Dune: Prophecy is set more than 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides. The first episode lays a nice foundation for the rest of the season. The Dune universe comes from the books of Frank Herbert (and later his son Brian Herbert together with Kevin J. Anderson). It was brought to the big screen in 1984, it subsequently also came to television in the form of Frank Herbert's: Dune and Frank Herbert's: Children of Dune, but more recently Dune is particularly known for the films of Denis Villeneuve from 2021 and 2024.
That Dune: Prophecy takes place in the universe as depicted in the films of 2021 and 2024 quickly becomes clear from the way in which everything is depicted. The atmosphere from the films is clearly and beautifully reflected in the first episode.
Story-wise, we are more than 10,000 years before Paul Atreides (the protagonist of the films) was born. Humanity's great war against the thinking machines is over. A war from which House Harkonnen clearly did not come out of well. Many of them have fled, but Valya (Emily Watson, Too Close) and Tula (Olivia Williams, The Nevers) have joined the Sisterhood, a society that trains its members to become Truthsayers. Truthsayers are assigned to the great Houses as advisors because, among other things, they can determine whether people are telling the truth or not.
However, there is a difference of opinion within the society about the influence the society should have. The original purpose is advisory, but some (including Valya and Tula) feel that the society should have more control and that they should ultimately get one of the sisters on the highest throne. As soon as Valya takes charge, that is the approach. The spearhead is the emperor Corrino (Mark Strong, Temple) and his daughter and successor Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Knightfall).
As mentioned, the atmosphere in the first episode is good. Everything is beautifully depicted and is comparable to the films, which is great when you consider that the budget for a series like this is of course smaller than it was for the films. And with names such as Emily Watson, Travis Fimmel and Mark Strong, there is also a solid foundation in terms of acting.
The first episode also does its best to lay out the story and the various relevant characters. And it succeeds quite well, especially considering that the Dune universe is not always easy to understand. I was helped by the fact that I have seen both films and (in a very distant past) read the books. Without any prior knowledge it will be a lot more complicated to get into the story.
Dune is a story about political power, who has it, who is trying to obtain it and what intrigues are involved. This ensures that the pace of the story in the first episode (but probably also in the rest of the first season) is not too fast. This is no different than in the films and I personally don't mind it. Especially because you have to pay close attention to what is happening.
I'm very curious about the rest of the first season, but I suspect I'll wait until all the episodes are online to ensure that I can really get into the story and not have to think about who is which every week. played a role in the whole. And that wait will be difficult enough, because this first episode certainly left me wanting more.
I certainly didn't think it was better than the movies. But that's probably also because I know the story told in the movies quite well. I have not read this book by Herbert Jr. It is clear to me that he has done his best to emulate his father, but so far I am not entirely convinced. Enough to enjoy watching the second episode, that is for sure.
It looks great. The budget is clearly quite high for this series. I think the ladies are particularly strong in this episode. The men, well, what can I say. Frimmel looks exactly the same as in all the other series I know him from and he does the same trick. Not impressed. And Strong can look very sultry, but I don't think he exudes much else. But hey, maybe they're still growing into their roles. You see that more often.
It is indeed often the same trick that is repeated. But perhaps Boy Swallows Universe is still recommended to watch. There he really plays a different kind of role.
