Dune. Episode 1

Episode one of the American television mini-series adaptation of Frank Herbert’s cult novel “Dune.” The universe is ruled by an empire of noble groups: The Bene Gesserit, The Guild and the Great Houses, who compete for control of the planets, in particular the planet of Arrakis, a desert planet whose powerful spices are more valuable than gold. Emperor Shaddam IV has assigned Duke Leto Atreides and his family to take charge of Arrakis and the production of the spice. Once there however, the family face treachery from within their ranks and resentment from the local leaders. Letos’ bitter enemy Baron Vladimir Harkonnen invades Arrakis forcing the Duke’s lover and their son into the desert. Abandoned there, Paul discovers the true meaning of his destiny. Stylishly designed, this series certainly has an impressive aesthetic quality, ably capturing the otherworldliness of the book’s milieu, enhanced by extensive use of CGI. The mini-series format allows for a greater exploration of Herbert’s saga than the film version of “Dune” (Lynch, 1984). Like much science fiction, this futuristic tale has medieval and Biblical overtones with exotic sets, bizarre costumes and stilted dialogue that tends toward the florid and metaphoric. An interesting and engaging series. Cast includes William Hurt, Alec Newman, Saskia Reeves, James Watson, Jan Vlasak, Giancarlo Giannini.