yoyopa

Honestly, I'm being a D with that title bc if the writing were any good I wouldn't care at all about the female centric premise.

The Bene Gesserit are a fascinating focal point.

Can't say I'm surprised the show is mid at best - love or hate the most recent movies, the screenplays for both are by far the weakest elements. But the writing here is just exposition exposition exposition.

Due to the weak writing we have equally weak performances and paper thin characters. The leading actors, all seasoned vets, do what they can to elevate the garbage they're given but the younger cast feels like they were pulled from a CW show.

That said, bc of the writing I won't hold anything against them. Even the best of the best struggle to heighten bad text and as an actor that's not their job anyway.

I won't spoil anything and I'm only a few episodes in but the series has moments where it feels like it's an HBO quality show but more moments where you really could be forgiven for thinking you're watching one of those cheap CW episodics.

The Dune books are fun to read but to adapt into screenplays it takes a different level of work. The books seem more complex than they are - the visuals are so spectacular and fun to imagine while reading that one could mistake it for depth. Point being, adapting Herbert's work requires elevation. That's not what you're getting here.

I keep coming back to the CW comparison bc it's true. Lots of over acting, pretty faces who couldn't turn in a believable performance even if... they were paid much more than they likely are.

All in all - it's fine. If you love the world of dune you'll likely find some entertainment here and if not... background noise while you do other stuff around the house.