Dune: Half Two was one of many highlights of the 2024 film schedule, so it’s no shock that followers are thrilled about having a sequence to bridge the hole whereas we await extra updates about Dune 3. The HBO prequel sequence Dune: Prophecy is ready 10,000 years earlier than the delivery of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and follows Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they set up the fabled sisterhood of the Bene Gesserit. Critics acquired an opportunity to display screen 4 of the sequence’ six episodes, they usually appear typically happy with the origin story.
Dune: Prophecy premieres on HBO and streaming with a Max subscription on November 17, the place Emily Watson and Olivia Williams will star because the Harkonnen sisters and Travis Fimmel as mysterious soldier Desmond Hart. CinemaBlend’s personal Mike Reyes has seen the preliminary episodes and thinks with this forged and HBO’s penchant for world-building, it’s going to make the lengthy await Dune Messiah just a little simpler. In his phrases:
I am very a lot satisfied that Dune: Prophecy goes to assist ease the await Dune: Messiah. An performing deck completely stacked from high to backside w/ expertise, in opposition to the type of gorgeously depicted world constructing you’d count on from an HBO present. I can’t wait to see all of it join.
Chase Hutchinson of The Wrap agrees Prophecy can be welcomed by followers of the franchise when it hits the 2024 TV schedule, however can also be accessible sufficient for these unfamiliar with Denis Villeneuve’s expansive world. An early exposition dump permits for the sisters’ story to then unfold naturally. In conclusion, Hutchinson says:
Although not as sweeping in scope and with out the identical breathtaking visuals as these prior works, this thematic core makes the six-episode sequence a often stellar one because it greater than manages to face aside, largely stepping out of the lengthy shadow forged by the unbelievable movies. Offering a fascinating portrait of the corruptive forces of energy and the gamers desperately making an attempt to regulate the trajectory of time, it’s just a little stagey although universally well-acted adaptation that’s the right factor to carry you over till the movies return with Dune Messiah.
Belen Edwards of Mashable additionally mentions that the sequence actually begins to sing when you get previous the exposition, and followers are handled to a deeper understanding of the Bene Gesserit and the world round it. Plus, don’t rely out the occasional sandworm go to. Edwards continues:
Dune: Prophecy unfurls right into a deliciously diverse sci-fi epic with just a little one thing for everybody. In the event you love political machinations, you will be blessed with scene after scene of scheming and negotiations. (Really, that is the closest TV has gotten to the concept of ‘Sport of Thrones…in house!’) If you’d like extra perception into what goes into turning into a Sister, brace your self for the rigorous coaching acolytes bear, which looks like Dune’s tackle the ‘magic faculty’ trope. And naturally, in case you’re on the lookout for a few of Dune’s great sci-fi weirdness (we’re speaking a few sequence the place somebody turns into a worm, in spite of everything), you are in luck. Dune: Prophecy makes a meal of the Sisters’ many unusual visions, in some instances even eclipsing Villeneuve’s interpretations of the Bene Gesserit’s inside powers.
Ben Travers of IndieWire grades the sequence a C, admitting that whereas the story is “unusual and mysterious,” Dune: Prophecy looks like an try to duplicate Sport of Thrones, and it’s unclear if the sequence has any endurance. The critic writes:
In contrast to the flicks — which have been praised for making Frank Herbert’s elaborate world-building comparatively painless to course of — the Dune sequence can’t discover a solution to effortlessly combine its exposition. Apart from the dense voiceover, scripts depend on repetition to emphasise complicated or necessary plot factors (which, actually, could possibly be every little thing), and that results in dialogue so clunky even pristine abilities like Watson, Olivia Williams (as Valya’s sister and Sister, Tula), and Mark Sturdy (the Emperor) battle to promote. The sequence recycles lots of the films’ slicker visible improvements, from the worms gliding throughout the desert to the glowing physique armor that flashes blue or purple throughout battle, nevertheless it struggles to unveil any slick improvements all its personal.
Amy West of GamesRadar says whereas there are flashes of what made the Dune films so common, Prophecy largely falls brief, regardless of a sensational efficiency from Olivia Williams. The sequence is weighed down by too many characters and a very complicated world that’s — opposite to what one other critic thinks — utterly closed off to anybody new to the story. West provides the sequence 2 out of 5 stars, writing:
Not solely are all the ever-changing relationships onerous to observe, the present additionally tries to introduce an excessive amount of of Herbert’s complicated world, from considering machines and revenants to The Agony. The latter provides Prophecy an successfully spooky edge, as a number of characters work together with ghost-like manifestations of the deceased, nevertheless it’s all fairly overwhelming to an informal fan of the franchise. … It is unattainable to think about how somebody utterly new to Dune would fare effectively watching this.
With critics having seen 4 of the six episodes of Dune: Prophecy, it seems like there’s lots right here for followers to dig into as we await the franchise’s additional growth. Rotten Tomatoes presently has the sequence at 74% from 27 opinions, so there’s been an general optimistic takeaway. Be sure you test it out for your self, because the sequence kicks off at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, November 17, on HBO and streaming on Max.