Yes!!! I found the Daily Radar review!
I am going to post it in its entirety (for part one) here since the wayback machine is a little clunky. Also, since DR shutdown, I don’t think that there are any problems with copyrights.
http://web.archive.org/web/20010123223500/www.dailyradar.com/reviews/tvshow_review_293.html
This review was spot-on perfect.
What did Frank Herbert do to deserve this?
Part One of the Sci Fi Channel’s hyped Dune adaptation, the network’s first miniseries, aired last night to probably the largest audience in the network’s history. We’re huge supporters of science fiction here at Daily Radar, but if John Harrison’s version of the book continues along the path set out by the first part, Dune’s chances at legitimacy are in trouble. Bad acting, terrible costume choices, awful accents and adaptation choices that bewilder both the fan and newcomer go a long way to crush any hopes that this version will capture the essence of Herbert’s masterpiece.
Herbert’s work is a complex tale of a future society that undergoes an amazing transformation at the hands of a human superbeing. With a future society so alien to our own, half the intricacy of the book is merely explaining the culture in which the tale takes place. The difficulty for any director is illuminating this intricate world for the viewer or successfully whittling down the complexity in order to be more understandable. Unfortunately this task seems beyond John Harrison, much as it was for David Lynch. From the acting to the plot, Dune fails to tell the story completely or make it understandable for newcomers.
The acting is generally bad. Paul Atreides isn’t supposed to be a 15-year-old version of a whiny Luke Skywalker; he’s supposed to be a precocious teen version of the universe’s most developed human being, representing a breeding program thousands of years old. He’s supposed to the be the son of an incredibly powerful leader, trained in ways of the Bene Gesserit, with the ability to be a Mentat – the most powerful thinkers in the universe. Instead what we’ve got is a moody boy who wants to head into the Tashi station to get some power converters. Don’t worry, he’s not alone. Most of the acting doesn’t fit with the story, with the notable exceptions of Duncan Idaho, Shadout Mapes and Duke Leto.
The costuming looks like Elton John’s wardrobe closet exploded into the future. Why is Feyd wearing a kite on the back of his head? Were those stillsuits made by K-Mart? The accents are just as bad. The Bene Gesserit Reverend mother sounds like Count Dracula, and the Mentats all sound like her Transylvanian cousins.
Many of the sets are very well done, and the CGI scenes look fantastic. Any scene that’s all computer generated looks great. The budget of the series comes glaringly into focus, though, anytime there is a mixture of live action and CGI. So far that’s been most noticeable in two scenes showing the actors in the desert. They look horrible.
Part One of the miniseries reflects the first act of the book. This is the task that makes or breaks any version of Dune: introducing the major characters, explaining their motivations, convening enough of the society to understand the drastic change about to occur – and, of course, at the same time telling the story of House Atreides’ fall.
Major plot points were removed without justification, while other pieces were added in a failed effort that we can only assume was meant to make the story easier for the general public to digest. The future society isn’t explained adequately for the newcomer, and many important characters are barely developed. Worst of all, the show doesn’t do a good job of explaining the most important aspect of the first act: Paul Atreides and the fall of House Atreides.
In a brilliantly devious maneuver by the Baron Harkonnen, the lynchpin of which is a traitor who is above suspicion, House Harkonnen wipes House Atreides out of existence. In a baffling choice, Harrison decided to downplay the story of the traitor, Dr. Yeuh, in order, apparently, to touch on as many scenes from the book as possible, no matter their relevance. He also adds scenes, such as Princess Irulan’s visit, that make no sense except to spark a ridiculous love interest specifically contrary to the books. These plot choices are baffling.
Part One of the series is a poorly acted, freakishly costumed film with variations built into the Herbert story that probably have Frank spinning in his grave. There had better be a serious turnaround in store for this to be anything other than a colossal blight on the Dune legacy and a horrible mistake for the Sci Fi network.
