They actually managed to make a decent piece of entertainment out of Dune Messiah, arguably the weakest (by far the weakest, IMO,) book in the series. The climax of part 1 had genuine tension and dramatic weight. Part 2 was not as strong, I think, but then, it leaves off in the middle of book 3, so it's not really fair to judge it just yet.
Almost everything is dramatically improved from the first miniseries, which I thought was generally lousy. The costumes are far better, though still not as good as those in the Lynch film, and still stupid-looking in places.
The acting in this one is, it seems to me, noticably better. It seemed that a lot of the key roles in the first miniseries (Thufir, Duncan, Yueh, Chani, Reverend Mother Mohiam) were played by random yokels picked up off the streets of Prague. The Reverend Mother was particularly preposterous, with ham-handed delivery and ridiculous headgear, and looking eerily like Shelley Duvall in a bad wig. A few roles were filled by "name" actors who either delivered flat performances (William Hurt) or provided a spectacular display of dramatic incompetence (Giancarlo Gianini.) The new Duncan is a lot better than the pigeon-chested little twerp they got for the first miniseries. Some will disagree, but I though Alec Newman did a pretty good job in the first series, at least once he stopped being a spoiled momma's boy and got out into the desert. He's at least as good in this second series, as a man haunted by what he's seen of the future. Ian McNeice was, IMO, one of the few highlights of the first miniseries, a much better Baron than Lynch's cackling, diseased lunatic, and his return is welcome here.
Alice Krige should have been Lady Jessica in the first miniseries. She is absolutely perfect for the role. Guerney Halleck's Cockney accent still grates on me, but at least P. H. Moriarty looks closer to the part this time around.
The sets and production design, though again not so good as that of the Lynch film, are noticably better. Gone are the grating painted backdrops that look like they came right out of your high school drama class' rendition of Lawrence of Arabia. The direction seems more focused and competent.
I think this production is much improved over the last one. I wish they could have done the first book this well. .
