Dune prequel comes as a major disappointment in the heels of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic that shines through Chalamet and Zendaya’s chemistry.

When Denis Villeneuve crafted the world of Dune, the filmmaker made sure to carefully chip away at the far-fetched unreality of the sci-fi fantasy and fill it with a sense of sprawling grandeur. The audience was neither exposed to the campiness of David Lynch’s 1984 version nor the suspension of disbelief that usually comes with such a genre.

Dune: Part Two [Credit: Warner Bros.]

Villeneuve’s world was a believable one due to the relics of the current world found in the movies – the extinction of machines, ravaged land deprived of an atmosphere, fascism and segregation, and a holy war in the name of a messiah that leads to the death of billions. But most of the morally and philosophically perplexing themes were rooted in a central love story, adding depth to the chaos that surrounds the two doomed and star-crossed lovers.

With Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, Denis Villeneuve grounded his Dune trilogy. But the HBO spinoff seems to have forsaken such foolish pursuits of the heart in favor of a mindless and forced pairing between the leads.

Dune: Prophecy Fails Denis Villeneuve’s Vision

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in Dune: Part Two [Credit: Warner Bros.]

It is not simply war and politics that keeps the world of Dune fed and proliferating. There is a vision attached to Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic that takes its inspiration from the present dystopia of our world. Denis Villeneuve understood the moral calamity that Dune‘s author wanted to portray in his novels and as such, produced a replica worthy of his legacy.

To achieve his primary goal, Villeneuve needed two essential, non-negotiable ingredients: a strong cast and an impeccable chemistry between the leads. Only then would the audience buy into the story of Paul Atreides’s messianic calling, his eventual downfall, the visions of the holy war, Chani’s part in it, and still be moved by the epic tragedy of it all. Dune succeeded in bringing Villeneuve’s vision alive, but Dune: Prophecy failed to deliver on that front.

In the HBO offshoot of Denis Villeneuve’s epic cinematic adaptation, Chris Mason’s Keiran Atreides harbors unrequited feelings for Princess Ynez. But the Princess (portrayed by Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) could hardly be bothered to pause for a moment and take note of her Swordmaster’s blushes and escalated bpm whenever they got close. But she might not be entirely at fault here.

Partly, the blame for the Princess’s ignorance of Keiran’s feelings falls on the casting director of the prequel series. The chemistry between these two leads is so bleak and cold that one would have to dive straight into the earth’s molten core to heat it up again.

Fans Disturbed By the Leads of Dune: Prophecy

Chris Mason and Sarah-Sofie Boussnina in Dune: Prophecy [Credit: HBO]

When Denis Villeneuve cast Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, the world mocked the filmmaker’s poor choice and the actor’s inexperience. When Zendaya stepped into the frame as Chani, fans were infuriated by the image of Chalamet romancing the actress. And yet, Villeneuve stuck by his actors, seeing something in them that was obviously invisible to the rest of the world.

When Dune premiered, the fans witnessed Chalamet’s sheer ability to morph into an otherworldly being and the promise of a tragic love even through the bare handful of words exchanged between him and Zendaya’s character. Before Chalamet proved the haters wrong, Heath Ledger did the same with his role as the Joker, Tom Cruise as Lestat, Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, and later, Robert Pattinson as Batman.

When compared to roles of such epic scale, the casting duties for an HBO sci-fi series don’t seem like such an impossible task. As such, it comes as a shock to the senses while watching the scenes involving Princess Ynez and Keiran Atreides in Dune: Prophecy. And the fans are being very blunt about conveying their disappointment on Reddit.

Dune: Prophecy is set in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune universe, 10,000 years before the events of the 2021 film. The prequel follows the origins of the Bene Gesserit and the powerful political, social, and religious forces that get caught up in the vortex.

Dune: Prophecy is currently streaming on Max.