be more accessible so more viewers could jump on the Alias bandwagon. It worked and the show's ratings have gone up. But the cost was loyalty from the majority of Alias fans. I'm in the minority in that some of those stand alone episodes were GOOD to me. I love continuity as much as everyone else, but it was nice to get some breathing room for 2 months.

Also to add even more horror to fan loyalists was that ABC aired the first 9 episodes out of order so that even character development seemed non-existant but ITS THERE1 Just watch the episodes in production order. Hear me ABC? Put the first 9 episodes BACK IN THEIR CORRECT ORDER PLEASE!

After Rambaldi makes its return in the awesome episode "Echoes", the season picks up with "The Index" when Vaughn begins his quest to find his dead father and the arc for the season kicks off and leads straigh through the final 12 episodes of the season. This season has had some of the best episodes of the entire series run: In Dreams, Mirage, Another Mr. Sloane, Nightingale, The Orphan, The Index, Echoes, A Man Of His Word, Nocturne, Ice, and Welcome to Liberty Village. All great episodes! Sure this season has some obvious clunkers like "The Road Home". But the great gems like Mirage and Nocturne just make you forget all about it.

This season is a welcome after the awful romance storyline in Season 3 which focused the show on Lauren and Vaughn's marriage instead of the spy plots and family drama which is what made EVERYONE fall in love with this show in episode 1.

And we haven't even gotten to the final 3 episodes this season which promise to be UNBELIEVABLE with the return of a beloved cast member.

Alias Season 4 is definitely recommended by me. You won't regret it! ... Read more