PremiumDune: Prophecy Review: All hail the Sisterhood Ft. Tabu, Emily Watson & Olivia Williams
Last Updated: 09.30 AM, Dec 23, 2024
Dune: Prophecy Review; Plot - Set a little over 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), Dune: Prophecy introduces us to the Sisterhood, now called the Bene Gesserit. As the world moves towards a new age after defeating thinking machines, the Sisterhood must control the world to make it a better place. Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson) is the Mother Superior who dictates what happens across the Emperium and has no heart when it comes to safeguarding what she stands for. Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams), her sister, is the empathetic one. But when the hunt for Spice gets wild, and Emperor Javicco Corrino is getting his daughter married to a nine-year-old guy to gain control of Arrakis (ring bells?), everything, of course, goes wrong.
Dune: Prophecy Review: Analysis
In the last four years of witnessing the revamped Dune franchise under D enis Villeneuve’s reign, we have realized one thing: this world offers a canvas that can be interpreted in more ways than one. It is a game of perspective, a lot of politics, and, of course, the gigantic Sandworms who are almost gods for many. What you fear becomes your god; the concept is very simple, and Frank Herbert's novels establish it in a very beautiful way. So, when the cinematic journey of the franchise branches out in a long-format television series, you know this world lends itself to that format very organically. Add to it the history, and a lucrative one, of the houses we have seen in the two films. Enter Dune: Prophecy, a show set over 10,000 years before Paul Atreides’ takeover of the storyline, beginning right after the era of Thinking Machines.
We are now relatively closer to a time that we are now seeing the seeds of being sown in us (Hello, AI, if you are reading this). So, when I said perspective, Dune could be a future where machines are prohibited, and we are back to being almost Neanderthals with proper human bodies and tech that is advanced but not ‘smart’. Of course, credit goes to Frank Herbert for envisioning this possible future in the 60s, and to Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, who wrote Sisterhood of Dune, on which the show is based.
With Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker serving as creators, and Anna Foerster, Richard J. Lewis, and John Cameron joining them as directors, Dune: Prophecy is a very interesting mix of content. There is drama, mystery, some very great actors, and, of course, Arrakis, which continues to be a center of attraction for the worlds because it holds spice, and Shai-Hulud, aka The Sandworm, protects it. The writing in Dune: Prophecy is beautiful when it does not cater to the audience by peppering the show with things we already know. It introduces this new world like you have not seen anything about it. And that makes Prophecy novel because it doesn’t rely on the predecessor movies for anything. There is no forced attempt to form connections or name-drop anything.
What stands out is how subtly the creators build a world run by women who have the command. But then contrast it with men who still think the women deciding what is true and what is false for them are also replaceable. Only then Dune starts to unfold and remind us why the Sisterhood was born in the first place. This is established when we go into the flashback and meet a young adult Tula and Valya Harkonnen, played by two brilliant actors, Emma Canning and Jessica Barden. Especially the latter, who goes on to be the Mother Superior. In a scene, her uncle calls her a witch only because she is different and wants power. When everything collapses, she finds her way to the Sisterhood only to realize she has a way she can rule the world. So, when the old Valya, played by Emily Watson, comes across as heartless, you know she had traded her heart to survive.
A stark contrast is Tula, played by Olivia Williams, a woman who stands against Valya most of the time but can’t abandon her because she knows they are nothing without each other. Tula is built over the course of the show through Valya’s decisions. When she is left alone, she takes the reins in her hands and shows she isn’t a weakling. But she is also a mother, mother of the man whom the entire Sisterhood wants dead at this point. Francesca, played by Tabu, gets a beautiful love story with a tragic climax, leaving her torn between love and loyalty. Tabu brings so much to this part with her eyes holding dark secrets; you have to hail her for creating this part.
This helps immerse viewers in a new idea: there can be magic in this world too. Enter Desmond Hart. Hart, played by a promising Travis Fimmel, is one of the most cleverly written bad guys of the year. The show is in no hurry to establish him or make him unleash havoc. Instead, the writing takes it slow and shapes him a couple of steps stronger with every episode. This approach builds the fear of his existence, making the viewer feel it too. As you see him brutally kill people one after the other with an unknown weapon or magic, your curiosity builds with every kill, making you return for him, if not anyone else. Now you understand why I call him a cleverly written villain.
However, Dune: Prophecy lags at times, repeatedly establishing certain points. Much of the development is in the dialogues, with limited visual storytelling this season. Despite frequent mentions of Shai-Hulud, we are rarely taken close to him except for blink-and-miss appearances. The finale leaves much of Desmond Hart’s story for the second season, which might not sit well with many viewers. However, the world-building, set design, dialogues, and costumes blend seamlessly.
Dune: Prophecy Review: Final Verdict
Sisterhood above all—Dune: Prophecy proves this by establishing a world led by women. It stands on its own merit without leaning on the films. The intrigue, mystery, and compelling characters keep you hooked.
All episodes of Dune: Prophecy are streaming on JioCinema Premium in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Bengali. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more updates on streaming and films.