The HBO series Dune: Prophesy is a prequel to the films, set 10,148 years before the events of Dune and the birth of Paul Atreides, and 116 years after the end of the Great Machine Wars. The series is based on Brian Herbert’s 2012 Sisterhood of Dune novel, and explores how the Sisterhood, the precursor to the Bene Gesserit, came to be.
The Imperium is the government that controls the universe, which is ruled over by several great houses. At this period in time, the Harkonnens are much more human-like than their Dune-era counterparts, but their house has been disgraced. Likewise, House Atreides hasn’t even been established yet. Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) serves as the first Mother Superior of the Sisterhood, which trains women to harness their inner powers to become Truthsayers. Their services are sought after by the great houses, to sift truth from lies. Valya Harkonnen (Jessica Barden) is a manipulative young acolyte with dreams of restoring her family’s noble status, and so when she sees an opportunity to seize power in the Sisterhood, she does so, along with the help of her biological sister Tula (Emma Canning). The Sisterhood maintains a secret genetic archive, which they use to breed better leaders by fostering the correct royal unions. By doing so, they hope to influence the flow of power. Valya insists that the sisters must put one of their own on the throne to become the first Empress to rule the Imperium, but she receives some opposition from one of the other sisters. However, over the next 30 years Valya carefully and patiently uses her influence to ensure the pieces on the chess board are aligned in the right places.
In the present, the now-Mother Superior Valya (Emily Watson), arranges for Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina), daughter of Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong), to marry nine-year-old Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior). In exchange, Duke Ferdinand Richese (Brendan Cowell) will supply the emperor with a fleet of ships to help control the Fremen uprising on the valuable spice-rich desert planet of Arrakis. As she waits for her future husband to come of age, the princess will spend the next 10 years training with the Sisterhood to become a Truthsayer. And so Valya’s carefully laid out plan will finally come to fruition. However, a mysterious soldier, Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel), returns from Arrakis, and throws things into chaos, suggesting that there may be Imperium-based insurgents on the planet. He also seems to have a vendetta against the Sisterhood, and begins sewing seeds of doubt with the emperor. Even though the Great Machine Wars ended over 100 years earlier, people’s fear of machines is still ripe, and Desmond plans to exploit this.
Dune: Prophesy constantly flips between the past and the present, showing how present day Valya, Tula (Olivia Williams) and the other sisters got to where they are, and the secrets their younger counterparts have kept hidden for three decades. Meanwhile, in the present, an adaptive Valya quickly regroups, trying to rework her plan while also trying to discover the truth about her dangerous new foe. Meanwhile, some of the younger acolytes start to unlock the secrets of the Sisterhood’s past, a rebellion and plot to take out the emperor is brewing in the Imperium, and a mysterious new virus starts spreading.
The series starts off a little slow, introducing so many names, locations and events in an exposition dump narration from young Valya. It can be a bit confusing at times, though I also felt the same about the Dune films. Though book readers likely have an encyclopedic knowledge of of this Dune universe. As the series goes on, the pace picks up, constantly shifting between the past and the present to reveal all of the various atrocities Valya has had her hands in to get to where she is. The past often informs the future, and vice-versa, as shocking twists are revealed. The season ultimately builds to an action-packed and exciting finale, which closes out one chapter, but leaves things open for a lot more, setting things up for the upcoming second season.
Dune: Prophesy feels a lot like Game of Thrones with its epic scope, characters and world building, and the various houses vying for power. The production value is incredible, matching that of the feature films, and transporting the viewer into this very unique looking world. The series also expands the universe, giving viewers a glimpse into the many different planets, environments, and factions that make up the Dune universe. Since this is a prequel, the series explores how the various houses got established, or fell out of favor. The writers have fun teasing the future since the audience has likely seen the films. The series has a nice blend of sci-fi, thriller, horror, political intrigue, action, and even romance. But at the core of the story are the women of the Sisterhood, the princess, and those in the Imperium.
