Riding Dune: Part Two’s sandworms in 4DX is cool as hell. The fight scenes? Not so much
polygon.comDune: Part Two is here, and as a fan of the original novels, I did my part on premiere weekend by dragging my oldest daughter to the theater to join in on the ride. And what a ride it was: Our local theater is currently showing the film in 4DX. Riding sandworms, it turns out, is cool as hell when your seat is bucking about thanks to hidden hydraulics. But the rest of the film’s 4DX integration? Not at all as enjoyable as I’d hoped. The flaws in its presentation are worth keeping in mind as you shop for tickets this weekend.
4DX, developed by CJ 4DPLEX, is a technology licensed to several movie theater chains here in the U.S., including Marcus Theatres, where I saw the film. The Pro system, which is what I experienced, includes seats that heave and pitch, as well as emit bursts of air, sprays of moisture, and subtle scents. I’ve only seen a handful of films in 4DX, mainly because the format boasts a premium price tag — about $20 here in Northern Illinois. But the recent Star Wars films, as well as Blade Runner 2049, were extraordinary experiences because of how the camera motions were translated into the theater seats. Scudding over the wastelands that surround future Los Angeles with Blade Runner 2049’sRyan Gosling in his Spinner is something I’ll never forget, because 4DX’s subtle motion cues drew me further into the experience.
Dune was another excellent experience for me, especially because it enhanced one of my favorite parts of the film, the ornithopters. That’s why I invited my daughter along for Dune: Part Two. But just 10 minutes in, it was clear that this was going to be a very different experience. That’s because the motion programmed into the seat was rarely tracking the camera.
Instead, it was tracking the action of the fight sequences.
Every punch, every kick, every stab of Paul Atreides’ toothsome blade was mapped directly to the motion of our seats, and every impact resulted in a vibration in the small of our backs, sometimes times with a puff of
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