Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The acting in this is quite simply dreadful and such liberties have been taken with the storyline that makes it impossible for anyone to follow unless they know the book well, in which case they will cringe. Stilgar has no presence, Jessica is weak beyond belief and completely overshadowed by Wensicia who is not a Bene Gesserit and should be of lesser stature. The twins should be younger and Irulan should be blond. All these are easily remedied aspects and changing them adds nothing to the plot. The simplification of the story is understandable and probably necessary but where details are retained, they should be kept true. Palimbasha was not killed by a crysknife but with a poisoned dart - why change it? Alia threw herself out of a window rather than stabbing herself. One highpoint is the Baron Harkonnen who is simply deliciously evil and his control is depicted well, as is the careful and gradually increasing living skin of Leto. What a shame the rest does not live up to it.

While I may not have liked Dune all that much when I compared it to David Lynch's masterpiece, this sequel steps out beyond the original movie into unknown territory (particularly for me since I have not read any of the other books beyond Dune) so I was actually very keen in knowing how Frank Herbert extended his original masterpiece, and I must say that he did a very good job in doing so. There are actually six books in the series (and this is not counting the books that were post-humously written and published, since many people seem to reject those books as they do not carry Herbert's style) and this mini-series covers two of them, namely Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.The series begins twelve years after the end of the previous book, and where in the previous book Paul Artredies is hailed as a hero and a messiah, over the period his armies have spread out over the galaxy and all how refuse to serve him are executed. As they say his name has gone from being a word of hope to that of a curse. It is interesting to see how quickly things can change, though I suspect that the messianic properties that he displayed had more to do with the Fremin than they had to do with the rest of the galaxy.The further problem is that while Paul may want to rule justly, certain people have arisen within his government that seek their own power and seek to manipulate his religion in their own ways. There is also a lot of scheming and political machinations that are going on around him as well. For instance his concubine is unable to have children, and it is because she is being fed a poison to prevent her from baring children, however this act forces her to resort to other measures, that is consuming spice to over come the effects of the poison, which results in the children being pre-born.The first episode is basically Dune Messiah and the second and third are Children of Dune and is set another thirteen of so years after the second novel concludes. The focus here goes onto Paul's children, who, as mentioned above, are pre-born. There is another character who is also pre-born, that is Paul's sister. One is pre-born usually because large amounts of spice is consumed during pregnancy, and while they may be born physically as a child, they are born mentally as an adult. They also have a gift which enables them to communicate with their ancestors, that is gain access to their ancestral memories. Unfortunately, there is a danger to doing this because one can actually become possessed by one of the ancestors, which is one of the major plots in this film.The other interesting thing is, if you remember Lynch's film, is that at the end of the film it rains on Dune, something that has not happened previously. The problem is that the sand worms hate the water, so as the desert begins to retreat, the habitat of the sand worms becomes ever smaller, resulting in less area for them to produce spice. As you know, spice is required for interstellar travel, and if the spice flow halts, then there is no more interstellar travel.I would like to write more, but a part of me does not want to give too much away. For those who loved Dune (whichever movie) and wants to see what happens after the happy ending in the first movie, then this film does an excellent job. It has also made me want to return to reading the books, at least the next two (since I really see no need to re-read the first one).

This is a very long movie, two DVDs worth. It started life as a TV miniseries with a very fat budget. The sets are lavish. The screen crawls with extras. The costumes are as diverse and bizarre as anything that would come down a Paris runway.The main reason to see this movie is Alice Krige who plays the grandmother, Lady Jessica Atreides. You will recognise her as the Borg Queen from Star Trek. She has a magical voice and regal manner. She is absolutely riveting. She can make the silliest lines sound profound. She starts out as a rather quiet character and builds in majesty and power. She is like a super-hero Emma Peel. Even though most of this movie is rather silly, she is spectacular.James McAvoy, as Leto, is eye candy, and conveniently rarely wears a shirt.The costumes are an eclectic mix of Egyptian, Cecil B. de Mille Ten Commandments and Star Trek original. However, when the empress Alia Atreides paraded around court in a 1950s slut bathing suit, or wrapped in aluminum foil, my credibility choked. The bizarre Japanese-inspired hair styles of Susan Sarandon's character are a hoot, very inventive.It has an international cast. The principals speak in crisp upper crust British accents, but then Susan Sarandon sometimes slips into her slurring American barfly Louise character from Thelma and Louise. It is jarring and makes no sense. Her accent becomes more regal as the movie progresses. She has not that big a part, but she makes a great villain.Two actors play Farad'n Corrino, son of Princess Wensicia Corrino (Susan Sarandon). Unfortunately, they don't look even remotely alike, and the adult version has beefy look, dull mien and accent like a Florida quarterback. It is just embarrassing.There are three generations represented, yet the actors playing them are almost the same age. The actors don't age even when 20 years supposedly pass. Some of the female actors look quite alike, and with all the costume and hairstyle changes it becomes a challenge to figure out whom you are looking at.I exaggerate, but the plot goes roughly like this. At random intervals a random character suddenly whips out a dagger and kills another randomly chosen character. Why? Often the killer offers a rationalisation, but never once did it make any sense.Not until the movie is well under way does anyone seem remotely heroic or even sympathetic, other than the child Farad'n Corrino who sick of being groomed for a warrior emperor. Everyone is power mad, greedy, and nuts.The special effects are movie quality, except for one scene when Ian McNeice (Bert Large in Doc Martin) as the ghost of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen floats around the room like a cardboard cutout from a Topper episode and another when Alia Atreides dodges flying video game saw blades.One of the most magical moments in the movie is Leto, lying on a grassy meadow. It feels surreal . That proves the movie has impressed its world on your mind.It is a silly movie; it does not make much sense, but it is visually entertaining. You won't be bored.

Alia Atreides tries to grapple with controlling Arrakis' in the wake of her bothers departure, but under the influence of her uncle presence she puts her siblings gifted children in danger and the future of the planets Spice trade in jeopardy.To his credit John Harrison's script delivers another comprehensible version of Frank Herbert's work. Greg Yaitanes replaces Harrison as director and gives a smoother film-like feel. In the vein of Dune (2000) Miniseries Children of Dune continues the themes of murder, family rivalry and political deception akin to the Roman Empire. Restrained by TV limitations and not of the calibre, scope or execution of The Godfather saga, the effects and production values have vastly improved since the first mini adaptation. Children feels more earthly and realistic with the sets and lighting appearing more natural.There are fine performances from veteran actors Steven Berkoff who replaces Uwe Ochsenknecht as Stilgar and Alice Krige who now plays Lady Jessica Atreides. Edward Atterton now plays Duncan Idaho replacing James Watson. The rest of the cast remain the same, Julie Cox, Ian McNeice, P.H. Moriarty and Alec Newman reprise their roles. Moriarty's delivery as Guerne has improved and Newman appears more comfortable as Muad'Dib. Susan Sarandon fleets in and out and injects some Hollywood glamour. While not entirely convincing striking Daniela Amavia is adequate as Alia Atreides and James McAvoy's subtlety gives some credence to Leto Atreides II character. Notable is natural Jessica Brooks as his sister Ghanima Atreides who gives an effective performance.Although the pacing it slow and the continuation retreads much of the ground covered in Dune it's an entertaining enough sci-fi saga.