When does a sample flip right into a development? How a few development changing into a foul behavior? And at what level does a foul behavior metastasize into an all-out plea for assist? For the higher a part of the final twenty years, studios have taken each IP they occur to carry the rights to and strip-mined them with a view to replicate previous blockbuster successes. From “The Hobbit” trilogy to the “Jurassic World” motion pictures to, nicely, no matter “Star Wars” is doing lately, every of those examples had been made out of an apparent want to earn cash and (for essentially the most half) managed to haul in billion-dollar income by the truckload. These days, nonetheless, even the trade’s most dependable high quality — shameless company greed — feels all muddled. The rise of streaming meant splintering off once-reliable money-makers into infinite spin-off reveals and prequel sequence, chasing the attract of subscriber numbers and Wall Avenue positive aspects over chilly, laborious money.
Do not look now, Hollywood, however it’s formally time for an intervention.
It is powerful to put all the blame on the ft of “Dune: Prophecy,” however HBO’s try to capitalize on the most popular property on the town certain seems like a nadir of types. In 2021, director Denis Villeneuve did the unattainable and crafted a well-received adaptation of writer Frank Herbert’s impenetrable sci-fi/fantasy novel … solely to carry out that miracle over again three years later with “Dune: Half 2.” We should always’ve identified, then, that it was solely a matter of time earlier than Padishah Emperor David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros., determined to take all that good will and flush it down the drain. The warning indicators had been there, in any case, given the in depth behind-the-scenes overhaul reported as early as 2019. But even the smoothest manufacturing on the earth probably would not have performed a lot to avoid wasting a narrative doomed to be as strained and pointless as this. “Dune: Prophecy” drains all of the awe and spectacle from the flicks, changing them with a dour and action-free “Recreation Of Thrones” knockoff as lifeless because the deserts of Arrakis itself.
Dune: Prophecy is a pale imitation of Recreation of Thrones — and the Dune motion pictures
Think about it was 2011 over again and the sequence premiere of “Recreation of Thrones” started not with a daring, atmospheric opening sequence that may hook audiences proper from the beginning, however with an extended, ponderous flashback sequence laying out exposition so unimaginatively that it units off alarm bells immediately. “Dune: Prophecy” would not make one of the best of first impressions, to say the least. Sleepy voiceover narration by Emily Watson’s Valya Harkonnen, the closest factor we’ve got to a primary protagonist, walks viewers by the present’s huge, planet-hopping backstory in a uneven sequence that feels prefer it was thrown collectively on the final second. This historical past lesson spans a brutal battle between humanity and pondering machines (sadly, the epic “Butlerian Jihad” dye-in-the-wool followers have been ready to see feels extra like the opening scene of “Terminator 3”), the early days of the Bene Gesserit order and their ceaseless quest to bioengineer the right chief, and the origins of the traditional Atreides/Harkonnen household rivalry — which is in the end far much less attention-grabbing than something implied within the motion pictures.
That turns into a recurring theme all through this debut season of “Dune: Prophecy” (of which solely 4 of the six complete episodes had been made out there to critics), loosely primarily based on the 2012 e-book “Sisterhood of Dune” by Frank Herbert’s son Brian Herbert and co-author Kevin J. Anderson. Not solely should the sequence take care of the sheer magnitude of this universe, setting itself 10,0000 years earlier than Paul Atreides was ever born but by no means actually feeling like the traditional previous, however it additionally neglects so as to add something of notice to enhance the themes or ambition of its big-screen predecessors. The order of the Bene Gesserit, the area witches who wield huge energy shaping the politics of the Imperium, appeared like an apparent place to begin by which to sink its enamel into issues about historical past versus prophecy or the thought of the place energy really resides. Varied episodes pay lip service to those notions, significantly by the ever-driven Valya and her cussed perception that she’s the reply to prophecy, however in any other case the sequence by no means aspires to something larger than that.
And even when “Dune: Prophecy” is not competing with the intimidating shadow solid by the flicks, it attracts all types of unflattering comparisons to the fantasy sequence that is (mockingly) impressed partially by “Dune” itself: “Recreation of Thrones.” We have now shady political schemers exerting energy over your entire Imperium, a Golden Lion Throne that corrupts those that lust for it, a royal wedding ceremony organized between rival homes to additional safe management (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina’s Princess Ynez Corrino, who at the least livens up the proceedings when she’s on display screen, may as nicely be a extra idealistic Daenerys Targaryen), mysterious deaths that kick off the plot in earnest, and sufficient intercourse and nudity to make Gen Z blush … and that is earlier than Mark Addy waltzes onto the scene in later episodes, boasting the very same swagger as his earlier function as King Robert Baratheon.
Too unhealthy little or no of this feels as cohesive as one of the best seasons of the opposite HBO flagship sequence, oftentimes lobbing Home names and fantastical planets and deep-cut lore references in the direction of viewers at a frenzied tempo and mistaking that for depth.
Dune: Prophecy has too many characters and barely any attention-grabbing ones
Maybe it is solely becoming that “Dune: Prophecy” is (ostensibly) all about essentially the most highly effective forces within the universe bringing their very own destroy down upon them. For all one of the best intentions among the many artistic workforce, a large price range that does not totally make its method onto the display screen, and the solid doing all the things they probably can — significantly Travis Fimmel, who makes a sequence of untamed decisions as wildcard soldier Desmond Hart after which, uh, triples down on them — none of those parts fairly come collectively to make this prequel soar. Administrators Anna Foerster, John Cameron, and Richard J. Lewis shoot their episodes with the identical home fashion, choosing a cold courtroom drama vibe that retains viewers at arm’s size from the characters themselves. Finally, there may not be a extra self-defeating sequence on tv in 2024 than this one.
The place Villeneuve grounded his saga within the cautionary arc of Paul Atreides, showrunner Alison Schapker, co-developer Diane Ademu-John, and their workforce of writers wrestle to discover a comparable all-encompassing perspective. Valya stands out primarily as a result of Watson’s piercing (if one-note) efficiency and Jessica Barden’s fiery portrayal as her youthful self 30 years up to now, and her sister Tula (Olivia Williams within the current, Emma Canning up to now) ultimately comes into her personal as a extra empathetic counterpoint to Valya’s rigidity. However past the 2 sisters and one flashback-heavy hour that stands out as one of the best of the bunch, each different episode buckles below the load of just too many characters with out the advantage of almost any attention-grabbing ones. Someplace within the combine, viewers must juggle disparate, humorless subplots that includes Chris Mason as Ynez’s swordmaster and conflicted lover Keiran, Mark Sturdy as Emperor Javicco Corrino and Jodhi Could as his nearly Woman Macbeth-like spouse Empress Natalya, and a cadre of Bene Gesserit acolytes who hardly stand out from each other — although Jade Anouka as Theodosia and Chloe Lea as Lila are at the least given pretty vital materials down the road.
All instructed, “Dune: Prophecy” simply ranks among the many most disappointing examples of franchise expansions dressed up as status TV. For a sequence so inquisitive about whether or not we’re merely the product of our upbringing or the alternatives we make, there is a tragic irony behind its lack of ability to drag off the identical magic trick that latest efforts like “Home of the Dragon,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy,” “Agatha All Alongside,” and “The Penguin” managed to do. What might’ve been an underdog story of artists sneaking in some actual storytelling into studio schlock as a substitute feels just like the inevitable finish results of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
/Movie Ranking: 5 out of 10
“Dune: Prophecy” debuts on HBO and Max November 17, 2024.