Dune Prophecy: The Complete First Season - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Dune Prophecy: The Complete First Season



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
As much as I ADORE the “Dune” novels (I was 11 years old when I started the first book), I’m also one of the first to admit that the franchise is incredibly hard to adapt to the silver screen. We always talk about “what works in a book doesn’t always work in a movie,” and Frank Herbert’s series exemplifies that notion to the extreme. Even if you’re taking the first 2 books (which are his most accessible fare), it’s incredibly hard to unpack all of the themes, twists, turns, and nuances of the novels into a standard film format. The 1980s David Lynch film (which is awesome in its own right) was the canary in the coal mine for the possibility (after Jordowsky’s version was shelved) of a filmic release, but suffered greatly from technology concerns, and a TON of studio interference. Over the years, there have been multiple attempts ranging from good to bad to ALMOST greatness, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that we actually got a really good attempt at the source material. Maybe not perfectly adapting EVERYTHING, but Denis Villeneuve’s two part epic Sci-fi masterpiece take on the first book was the very first time that I felt we got a REAL attempt of getting Herbert’s book to screen (up until this point, the best thing we had going was SyFy channel miniseries, which is still a fun watch I might add).

Well, being that Warner is running high as a kite on profit after the runaway success of Dune and Dune Part Two, it’s not at all shocking that they decided to make a TV series out of the IP. At first I was rolling my eyes and expecting a pure cash grab with Warner tasking HBO to helm the series, but I kept hearing some solid reviews of the series back when it released last year, but I still had so much to review here that I just didn’t take the time to stream the show. Now, months and months later, I get a second chance with the 4K UHD that Warner released last week. And my thoughts mirror the reviews that I’ve seen crop up over the last year. Very good, but definitely uneven, and very well may take a couple of seasons to get going.

The series acts as a MASSIVE prequel to the entire Dune universe, rewinding the clock 10,000 years before Paul Atreides makes his meteoric rise to power in the first novel/film. We’re immediately introduced to the formation of the Bene Gesserit order as outcast women find a new home under the guise of truthsayers. Formed from the remnants of outcast homes, the order grew in order to protect themselves. But their ambitions didn’t stop there. Under the tutelage of their founder, the woman unlocked extra sensory powers that aided in their jobs as Truthsayers, and also gave them a horrible burden. Under the influence of their spice-fueled prophetic visions, they saw a dark future for humanity. One that would need guidance and manipulation to save the future. So, thanks to the brutal methods of a young acolyte named Valya Harkonnet (Emily Watson), the Bene Gesserit began influencing and intertwining themselves into the great ruling houses to selectively breed and mold a genetic line that would bring forth a ruler that would be susceptible to their manipulations, and not only save humanity, but keep their sisterhood protected at all costs.

Naturally, there is a lot more to the story than simply the Bene Gesserit, but that is the very core of the tale. Outside of that, we have machinations between the great houses, with the Bene Gesserit focusing on the marriage of Emperor Corrino’s (Mark Strong) daughter Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussina), only for things to get thrown into disarray when a mysterious threat crops up in the form of Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel). Desmond appears to be nothing but a soldier on Arrakis who was spared death by a sandworm, only to find out that not only did he just survive, but he also comes with powers that the Bene Gesserit can not control, and actively stands in their way. A threat that MUST be taken care of at all costs if their “Golden Path” is to be realized.

Dune Prophecy is a lot more fun than I initially expected. Being that it’s HBO and not the CW or one of Warner’s sub-stations, the series doesn’t suffer from an overabundance of teenage angst. It’s fairly deep and layered, with multiple story lines all competing simultaneously for dominance, and the season does NOT end with your typical ending. There’s a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t wrap up the traditional “season arcs” that typically are followed in modern television narratives. Instead, it functions as an opening act for something much bigger and greater, setting the tone and groundwork for a much more intricate plan. This is both a blessing and a curse for the show, as it makes it very clear that HBO/Warner is in it for the long run and ready to tell a long-running story. BUT, it also makes the 1st season just a little uneven and “incomplete” feeling as well. The incomplete feeling is understandable as they tease us with what is to come (and hopefully season 2 comes soon), but the unevenness is a bit trickier. That stems from the overabundance of intertwining narratives throughout the 6 episode story. While most of the stories work well towards the end goal, several could be taken out and just thrown away, and the story would not be the worse for wear. Especially the whole Atreides sub-plot. It just felt out of place and kind of angsty.

