Dune Prophecy Review: Emily Watson and Tabu can’t save this dull and cliched saga of a sister show
Dune Prophecy Review: Emily Watson and Tabu can’t save this dull and cliched saga of a sister show
Dune Prophecy Review: Emily Watson and Tabu can’t save this dull and cliched saga of a sister show Dune Prophecy Review: Emily Watson shines and Tabu does her best, but some weak writing lets them down.
When Denis Villeneuve adapted Frank Herbert’s Dune, nerds around the world found a new reason to be interested. Another fan-favorite fantasy literary masterpiece was becoming a franchise.
Yet, the show not only falls far short of the lofty standards set by the films, but also doesn’t give us a single character we can either support or hate. This makes the whole process of watching Dune: Prophecy disjointed and impersonal.
What is Dune: Prophecy about? Set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy depicts the birth of the sister order that would become the Bene Gesserit.
Led by Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), the sister seeks to place one of their own on the Imperial throne, controlling Emperor Corrino (Mark Strong) at their whim. But they must face their greatest threat yet – the unexpected arrival of Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), a mysterious soldier who becomes the Emperor’s most trusted ally and weapon.
Dune Prophecy has everything: a rich universe connected to the films but still with enough time gap to make it a fresh start, interesting characters, political intrigue and a mystique of the supernatural and mysticism.
But there’s no Villeneuve here to carefully weave them into a cohesive and aesthetic fabric. In the end you get a mix of so many elements, characters, themes and timelines that you forget the galaxy exists by the end of the second episode.
What works and what doesn’t
Visually, the show is stunning. Its scale is bigger than anything we’ve seen except Lord of the Rings or House of the Dragon. In sci-fi, it surpasses even the Foundation series in its grandeur and detail. But all of this just draws you in.
It needs to be complemented by a solid plot, one that makes sense not just in-universe but to the audience as well. This is where the show falters. The plot, as complex and convoluted as it is, makes sense in-universe. But because of the sheer amount of timelines and characters, it loses the audience in the middle.
How many times does one have to watch this to understand that the young white boy with the weird name is actually white boys from different households? In times like these, I understand the importance of diversity in casting.
Again, the performances are uneven. Emily Watson dominates the screen with a completely dominant presence, while the other actors around her fail to match her. She brings out Valya’s moral ambiguity so beautifully that you keep rooting for her even after you learn about her dark past.
Olivia Williams does a fine job as her morally straightforward sister Tula. A word of praise for Jessica Barden, who plays the young Valya equally brilliantly and dangerously.
But beyond the lead ladies, the cast looks like cardboard cutouts whose heads can be swapped. Only Travis Fimmel gets moments to shine, because the writers allow his character to do so.
Indians’ interest in the series was also due to Tabu’s first appearance in mainstream Hollywood. The actor plays Sister Francesca, the emperor’s lover and Valya’s friend, who is tasked with bringing Corino back.
True to her form, Tabu is a force to be reckoned with when she’s on screen. In the past, he’s given some great performances in English (remember The Namesake?). But here, his words almost sound artificial. To demonize an actor as natural and spontaneous as him like this is an indictment of how barren the show’s writing is.
In short
Dune Prophecy is dull. And in fantasy fiction, that’s the worst thing a story can be. When you have the luxury of using interstellar travel, star ships, giant insects, and the supernatural, being dull is a major sin. And Dune: Prophecy is guilty here!
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