The following contains spoilers for the season premier of 2024’s Dune: Prophecy.
Dune: Prophecy wastes no time with its jaw-dropping pilot, throwing us headfirst into a whirlwind of power moves, deception, and the kind of emotional intensity that could rival the harshest desert storms.
So far, Dune: Prophecy shifts its gaze away from Arrakis as the central stage. But the desert planet remains a key chess piece in The Sisters’ relentless power plays to secure the throne.
As we count down to Sunday’s new episode, let’s unpack the groundwork laid by the premiere before we’re swept away again by Dune’s spellbinding world.
Spoilers for the pilot of Dune: Prophecy ahead.
Dune: Prophecy‘s Powerful Score
With its biggest successes, HBO shows us that a great score isn’t just an accessory—it’s a key ingredient.
Let’s be honest: Would Game of Thrones have ascended to its legendary heights without Ramin Djawadi’s Emmy-winning anthem, the one that makes you want to don your armor and charge into battle alongside the valiant?
Would Succession have held its ruthless, regal sway without Nicholas Britell’s sharp, hip hop-classical symphony guiding its power struggles?
When they invest in music, we know they’re all in. For Dune: Prophecy, they tapped the maestro—Academy Award-winning composer Volker Bertelmann—to match the epic scale and complex intrigue of the Dune saga.
The evocative score almost feels like it’s speaking directly to us, foreshadowing a tale of villainy where the antagonist views themselves as the hero.
Even as seemingly everyday, normal things are happening, the score builds an undercurrent of tension, layering a slow-burn uneasiness.
And sure enough, that tension culminates in Valya killing Dorotea, for disagreeing with her, a demonstration of her true ruthlessness. The way the scene is framed reinforces a chilling truth—we can’t trust Valya.
But we can trust the feeling created by the score. In fact, it might be the only thing we can trust.
The Brilliant Cinematography
The way Dorotea’s death is framed is absolutely bone-chilling. We witness Valya wield The Voice, a technique that will later define the Bene Gesserit, as she takes control of Dorotea in a moment of pure, unrelenting power.
As the Revered Mother turns to face Valya, the music doesn’t shift, but deepens, with those same haunting violins that have permeated the atmosphere since the start. The tension rises as Dorotea and Valya rush forward, the camera’s close-ups amplifying the drama of their face-off.
When Valya finally uses The Voice to strike Dorotea down, the shock comes not from the violence itself, but from how eerily anticlimactic the moment feels. There’s no dramatic flourish, no over-the-top reaction from Valya—just a cold, calculated decision. Valya kills Dorotea like she’s sending a work email, without any regret, other than the fact that the Harkonnens would once again be on the wrong side of history.
The intimate framing of the characters pulls you right into their world. The portrayal of Dune here is as immersive and rich as the books, matching the cinematic world established by Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya’s films.
Related: Timothée Chalamet Crashes His Look-Alike Contest
Powerful Characters
The characters, like Valya, perfectly channel the energy of the Bene Gesserit—individuals so consumed by their prophecy that they’ll forsake anyone who stands in their path, a foreshadowing of Paul’s mother, Jessica.
As Valya grows into the matriarch, the music shifts to a haunting, almost ethereal quality, hinting that beneath her composed exterior lies something far more dangerous. It quietly builds a sense of mistrust, especially with the slow pans and close-ups during her more questionable actions.
Valya’s manipulation of young girls is unsettling, yet it’s her unwavering belief in her righteousness that makes her truly dangerous. In her Machiavellian worldview, carnage is justified in the name of ensuring the survival and prosperity of the Sisters.
Final Thoughts
Dune: Prophecy is another bold step for HBO in their legacy of cinematic excellence, a follow-up that lives up to the high standards set by Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon.
This adaptation is firmly in the right hands, with a team committed to bringing Frank Herbert’s universe to life in a way that honors both the books and the fans.
And we can’t wait for the next installment coming Nov. 24.
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