Riding sandworms in 4DX is cool as hell, but Dune: Part 2’s fight scenes are a bit much
Dune: part two is here, and as a fan of the original novels, I did my part during premiere weekend by dragging my eldest daughter to the theater for a ride. And what a ride it was: our local theater is currently showing the film 4DX. It turns out that riding sandworms is really cool as your seat moves back and forth thanks to the hidden hydraulics. But the rest of the film’s 4DX integration? Not at all as fun as I had hoped. The flaws in the presentation are worth keeping in mind when buying tickets this weekend.
4DX, developed by CJ 4DPLEX, is a technology licensed to several movie theater chains here in the US, including Marcus Theaters, where I saw the film. The Pro system, which is what I experienced, includes seats that sway and pitch, as well as emit gusts of air, jets of moisture, and subtle odors. I’ve only seen a handful of movies in 4DX, mainly because the format has a premium price tag – about $20 here in Northern Illinois. But also the recent Star Wars films Blade Runner 2049, were extraordinary experiences because of the way the camera movements were translated into the theater seats. Scudding across the wasteland surrounding the future Los Angeles Blade Runner 2049‘S Ryan Gosling in his Spinner is something I will never forget, as the subtle motion cues of 4DX drew me further into the experience.
Dune was another excellent experience for me, especially because it reinforced one of my favorite parts of the film, the ornithopters. That’s why I invited my daughter to come along Dune: part two. But after just 10 minutes it was clear that this was going to be a very different experience. That’s because the movement programmed into the chair rarely followed the camera.
Instead, it followed the action of the fight sequences.
Every punch, every kick, every stab of Paul Atreides’ sharp blade was mapped directly to the movement of our seats, and every impact resulted in a vibration in our lower backs, sometimes with a blast of air in our face. When he attacked the Harkonnens outside Sietch Tabr, drinks were spilled, buckets of popcorn fell and all hell more or less broke loose. I looked at my daughter, she looked at me, and we made the decision to go through with it, no matter what.
What was surprising was how aggressive the chair movement was during the fight scenes, something I don’t remember from seeing the first film in the exact same facility. It felt a bit like I was falling down and down stairs for three hours. But I’m glad I stuck with it because the payoff during the final battle scene was well worth it. During the Fremen attack on the Sardaukar it was exciting to see the theater fill with ‘dust’ in the form of theatrical smoke, and it was a lot of fun to get the feeling that we were actually riding there on the back of a sandworm were sitting, which fell through. the shield wall and crush everything before us.
Unfortunately, not long after, we found ourselves in another fight scene, rocking back and forth with every gunfire.
Would I watch a 4DX movie again? Absolute. Would I pay a premium price to watch? this movie in 4DX? No. Unfortunately it was a bit too disturbing for my taste. Your mileage will vary, but one thing’s for sure: first movies don’t last long in 4DX theaters, and once they’re gone, they don’t come back. If you want to ride the worm yourself, you better get those tickets quick – and prepare your snacks better than we did for the cut-and-stab action that makes up most of the film.