Dune: Part One 2021 by Denis Villeneuve is one of the most interesting and almost impossible examples in today's reality when the community's influence has overcome the financial performance of a film project. The film barely paid for itself, which put the potential second part in jeopardy. However, the audience liked the story and the director's approach to it so much that Dune: Part Two was released, and the third part of the saga is now in production.
The HBO series Dune: Prophecy should help fill the time until the threequel. In Ukraine, it is officially broadcasted by the MEGOGO service along with the rest of the world. We watched the first episode and were pleasantly impressed, although there were some significant problems.
| Title | Dune: Prophecy |
| Genre | drama, science fiction |
| Director | Alison Schapker |
| Starring | Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Jodie May, Sarah-Sophie Bussnina, Shalom Brun-Franklin, Mark Strong and others |
| Channel | HBO |
| Episodes | 6 |
| Year | 2024 |
| Website | IMDb |
Dune: Prophecy focuses on the rise of the female order of Bene Gesserit. In Dune, it has an incredible influence on all the Great Houses, but in the series, it has not yet managed to gain power, as the show is set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atrid. The current head of the order, Valja Harkonnen, wants to strengthen the power of the sisterhood at any cost. However, even Bene Gesserit's outstanding skills in human analysis and manipulation are not yet able to withstand all dissenters. And humanity's memories of the war with intelligent machines have not yet faded, and this fact may also interfere with the Order's plans.
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Still from the Dune: Prophecy series[/caption]
The main problem with the start of the series is that it tries to show too many events in a relatively short period of time. It would seem that the episodic format of the series should give the authors more space for storytelling, with the first episode alone lasting over an hour. However, in the first twenty minutes, the crew still dumps on the audience several important events for the Dune universe and specifically the Dune: Prophecy series, not all of which will be clear to people unfamiliar with the source material.
The world of Frank Herbert is full of nuances and interesting features. And the series adequately conveys them, but this makes the threshold for entry significantly higher. Villeneuve's Dune was more skillful in handling a lot of facts from the universe of books and presenting them in an accessible way. Given that the series is directly related to the movies, this step backwards in terms of information presentation will definitely not appeal to some viewers.
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Still from the Dune: Prophecy series[/caption]
Where the series tries to imitate Vilnev's work as much as possible is in its visual style. However, the budgets and talents of the film crew do not allow them to even come close to the director's vision. "Villeneuve's Dune was impressive even at the level of color correction, each scene in it is as balanced as possible, breathing majestic calm, almost arrogance towards the viewer. Dune: Prophecy has retained only interesting scenery and pretentious general plans. The latter are still not breathtaking.
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Still from the Dune: Prophecy series[/caption]
However, when the series finally slows down a bit and stops bombarding viewers with streams of information, its strongest sides are finally revealed. Ben Gesserit is one of the most interesting phenomena in the Dune universe, and the show allows us to go behind the scenes and see the inner workings. The script immediately draws interesting characters and future conflicts. The scale and ambition of the film crew can make Dune: Prophecy one of the best additions to an already great franchise. The main thing is that the numerous plot clues and intrigues will be properly implemented.
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Still from the Dune: Prophecy series[/caption]
Political intrigue and details of the relationships between the characters are the foundation of the show, which the authors laid in the first episode. Representatives of the Bene Gesserit play their dangerous game among the Great Houses and think they can outwit everyone. However, the sisters' arrogance and haughtiness have not yet been complemented by unquestioning power. Therefore, Dune: Prophecy paints a picture of a crisis in an organization that we have previously seen only as an unshakable pillar of the universe.
Of course, we can't do without supernatural elements. They are already present in the show - strange and incomprehensible, but eerie and effective enough to be memorable. And they also show an additional significant advantage of the series - its budget. Because of this, the series immerses you in its atmosphere and doesn't let go until the credits roll, because everything looks true within the chosen setting.
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Still from the Dune: Prophecy series[/caption]
The first episode of Dune: Prophecy is cautiously optimistic. The show has the potential to tell a complex story in a unique universe. However, the team needs to get its act together and do a better job of pacing the narrative and the chosen format. Otherwise, confusion will become the main feature of the show, and no one will like it.
In Ukraine, new episodes will be released every Monday on MEGOGO.