Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 6
Duration: 60 min (per episode)
Dune: Prophecy: Season 1 (4K UHD) – Series Review
It has been slightly under a year since we featured the impressive 4K UHD release of Dune: Part Two. We concluded that not only did the movie prove to be a visual spectacle, but it also allowed younger generations to enjoy Frank Herbert’s magnum opus. With the third movie on the horizon, we were quite pleased when Dune: Prophecy was announced. This series takes place in the same universe, albeit roughly 10,000 years before the events that occur in the Dune movies. While slightly different in flow and premise, we were wholly entertained from start to finish.
As stated above, Dune: Prophecy takes place roughly 10,000 years before Paul Atreides was even born. The show follows Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams) Harkonnen, who are on a quest for vengeance against the Atreides family who wronged them. The Harkonnen family was once influential, and now they are seen as not much more than glorified merchants that hold only a little bit of power. Both sisters join the Sisterhood, which is pretty much the predecessor of the Bene Gesserit from the Dune movies. Valya plans to train new Sisters and ensure they serve the nobles and even the emperor himself. The series starts off with Valya already leading the Sisterhood, but we do get some background information that is told via flashbacks.
Then we have the actual emperor, Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong), who is dealing with more and more opposition from some of the stronger houses of his underlings. His daughter, Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), has decided to make a power move herself by agreeing to an engagement to a powerful family’s son. While her parents aren’t sure this is the best possible move, Ynez has a plan of her own that also involves her joining the Sisterhood. To complicate matters further, Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) returns from his tour on Arrakis with a strange power. He seems extremely loyal to the emperor and will not stop until his enemies are crushed.
The flow and pacing of Dune: Prophecy is hard to explain. It’s not a lie when we state that the series is very slow, but there is always something going on, and there’s never a dull moment in sight. While sometimes a bit heavy on information, things eventually explain themselves as the episodes slowly progress. Even though action is not necessarily a focal point of this particular Dune series, there are still a few combat sequences that provide a nice change of pace. There’s a lot of politics and scheming going on, making this a series that you’ll have to pay attention to and not just put on in the background.
In terms of acting performances, the cast does a stellar job bringing their characters to life. There are also quite a few big hitters gracing the production, such as Mark Strong, Travis Fimmel, Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Mark Addy, Edward Davis, and many more. No expense was spared to ensure the characters would receive a great cast member backing them up. There is clear character evolution throughout the six episodes of this first season.
The 4K UHD version of Dune: Prophecy comes with quite a few special features. Outside of content that delves into the individual episodes, there are a lot of extras revolving around the creative process that went on behind the scenes. You’ll have roughly 90 minutes of bonus material to plow through, which does add a lot of value to picking up a physical copy. It also helps with softening the blow until new Dune content is released.
Conclusion
Dune: Prophecy: Season 1 expands further on Dune’s history, and it gives some more context about the universe’s power structure. We loved this spin-off series from start to finish, but we can also imagine it to be a bit too political and slow for those who are looking for a grander spectacle, such as the movies. Nonetheless, the acting performances were top-notch, the overall narrative drove us to the edge of our seat multiple times, and the visuals were very impressive for a series. We can’t wait for a second season to be released, hopefully before the next movie hits the theaters.
No Comments