The cast is excellent, particularly those playing the younger and older versions of Valya and Tula (the casting director has done an excellent job of selecting actresses’ who resemble one another). The actresses do an excellent job of playing out the subtileties of these characters as their true natures are slowly revealed. Mark Strong is alwso great—he always finds a way to command the screen, and Travis Fimmel is wonderfully evil as this mysterious and sinister soldier with ulterior motives.
Warner Bros has released this first season of Dune: Prophecy on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and digital (in 4K at Fandango at Home). I was sent the 4K release for review, and the level of detail is evident right from the start. The 4K picture features HDR10 color grading, which looks rich and beautiful throughout, even in the show’s darker sequences. The production value of this series is amazing, transporting the viewer to a wide array of foreign and futuristic lands, and the visual effects blend in seamlessly. It is quite the beautiful spectacle to watch, even when I found myself a bit confused with the story. The 7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio track is also quite impressive, providing a pounding, fully-immersive experience. This is especially noticeable during dream sequences, when the Voice is deployed, or when one character goes through the Agony and whispers and murmurs can be heard coming from every direction. The show’s wonderful score also really comes to life and fills the room.
The season’s 6 episodes are evenly split across 3 discs, which are placed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase, covered by a cardboard slipcover. No digital copy is included, but the discs contain over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus material, including one brand new featurette exclusive to the physical media release. Any fan of the series or franchise will certainly be pleased with the presentation and bonus material included on this 4K release.
What’s Included:
Episodes: (6:33:37)
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4K UHD:
- All 6 episodes of the first season:
Disc 1: “The Hidden Hand” (1:05:45), “Two Wolves” (1:02:47)
Disc 2: “Sisterhood Above All” (1:01:59), “Twice Born” (1:02:53)
Disc 3: “In Blood, Truth” (57:19), “The High-Handed Enemy” (1:20:54) - 2160p / Widescreen 2.00:1
- HDR10
- Audio: English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, German 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Czech Dolby Digital Stereo
- Subtitles: English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Dutch, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
- Entering the Dune Universe (2:58)
The cast and crew discuss the premise of the series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producers Alison Schapker & Jordan Goldberg, executive producer/director Anna Foerster (Episodes 1, 5, 6), and stars Mark Strong (“Emperor Javicco Corrino”), Emily Watson (“Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen”), Sarah-Sofie Boussnina (“Princess Ynez Corrino”), Jade Anouka (“Sister Theodosia”), Jihae (“Reverend Mother Kasha Jinjo”), Jessica Barden (“Young Valya Harkonnen”), Chris Mason (“Kieran Atreides”), Chloe Lea (“Sister Lila”) & Olivia Williams (“Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen”). - Houses Divided (2:47)
The cast and crew discuss the societal setup and politics of the series. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producer Jordan Goldberg & Alison Schapker, executive producer/director John Cameron (Episode 2), and stars Chris Mason, Mark Strong, Jodhi May (“Empress Natalya-Arat”), Emily Watson, Edward David (“Baron Harrow Harkonnen”) & Jessica Barden. - Inside the Episode (28:34)
An in depth look at the developments of each episode with the cast and crew. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with executive producers Alison Schapker & Jordan Goldberg, executive producer/director Anna Foerster (Episodes 1, 5, 6), executive producer/ director John Cameron (Episode 2), director Richard J. Lewis (Episodes 3, 4), cinematographer Richard Donnelly (Episodes 3, 4), stunt coordinator Kai Fung Rieck, and stars Olivia Williams, Emily Watson, Jessica Barden, Camilla Beeput (“Reverend Mother Dorotea”), Aoife Hinds (“Sister Emeline”), Chloe Lea, Mark Strong, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Jihae, Travis Fimmel (“Desmond Hart”), Faoileann Cunningham (“Sister Jen”), Jodhi May, Chris Mason, Emma Canning (“Young Tula Harkonnen”), Edward Davis, Jade Anouka & Shalom Brune-Franklin (“Mikaela”). Select from: - Inside the Episode #101 (2:58)
