The latest adaptation of Frank Herbert's "DUNE" is now available on dvd from ARTISAN ENTERTAINMENT.  The novel is "big" and "bloated" and any adaptation faithful to the novel is doomed to the same fate.  While David Lynch's film version appeared convoluted at times, it also had an innovative feel to it, and while incomprehensible, it still entertained.  This "made-for-cable" adaptation is much longer, more comprehensive, and yes, more sluggish!
Herbert's tale is set far in the future as various rulers fight to control a
spice crucial to a race of beings that need to ingest it in order to fold
space, enabling travelers to travel the universe at lightning speed, thereby aiding in futuristic trade routes.
There are plenty of good and bad players in this epic, most of them part of one royal family or another, but there's also room for a resistance effort on one planet, and it's when the plot focuses on them that the story is most compelling.  While there are also aspects of the story dealing with telepathy and other supernatural phenomena, too much of the story deals with the kinds of ridiculous names akin to Tolkien's works, to make the details believable on any level.
While the film was supposed to be presented with 16:9 enhancement, ARTISAN has only offered the flat 1.78:1 version.  While the colors are excellent, the general image suffers from overbearing edge enhancement in many spots.
Contrast is also quite good, with deep blacks and grays.
We were also a little disappointed to find that the soundtrack isn't encoded for DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 sound.  While the television version was 2.0 surround, the presentation could've been so much more involving with discrete effects.
As the mix stands, the mix is fairly restrained.  There are some surround
effects, but they sound extremely manufactured, with front-to-back here, and rear-to-front there!  Nothing too creative!  The biggest disappointment lies in the dialogue! While it's generally understandable, there are several spots where it's distorted "at any level!"
ARTISAN has provided some worthwhile supplements.  A half-hour featurette, "THE LURE OF SPICE" explores the film's production, focusing on casting as well as the CGI special effects.  It's quite involving and never dull.  "THE DUNE GALLERY" explores the overall "design" of the film by looking at three aspects of the film.  1)Costumes 2) Production design 3) Cinematography