There are also a couple of minor changes that sort of made the “Dune” nerd in me raise an eyebrow. I understood some of the changes in the 2 part films, but Desmon Hart having all of these weird powers feels revisionist in a way. There is so much lore and various factions with strange technology and powers to pull from, but instead, they seemingly made up Desmond’s abilities out of thin air and said, “This seems cool, let's go with it”. The same can be said for a couple of the random, gratuitous sex scenes. The “Dune” novels have always intertwined sexual perversions with the Harkonens and other various elements of the story to paint a visual picture of their debauchery, but here the sex scenes are just an HBO “let's show some skin to make them understand that this is a Mature rated show!” type scenario. It was simply silly and unnecessary except to show off skin, and didn’t feel authentic to the universe. But at the same time, there is a lot that REALLY goes right. Whoever is in control of the set pieces and ship designs is on point. The Imperial fleet looks straight out of Frank Herbert’s drawing, and that Spice Guild freighter coming out of folded space is INCREDIBLE. I’ve always wondered how folding space would look on the silver screen, and they did it in such a way that feels authentic to Herbert’s descriptions.




Rating:

Rated TV-MA by the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

The 4K UHD image quality (in the now super popular 2.00:1 aspect ratio) looks amazing with very few flaws. Whoever was behind the aesthetics for this show has my accolades, as this is a lovely-looking image that is steeped in Dune trappings. The image rotates between pale blues and sandy ambers for the overarching color grading, and image quality is superb. You can see everything from the dirt and debris on the ground, as well as the intricate clothing that the Bene Gesserit wear. Black levels are deep and inky, and the HDR application makes for some silky-looking colors (even though this is not a super bright image that has a ton of “pop” to it). About the only thing that makes me drop it a half star is the fact that I noticed some background shots look soft or slightly out of focus. Usually faces of people who are standing in the background. I’m guessing a stylistic camera choice considering how frequently it pops up, but something that makes it not look PERFECT, if you know what I mean.









Audio:

Right on par with the video score is a near-perfect Dolby Atmos track. While it’s not as aggressive or bass-heavy as the movies, the series audio is lively and full of incredible atmosphere. Dialog is crystal clear up front, whether it be in a loud meeting with the emperor, or whispered rendezvous in a cloistered stone hallway. Surround channels and overheads are used quite impressively, with sonic blasts coming from overhead during the infamous sand work scene, or the pulsating buzz of the transport ship wings overhead. The score flows effortlessly through all the channels, and the bass response is quite powerful. Maybe not shake the walls down to the studs level, but still VERY impressive. Especially with the slamming of stone doors or the rumbling of ships taking off.







Extras:

Disc One
• Entering the Dune Universe
• Houses Divided
• Inside the Episode #101
• Inside the Episode #102

Disc Two
• Truth or Lie
• Expanding the Universe
• Inside the Episode #103)
• Inside the Episode #104)

Disc Three
• Behind the Veil
• Building Worlds - Home Entertainment Exclusive
• Inside the Episode #105
• Inside the Episode #106

Final Score: ​

The series overall is fairly impressive. Emily Watson steals the show as the sociopathic leader of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, and Travis Fimmel does an amazing job as Desmond Hart. I was actually surprised at Mark Strong, as he’s a fantastic actor, but strangely not given a whole lot to work with. He’s good mind you, but just doesn’t stand out like I expected him to. But at the end of the day, Dune Prophecy acts as a solid foundation for what very well could be an epic prequel to Villeneuve’s film series. The 4K UHD looks and sounds phenomenal, but sadly, extras are a bit on the slim side. Definitely worth checking out if you’re craving more Dune before Villeneuve releases Dune Messiah. Fun Watch.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Mark Strong, Travis Fimmel, Chloe Lea, Jake Anouka
Created by: Diane Ademu-John, Alison Schapker
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, German, Italian, Spanish DD 5.1, Czech DD 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Rated: TV-MA
Runtime: 392 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: May 13th, 2025

Recommendation: Solid Watch

 

[Sonnie Parker]

I'm looking forward to this series.

Thanks for the review.