- Inside the Episode #102 (5:24)
- Inside the Episode #103 (4:51)
- Inside the Episode #104 (4:48)
- Inside the Episode #105 (4:20)
- Inside the Episode #106 (6:13)
- Truth or Lie (5:38)
Cast members sit around a table playing a game of Truth or Lie, trying to guess whether statements read about the Dune lore are true or false. The first batch of actors include Chris Mason, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina, Jihae, Edward Davis, Mark Strong & Jodhi May, while the second batch includes Yerin Ha (“Young Kasha Jinjo”), Emma Canning, Jessica Barden, Emily Watson, Chloe Lea, Faoileann Cunningham, Aoife Hinds & Charithra Chandran (“Young Francessca”). - Expanding the Universe (2:32)
The cast and crew discuss how this prequel series fits in the Dune timeline, the new locations, and more. Includes interviews with executive producer Jordan Goldberg & Alison Schapker, executive producer/director Anna Foerster (Episodes 1, 5, 6), director Richard J. Lewis (Episodes 3, 4), and stars Edward Davis, Chris Mason, Aoife Hinds, Emily Watson, Jodhi May, Olivia Williams, Faoileann Cunningham, Chloe Lea & Sarah-Sofie Boussnina./li> - Behind the Veil (34:45)
5-part making-of featurette with the cast and crew, who delve into various aspects of the production, including the visual effects, the score and sound effects, the sets and filming locations, the costumes, the hair, make up and prosthetics, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, effects demonstrations and models, concept artwork, and interviews with executive producer Jordan Goldberg, VFX producer Terron Pratt, VFX supervisor Michael Enriquez, director Richard J. Lewis (Episodes 3, 4), executive producer Alison Schapker, executive producer/director John Cameron (Episode 2), executive producer/ director Anna Foerster (Episodes 1, 5, 6), composer Volker Bertelmann, production designer Tom Meyer, costume designer Bojana Nikitović, hair and make up designer Kate Benton, and stars Olivia Williams, Emily Watson, Mark Strong, Chloe Lea, Jade Anouka, Jessica Barden, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Faoileann Cunningham, Jodhi May, Emma Canning, Yerin Ha, Camilla Beeput, Olivia Williams, Aoife Hinds, Cathy Tyson (“Mother Superior Rquella Berto-Anirul”) & Sarah-Sofie Boussnina. Play All, or select from: - Envisioning the Future — Extended (8:31)
- Power of Sound — Extended (8:29)
- Designing the Universe — Extended (6:43)
- Creating the Costumes — Extended (5:50)
- Crafting the Hair and Make Up — Extended (5:10)
- Building Worlds – Home Entertainment Exclusive (13:04)
The cast and crew discuss the different planets and worlds of the series, the production design, the use of practical locations, and more. This feels like a compilation of extra segments that weren’t used in the “Designing the Universe” featurette. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, concept artwork, and interviews with executive producers Jordan Goldberg & Alison Schapker, production designer Tom Meyer, executive producer/director Anna Foerster (Episodes 1, 5, 6), VFX producer Terron Pratt, director Richard J. Lewis (Episodes 3, 4), and stars Shalom Brune-Franklin, Charithra Chandran, Jessica Barden, Edward Davis, Emily Watson, Emma Canning, Olivia Williams, Aoife Hinds, Faoileann Cunningham, Jade Anouka, Cathy Tyson, Mark Strong, Jodhi May & Chris Mason.
Extras:
Bonus material is evenly split across all 3 discs.
Final Thoughts:
Must Own for Fans
Dune Prophesy may start off a bit slow, but it does a nice job of building the suspense and intrigue as the season goes along, jumping back and forth between the past and the preset to reveal how Valya Harkonnen has manipulated things over the past 30 years working towards the goals of restoring the honor of her house, swaying the flow of power in the Imperium, and getting a member of the Sisterhood on the throne. However, even the best laid plans can hit a snag, and there are lots of twists and surprises along the way (as well as a lot of awkward place and character names to keep track of). The production value on this series is excellent, and the 4K UHD release looks and sounds amazing. This is definitely the version to pick up for fans of the series/Dune franchise!
