Denis Villeneuve breaks down the evolution of sandworms in 'Dune: Part Two' | 6ZOPLFI | 2024-03-02 10:08:01
The sandworms we see in Dune: Part Two could not be farther from these we see in the first Dune. Yes, they share the same physical traits: a round mouth, crystalline tooth, thick cover good for weathering Arrakis' brutal desert circumstances. However on a story degree, they serve a unique perform, shifting from mysterious entities to well-known allies.
"Partially one, [the sandworms] are a menace, an invisible menace," director Denis Villeneuve informed Mashable in a video interview. "You hear about them, however you barely see them."
For outsiders to Arrakis, sandworms are a hidden menace.
Indeed, our sandworm interactions in 2021's Dune are principally limited to flashes of their mouths sucking down spice harvesters, or hints of their bodies surging beneath the sand. A part of that is because of the sandworm conduct Villeneuve labored to convey to the display. "A sandworm will all the time try to shield itself from the floor," he stated. "It is a very shy creature. I really like the concept it's making an attempt to be as invisible as potential, even when it's an enormous being."
The restricted glimpses of sandworms in Dune are additionally a matter of perspective. As seen via the eyes of characters who aren't native to Arrakis, like Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) or Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), the sandworms are alien unknowns to be feared. Dune's careful withholding of sandworm imagery adheres accordingly to those characters' factors of view and to their unfamiliarity with the desert.
It isn't till Paul and his mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) discover themselves in the deep desert of Arrakis that we see a sandworm in full for the first time, looming above the pair as they take shelter on a rocky outcropping. The scene marks a serious shift in how Dune treats the legendary sci-fi beast. There is no more hiding of the sandworm. We linger on this creature for a number of beats, the movie accustoming us to the sight. The message is obvious: Paul, Jessica, and the audience aren't in Arrakeen anymore. They're in Fremen territory now, and meaning worms.
Dune: Half Two builds further on that pivotal sandworm scene. There is no extra obfuscation or mystery surrounding them. Here, we rise up shut and personal with their scaly, ridged surfaces. Characters journey them by way of the desert or into battle. At one level, we even meet a child sandworm stored in a Fremen sietch with a view to make the substance referred to as the Water of Life.
Sandworm familiarity becomes a type of cultural osmosis.
</div> The new aspect of sandworms on display in Dune: Half Two is a direct result of Paul's alliance with the Fremen. As we get to raised know the indigenous individuals of Arrakis, we also perceive their perspective on points of desert dwelling, such as the sandworms. They view the sandworms — whom they name Shai-Hulud — as a physical manifestation of their god, in order that they treat them with trustworthy reverence. But they've additionally been capable of management sandworms and use them for their own wants, resembling transportation. A sandworm can even be a form of garbage disposal: In one darkly humorous scene early in Dune: Half Two, the Fremen name a worm to devour the bodies of slaughtered Harkonnen soldiers, leaving no hint of their prior battle.
The evolution of the sandworm from scary beast to a well-known part of on a regular basis life can also be present in Frank Herbert's novel. Upon re-encountering Paul after two years aside, Gurney Halleck (Josh Brolin) is astonished by the Fremen's ease across the sandworms. "The creature all men on Arrakis worry, you treat it like a driving animal," he tells Paul. The thought of "all men" actually only applies to offworlders who view the sandworms as obstacles for spice manufacturing. While colonizing forces just like the Harkonnens and Atreides run from worms, the Fremen embrace them.
For Villeneuve, Paul's proximity to the Fremen and love of their culture gave him a larger opportunity to discover how the Fremen work together with worms. "The more Paul learns concerning the Fremen culture, the more he needs to be part of it," Villeneuve explained. "That basically touched me, how Paul needs to immerse himself in a tradition and never impose his means, but extra turn into considered one of them. And one of many points of [being a Fremen] is to be able to grasp a sandworm."
In Dune: Half Two, Paul lastly masters a sandworm.
</div> That brings us to the sandworm centerpiece of Dune: Part Two: the first time Paul rides a sandworm. Not only is that this one of the crucial memorable scenes from Frank Herbert's unique novel, it is also the closest we have gotten physically to a sandworm in this franchise to date. To tug the set piece off, Villeneuve tried to floor it in reality as much as he might.
"All of this was based mostly alone interpretation of the e-book, how a Fremen will have the ability to leap on and harness a worm, and the way this might be physically potential," Villeneuve stated. "I needed the sandworm driving sequence to look as real as attainable, as edgy as potential. I needed it to feel like a motorcycle race." The result is a tense avalanche of sand and spice, the place Villeneuve invitations audiences to really feel each bump and drop in Paul's experience. We also get to see new particulars of the worms' physical types, like bristles and the delicate inside sections of their segmented rings.
The scene took months to plan, with the creation of a specialized "worm unit" working to good the interactions between humans and sandworms. "[They were] like Navy SEALs dedicated to the exploration of the method that I needed to develop," Villeneuve stated. He played coy concerning the precise know-how developed for the scene, although, saying: "I'm all the time shy to talk about how we shot issues, because it breaks the magic in a method. I really like individuals to consider what we have achieved."
Nonetheless, even after perfecting the art of sandworm driving and giving us a deeper look into how sandworms are integrated into Fremen life, Villeneuve revealed there's extra to discover with these iconic inhabitants of Arrakis. In any case, we've solely seen the surface of a worm — what's going on past these tooth? If Villeneuve gets his means, we'll find out.
"If there's ever a Dune Messiah adaptation, I've an awesome concept," he stated, his face lighting up. "About how you get out of a sandworm."
Dune: Part Two is now in theaters.
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