Dune: Prophecy

I've been looking forward to Dune: Prophecy ever since I first heard about it. Then I saw the trailers and my excitement grew even more. Well, after seeing it I can say that it without a doubt lived up to my expectations. Your expectations have to be realistic though, if you're expecting something as perfect as the Dennis Villenueve directed films then you're going to be disappointed, but if you go into it just expecting a perfectly paced, fascinating series that will keep you thoroughly invested every episode then you'll love it. The world building that takes place and the attention to every detail is as good as it gets for a tv show. This series is best watched binged because I can promise when you finish an episode you can't wait to start the next. You're not going to want to wait a week between episodes, it's that good.

DOUR. So dour. Everyone glowering intensely at everyone else. Characters absolutely crippled by the artificial "weight" of how "important" what they are doing is. How do we know it's important? Because the characters state their aspirations right away, and what they aspire to is the way things are in the present of the movies. Wow. Profound. I wonder if it's going to work out in the end??? Remember Game of Thrones? Realistic people doing their best in the horrifying world, trying to find some semblance of meaning, purpose, maybe love? Joking and chiding each other like real human beings do? Remember characters being believable people? Why does every premium show have to be completely humorless and rigid? We get it, the implications are vast. We get it, setting up the world of Dune is "important." Look, I'm a huge fan of the material and the new movies. But even in those they chide each other. "Stilgar is from the south. You didn't notice his accent?" They freaking relax for two minutes! You can't expect me to tighten up and stay rigid for the entire series. There has to be a rhythm to it! Ups and downs. Intensity and levity. Inhale, exhale. Life!

All of my knowledge of Dune comes from the two recent movies, both of which are amazing. With that out of the way, one thing that is missing from the TV show, which both films have, is a good score or at least good use of a good score. I feel like the score or music of the films was used in such a way to emphasize the larger-than-life characterization of the Dune world or universe, so to speak. We are talking about a species that spans the universe in space after all. On the other hand, the score is barely perceptible in the TV show. This does ensure we able to hear the dialogue clearly, but also makes the TV show feel claustrophobic in spite of some of its sets or settings in comparison and therefore out-of-character. Without this, the TV show feels much less epic and engaging than the movies, unfortuantely. I am hoping they will fix this in upcoming seasons.

Dune: Prophecy is everything i hoped it would be and more. It's a great spin-off from a beloved movie franchise. I have to start by saying I've never read the source material or saw the original movie. My experience of Dune is predicated on the two Dune movies that have come out the last few years starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. Those two movies (especially Dune: Part Two) are two of my favorite movies I've seen over the last few years. I absolutely love both of them so I had high expectations for this series. Dune: Prophecy is a series that takes place 10,000 years before the Dune movies start and about how the Harkonnen sisters started the Bene Gesserit as they fight off forces that threaten the future of mankind. The show may feel more like Game of Thrones than Dune but either way...it's very entertaining. The most important thing about this show is it does exactly what it set out to do in the fact that it deepens our understanding of the Bene Gesserit. You don't have to have watched the two Dune movies to enjoy this but you'll definitely enjoy it more if you have.

First of all, when talking about this series, you have to know that it is not for everyone.

If Villeneuve's films seemed boring to you, this series is not for you; if they seemed slow to you, this series is not for you; if you expect to see a lot of action and effects in battles, in short, this series is not for you.

However, if the lore of Dune makes you curious and/or fascinates you, if you like the palace intrigues of GOT set in a distant future and if you like Travis Fimmel playing Ragnar (again like in Raised by Wolves), this series is definitely for you.

Perhaps a series that nobody asked for but that greatly enriches this universe and makes us think that perhaps there is more future after Dennis Villeneuve.

Dune: Prophecy introduces us to a prequel set 10 thousand years before Paul Atreides and everything we saw in the cinema.

We are 30 years after the Butlerian Jihad and the events of Dune, the Machine Crusade. It is a point where the Bene Gesserit have just begun their large-scale genetic plan and program in search of creating that super-being that would be the Kwisatz Haderach through hybridization and connections of couples with potential.

We have several points of view that are interesting, the Bene Gesserit referred to, the intrigues of Emperor Corrino, the plan of the rebels led by Keiran Atreides.

Although, as I said, the series is slow, it takes its time to develop characters: we understand the motivation of Mother Valya and Tula Harkkonen, we understand Emperor Corrino and how he was manipulated. We are even able to understand Desmond Hart and how he manages to survive the Shai-Hulud.

We have the right and necessary dose of flashbacks, the fights, although few, are well choreographed and credible in the style of the movies.

Clearly, some questions have been answered and many more remain, which I hope will be addressed in the next season.

Great bet by HBO, let's hope they continue down this path and become even more massive in later seasons. I don't think they will become the new television phenomenon like GOT was, but it does have a lot of potential to be a period series.