I Got My Shit Rocked On Arrakis

Dune 2 in 4DX is Better Than 70MM Dune 2 in IMAX! FIGHT ME!!

A disclaimer:
While I will not be revealing any plot points about Dune 2, I will be talking about it. If you’d rather not read about Dune 2 in any capacity before you’ve seen it, you might want to skip this one.

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I have this friend who I adore and she is a total fangirl. A lot of times, when people say "fangirl," they mean it in a way that isn't flattering about the person in question. I don't mean it this way at all. I think being a fan of something and devoting yourself to the adoration of that thing is of the utmost importance. Maybe it's because I get enjoyment from others' enjoyment, or perhaps it's because I've got that dog in me (in this scenario, "that dog" is a fourteen-year-old girl obsessed with Spice Girls).

To me here is no greater joy than letting yourself fall into the spiral of loving something. It’s fun to get swept up in enjoyment, googling everything there is to know about that thing and letting it become a part of your personality for a time. I think it’s cool to crush on things, and I think it’s cool to tell people about the things that you really like. 

And that, dear reader, is how I ended up seeing Dune 2 multiple times this week. 

I have loved director Denis Villeneuve for a while. His work usually involves massive stories that he turns into living, breathing paintings. It is sublime filmmaking. Two of his movies always make the list when I list my favorites: Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. His adaptation of the first half of Dune was beautiful and gripping. Since its release I’ve been excited about its second installment – Dune 2, which was released a week ago today. 

Since I knew this movie would be massive in scale and I’d spent two and a half years anticipating it, I wanted to elevate my viewing experience. 

First, I saw it in IMAX in 70mm. We bought our tickets a day and a half in advance and the only seats available were in the first three rows, so I was very close to the action. There was a point in the beginning where Christopher Walken's face took up the entire screen, and I found myself unable to focus on it, scanning my head left to right to meet both of his eyes. I was in Dune 2. I was a soldier fighting for my life on Arrakis. I was in Lady Jessica's womb. I was buried in the sand only to pop up and do violence to the Harkonnen. I personally inspected Austin Butler’s bald head and face and found no hairs. The Dune 2 in 70mm in IMAX 3rd Row experience was exquisite. Was I too close to the screen? YES. Did that make me love it even more? Absolutely YES. Did my eyes well when I heard a few notes strummed on a baliset eclipsed by the whirring of ornithopter wings? DUH, dude. I would wholeheartedly recommend seeing Dune 2 in IMAX if it wasn't for the experience I had the following evening.   

I saw Dune 2 in 4DX the following evening. My pal Abbey saw a bunch of TikToks of people getting their shit absolutely rocked in a Dune 2 4DX experience and asked me if I wanted to go. Obviously, it was a yes. After the IMAX experience, I was genuinely scared to go on what I kept lovingly referring to as the "Dune-a-coaster." The fight scenes are fast-paced and brutal; there are many explosions and crashes, and I was very concerned that they'd try to make us feel the Bene Gesserit in our souls even more than we already do. 

All my fears disappeared when the trailers started before the film, and Twisters came fully 4DXified. The wind whipped, the mist sprayed, the lightning struck, the chairs rocked, and when it was over, we all broke into full belly laughs—the entire theater. Everyone laughed joyously at the absurdity of what we were all in for. 

In one of the first scenes of the movie, the wind from the desert in Arakkis blew, and the smell of spice filled the air. That's right. They pump smells into the air. And spice in 4DX smells like menthol, cinnamon, and oud, and it smells VERY good. We made it through our first big explosion and fight scene and knew we'd all be fine. 

It was a 10/10 experience that I recommend full stop. No one in our group got motion sick if that's something you're concerned about, but if you have to get up to go pee and get back in your chair, I don't know how you would do it during Dune 2 because that seat is rocking basically the whole time. 

This morning I was texting a friend about how great of a film Dune 2 was, and how much I enjoyed getting to experience it twice in one week. They were trying to find a time to see it, and I found myself saying, "I'd see it again with you."

I may give myself over to complete fandom and see Denis Villeneuve's Dune 2 three times in one week, or I may stop after just the two Dune 2s.

Regardless, I am happy to count myself as a fan. 

And if you've seen Dune 2 and would like to obsess over it, please slide into my inbox.

Photo souvenirs from my two trips to the theater thanks to Abbey! L: our seats in IMAX R: post 4DX.

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