'DUNE' MINISERIES LEAVES NONFANS CONFUSED.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

For those of you who were confused by the narrative in the 1984 film version of Frank Herbert's science-fiction classic ``Dune'' - and probably the only person who wasn't was director David Lynch - things should be clearer in a new three-part TV miniseries premiering tonight. However, some of what is gained in clarity in the Sci-Fi Channel's six-hour adaption is lost in pizazz.

For the uninitiated, ``Dune'' is part high drama with political intrigue, part action, part mysticism and a few kinky overtones. At the center of the story is Paul (Alec Newman), heir to the throne in the noble House of Atreides. As a young man, Paul's father, Duke Leto (William Hurt), is ordered by the emperor (Giancarlo Giannini) to leave his own lush planet and take over Arrakis, a desert orb where ``spice'' is mined. Spice is the most precious commodity in the ``Dune'' universe - sort of a narcotic that, if taken a little, can make you feel good, or, if taken a lot, can have some pretty weird effects, transforming you into something more than human. Needless to say, everybody wants to control production of the spice, since that equals power.

Complicating matters is Atreides' blood feud with another royal house, Harkonnen. On Arrakis, Leto is betrayed, and the Harkonnen take over. Paul and his mother, Jessica (Saskia Reeves), are forced to flee for their lives into the desert, where the Fremen, a fierce nomadic tribe, live. Though the Fremen are enemies of the Harkonnen, they have no interest in aiding the pair until Jessica, who has mind-control abilities as a member of a trained order of witches, uses her powers to convince the tribe that Paul is the messiah predicted in their religion.

Love, death and just about everything else but humor ensue. In book form, ``Dune'' has sold more than 12 million copies and spawned a number of sequels, so there is no question that there are countless fans itching for this miniseries. The problem is: Will anybody else watch?

If you're not already familiar with the plot, you are likely to find the early going a bit tedious. First, there is a lot to explain - Herbert's novel was rather thick (the paperback edition is 525 pages); second, the early part of the story is all set-up. So the action is minimal, and the intrigue isn't very intriguing.

In the end, writer-director John Harrison doesn't entirely fail. This miniseries should satisfy ``Dune'' fans and entertain those who stick with it long enough that they won't feel cheated at the end.

But Harrison's first mistake was the only one that mattered - adapting this unwieldy novel that relies on a world of ``ideas'' to drive its narrative. It's not that ``Dune'' is particularly deep (for ``Fremen,'' think ``free men''). But where it's easy for a reader to get lost is in the mythos of the book: Translating that onto the screen requires a reimagining of the work. Lynch tried to and produced an oddity. Harrison took a more pedestrian - and faithful-to-the-novel - approach, but even with the more than 500 special effects, the results aren't likely to capture the imagination of the uninitiated.

``FRANK HERBERT'S DUNE''

What: Miniseries of the science-fiction classic.

The stars: Alec Newman, William Hurt, Saskia Reeves and Giancarlo Giannini.

Where: Sci-Fi Channel.

When: 9 p.m. tonight, Monday, Tuesday.

Our rating: Three stars for the fans; two stars for the rest of us 

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Photo:

William Hurt stars as Duke Leto, head of the House of Arrakis, with Saskia Reeves as his wife, Jessica, in the Sci-Fi Channel's miniseries version of Frank Herbert's novel ``Dune.''