If I had to choose my favorite movie of 2024, it would have to be Dune: Part Two. Sci-fi is one of my favorite genres and this movie, when paired with the first part, is probably one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. In fact, Denis Villeneuve, director of both Dune movies, was involved with another of my favorite sci-fi movies to come out in the last 10 years: Bladerunner 2049. I loved everything about the new Dune movies. The music, costumes, acting, writing, production design. Everything about those movies is superb. Then, they announced a prequel TV series set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides titled Dune: Prophecy, which focuses on the early days of the Bene Gesserit, the sisterhood of women who can do space magic and shit. With the upcoming survival video game releasing this year, Warner Bros. is going all in on their newly established Duniverse.
As of now, the first season of Dune: Prophecy has concluded its 6 episode run, and I’ve had a few weeks to reflect on the show as a whole. It was…okay. Let me elaborate. But first, I’ll start with the aspects of the show that I did enjoy.
Once again, I will do my best to avoid spoilers if you haven’t watched the show or plan to.
The production design was great. Though it’s not exactly like the movies, the settings felt like it was in the universe of Dune. A great deal of the show took place on the planet Wallach IX, where the Sisterhood resides, and also, Salusa Secundus, home planet of the Imperium. Lankiveil, the planet where the Harkonnens where exiled to, makes a few appearances as well. Each planet is distinct from one another and I thought the production design for each was great. Particularly, Salusa Secundus. It’s a large, grand city that feels very sci-fi, especially since it’s where the emperor resides. It’s got a regal feel to it.
It’s no Hans Zimmer, but I really enjoyed the music of the show. There were aspects of it that felt similar to his score from the movies. At the same time, it was also different and stood out on its own. I would have liked to see more musical cues from the movies sprinkled throughout the series to tie them together in some way. Otherwise, I thought the music was great. The theme song was really good. It was probably one of my favorite parts about the show.
Here’s what I didn’t like about it.
I’m gonna start with the writing because that was the weakest part of the show. For a TV show where there are only 6 episodes, they sure tried stuffing as much plot as possible into it. In my opinion, this was the biggest downfall of the show. There were so many story-lines going on between numerous characters that it was difficult to keep up at times. Maybe if the show had more episodes to breathe, it wouldn’t have felt so rushed. I think 6 episodes for a season of television is too short, but if it needs to be done, then at least focus on the important characters to drive the story forward. There were also some scenes that felt like filler and could have been cut down or cut out altogether. I understand that the show is based on one of the books (that I’ve never read), but it’s an adaptation. You don’t need to throw everything in there. AND. For a show with Dune in its title, the audience doesn’t even travel to Arrakis until the final minutes of the season finale. Stupid.
The acting was fine. Travis Fimmel, though he basically played a similar character in Raised By Wolves, was probably the best actor in the series (which isn’t saying much). He’s good at playing that strange, villainous character and it worked for the show. Emily Watson, who portrayed Valya Harkonnen, had some scenes towards the end of the season that really showed her acting range and abilities. Same with Olivia Williams, who plays her sister, Tula Harkonnen. She had a few really great scenes. But overall, when it came to the characters, I didn’t care about any of them. I wasn’t rooting for this person or that person. I think they tried to give some emotional depth to Tula by making her a mother type figure to Lila (Chloe Lea), but it just didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t believe their relationship. When Lila undergoes that weird trial and doesn’t awaken, I felt nothing.
And another thing, Mark Strong, who plays the emperor, is such a good actor and I feel he was underutilized. He comes off as a weak ruler (which is what they were going for), but I just felt like he looked lost half the time. His performance was strange. Not bad. But not as good as he’s capable of.
Again, I think most of the problem is that the show felt rushed. They either needed more episodes or a more concise story. It appears that it’s already been renewed for a second season so I guess it was somewhat of a success. Which means I’ll probably end up watching it if only to see whether the second season is better than the first. We’ll see.
Blogservations 