A long-gestating prequel, about the women who seek to guide a galaxy, is splashy, somber and insufficiently spicy.

The initial reviews and the Rotten Tomatoes score for HBO’s upcoming series Dune: Prophecy are considerably subdued, compared to the Dune movies. The show, taking place 10,000 years before the events of Dune (2021),

Prophecy and while critics are mostly impressed with the HBO series, it sounds like the first four episodes struggle to live up to Denis Villeneuve's

This is a spoiler-free review of Dune: Prophecy's first four episodes. The show premieres on HBO and Max on November 17, 2024, with new episodes airing Sundays through December 22.