I think the series was broadcast by the Si-fy channel rather than HBO and I agree it was better but you still just can't capture the scope and depth of Dune on the screen.
You can’t capture the scope and depth of any novel on the screen. As much as I liked Lord Of The Rings (fantasy not sci-fi, I know) on screen, you’d have to make a 100-hour movie to even open the possibility of capturing it on film.
That said, 2001 A Space Odessey (I know, I can’t spell Odessey) was better as a movie.
The “mini-series” was broadcast on the SyFy channel. Disagree about the movie though.
The Fremen followed a zen-sunni tradition. Basically high tech Bedouin. This was much better represented in Lynch’s film. The series fremen looked rather like Eastern European peasants, ‘water fat.’
The feel of the farfreluch houses had a much more authentic feel in the movie.
The series did allow much more of the story to unfold, and without the weirding modules to muddy up the fighting style, the prana-bindu “techniques” came through a bit better.
Fan of both movie (theatrical release, not the Alan Smithee extended cut), and series (would have loved to see God Emperor of Dune on screen!).
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KYPD