'Dune: Prophecy' Episode 1 review: A slow beginning for an audacious series that should get better

Cast: Emily Watson, Jessica Barden, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina 

Director: Anna Foerster

Language: English

Dune: Prophecy is a prequel to the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune. The excitement around the series is understandably palpable, moreover because we have the inimitable Tabu joining the show and going all international. But the idea of dropping one episode per week isn’t just there yet. As much as it raises curiosity about what’s going to happen next, it also breaks the rhythm and the fluidity of the viewing experience. Now, let’s find out what happens in episode one of the much-awaited series.

The crux of the show has been described as this- “Set 10,000 years before the events of Dune, the series “follows sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen as they combat forces that threaten the future of humanity, and establish the fabled sect known as the Bene Gesserit.”

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Mother Superior Raquella has died, and the conflicts and chaos have only doubled. It’s not a banal sci-fi that gets too enamoured by its own audacity, but a slow-burn, atmospheric world that director Anna Foerster and writer Diane Ademu-John craft and create. The first episode is titled The Hidden Hand.

The pace is anything but hurried that works for and against the show, both. There are tense conversations about hidden identities and the one that stands out is a line that says- We lie to our friends, enemies, and ourselves.

Emily Watson seems to be the star of the show so far, and there’s certain gravitas and energy with which she attacks her character. There’s a lot happening in the opening episode with scattered pieces that shall be assembled as the series progresses. I am actually waiting for the arrival of the star called Tabu. Given how she blends in any milieu you throw her into, the lady should stand tall this time around too. But as stated, this is just the beginning, the war has just started. The actors are only sweating, the bleeding is left.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

‘Dune: Prophecy’ Episode 1 is now streaming on JioCinema