The following assessment accommodates spoilers for the primary episode of Dune Prophecy, “The Hidden Hand.”
The duties assigned to “The Hidden Hand” appear insurmountable. The premiere of Dune: Prophecy is requested to arrange an infinite solid of characters and the relationships between and the conflicts amongst these characters, all of the whereas introducing audiences to an period of the Dune universe by no means earlier than depicted on display screen – one that’s, in lots of particular methods, very completely different from the interplanetary Imperium of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Dune: Part II . And talking of Villeneuve, “The Hidden Hand” additionally has to recreate the vibes of his Dune motion pictures on a a lot smaller finances. So, truthfully, it’s fairly outstanding how a lot the episode is ready to accomplish in its hour-and-change runtime, whereas additionally disappointing that it isn’t a whole success.
“The Hidden Hand” is a lot better at including to the lore of the Dune universe than it’s at telling a narrative. I’m not a giant fan of voiceover, however listening to the story of the Butlerian Jihad and the position the Atreides and Harkonnens performed in it’s simply the proper of lore dump that may get followers of the Dune universe trying to dive deeper sitting up of their seats (although I’m nonetheless salty they referred to as it “the wars towards the considering machines”). It’s attention-grabbing to see the universe so not too long ago unshackled from the ties of the considering machines, with folks so simply slipping again into trusting them. But when the premiere delves into the nitty gritty of the Emperor’s political woes with House Richese, it by no means piques any curiosity. It’s a storyline that feels extra according to the Star Wars prequels and their Trade Federations than the sprawling sci-fi epic we’ve come to like, and stalls the momentum of the episode.
That’s to not say that each ingredient of its present-day thread drags, although. There’s lots to chew on with the Sisterhood and the battle inside itself over the way to proceed into the longer term, and the omen of Tiran-Arafael and the reckoning that Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) represents. Getting Emily Watson and Olivia Williams for the roles of Valya and Tula Harkonnen doesn’t harm issues both, as they constantly elevate the typically dry writing. Jessica Barden and Emma Canning aren’t usually in a position to do the identical, coming off as stiff and awkward because the youthful Valya and Tula, nevertheless it appears extra a symptom of the clunky dialogue. There are sufficient carrots on the stick between Tiran-Arafael, the backstories of the Harkonnen sisters, and the lineage of Sister Lila to maintain “The Hidden Hand” from being slowed down within the mundane. But it definitely feels uneven.
There is an imbalance within the premiere’s presentation as properly. With the finances of a premium-cable sequence and never a major-studio blockbuster, Dune: Prophecy tries its finest to suit the molds set by Dune and Dune: Part II, however extra usually that not it appears like imitation. “The Hidden Hand” has its ups and downs, with its CGI usually cracking beneath the stress of comparability to its big-screen counterparts, whereas costumes and units really feel like, properly, costumes and units, quite than serving to to construct a cohesive, convincing, and immersive fictional worlds. Every occasionally there’s a second of greatness – Kasha’s nightmare sequence and the horrifying burning of the younger Master Richese come to thoughts – however the premiere by no means absolutely succeeds at mixing itself into the universe of Dune.
