Fans of Frank Herbert’s Dune series/universe have long been starved for decent adaptations of the spicy sci-fi universe, but the past few years have kept them all well and truly fed. With two Denis Villeneuve films already out, a third on its way, and now the prequel series Dune: Prophecy, there’s little ground left to cover.
Which is partially why the show has received a divisively split score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Where some are enjoying the fleshed out universe, several also feel it was maybe not the best, most necessary idea.
What Are Critics Saying About Dune: Prophecy On Rotten Tomatoes?
With a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes, critics are clearly split on what to think about Dune: Prophecy. The show, about the two Harkonnen sisters who work together to establish the Bene Gesserit, has people divided on its merits.
For Dan Fienberg over at The Hollywood Reporter, he felt the show was “unable to match the spectacle of the films,” but that it was “still big and brooding” in a way most of “the premium cable giant’s recent run of odd corporate integration, in which it takes blockbuster Warner Bros. film franchises and retrofits them as new television versions of popular HBO series” have been. (This includes House of the Dragon and The Penguin series.)
Rolling Stone‘s David Fear agreed, adding that the show was “trying so hard to fill a [Game of Thrones]-but-in-space mandate that it often forgets to serve its I.P. narrative duties while bending over backwards to please its corporate masters.”
However, Belen Edwards at Mashable called the series a “showstopper” and a must-watch for fans of Dune. “Not only does the show deepen our understanding of the Bene Gesserit,” Edwards said, “it also throws us into a meticulously wrought sci-fi world that finds the perfect balance between the palace intrigue and cosmic strangeness that make up Dune‘s bread and butter.”
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Meghan O’Keefe at Decider also agreed with Edwards, calling the show a “lavish” sci-fi drama that gives the Dune universe “back to the Herbert Heads.” That said, she’s unsure if the show is for everyone.
“I had a great time watching the four episodes of Dune: Prophecy sent out to critics for review,” O’Keefe explained, “but I have no idea if you will. The acting is exquisite, with Emily Watson and Olivia Williams both giving profoundly layered performances, while so many of the younger, fresh faces cast pop as literal stars in the making. The costumes are exquisite and the drama unrelenting.”
She went on to add that she thought “Dune: Prophecy is a thrilling show to behold. I’m just curious if people who don’t get a kick out of seeing literally orange-bound Orange Catholic Bibles will be able to plow through the tsunami of Easter eggs and lore to get to the meat of the show.”
So there you have it, folks! Is that enough spice to get you to consider watching? Or is it too much, and now you’re thrown off and disinterested? Decide for yourself when Dune: Prophecy hits HBO and MAX on Sunday, November 17 at 9PM.
