Dune: Prophecy feels like a moneygrab opportunity meant to capitalise on what's already popular, observes Mayur Sanap.
When Dune released in 2021, I remember how Director Denis Villeneuve talked about the sheer complexity of the story, thanks to the wide-ranging characters, themes and sub-plots it tackles with.
Based on Frank Herbert's book, which originally published in 1965, it has been adapted for screen in the past as well but the story was largely considered 'unfilmable' due to the sheer volume of its source text.
Villeneuve's Dune is now a blockbuster franchise and it's probably the box office success of last two films that warranted a prequel series Dune: Prophecy.
But this streaming show is a sad display of what the Dune universe would feel like without Villeneuve's involvement.
What could have been a fascinating expansion of the already established world ends up feeling like a moneygrab opportunity meant to capitalise on what's already popular. Sadly, that also summarises the current landscape of entertainment industry, isn't it?
The show is divided into six episodes that focuses on the backstory of the Bene Gesserit, a cult of powerful women that Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Rampling and Léa Seydoux played in Villeneuve's film adaptations.
The story takes place many, many years before the birth of Paul Atreides, the protagonist of the Dune series played by Timothée Chalamet.
Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) is on her death bed when she calls for Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden) and she warns her about the Red Sand, an impending sandstorm that threatens the future of the humanity.
Raquella entrusts Valya to lead the Imperium, much to the dismay of other members of the group.
Thirty years later, Valya (played by Emily Watson) is the Mother Supreme, who is leading the group with her sister and second-in-command, Tula (Olivia Williams).
Both sisters train younger women to join their ranks, one of which is Emperor Javicco Corrino's (Mark Strong) daughter, Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina).
We learn that Raquella's prophecy is connected to Princess Ynez, which ultimately ignites a series of grim events.
The first episode, titled The Hidden Hand, is pretty much a set-up for this world and characters it inhabits.
The show also relies heavily on your prior knowledge about the Dune universe with regards to some key character arcs and plot points.
Showrunners and developers Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker put in sincere efforts to nail the look and feel of Dune, but the ease that Villeneuve's showed in his story-telling is sorely missing.
The drama rushes through every scene without any breathing space and none of the characters are interesting enough to make us root for them. Even the basic dialogues are peppered with tedious exposition that offers nothing substantial to the viewers.
By the end of it, I wondered if I was more disheartened that the show is just piggybacking on Villeneuve's world that he painstakingly built or the fact that Tabu didn't show up in the premiere episode.
But yes, this review is based only on the first episode. So, there's still hope. Only that the expectations are now in check.
Dune: Prophecy streams on JioCinema.
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