Dune Part Two at IMAX

Dune Part Two opens in Japan tomorrow (yes, two weeks later from most other parts of the world). But there was actually a preview screening last week, spanning three days over the weekend, at IMAX and Dolby Cinemas in Japan. I was really excited about catching this sequel, so I worked extra hard to finish up work ahead of schedule and made time for a quick trip to the nearby IMAX theatre on Sunday.

I must say, I really enjoyed the IMAX experience this time. There was a lot more action in this film, and the IMAX speakers and larger screen really helped to improve the experience. This time, the transitions between IMAX aspect ratio and normal cinema aspect ratio were smooth, so smooth that I didn't even notice them. This was really different from my Dune Part One IMAX experience, where the transitions were really distracting.

Fans of the books will of course notice some of the changes made to the story in its film adaptation. Yes, some of these changes are core to the plot, but they did not actually changed the key message that Frank Herbert was trying to convey. I don't think they were bad changes too. I mean, we need to understand that each medium has its strengths and its weaknesses. Some things are just harder (or impossible) to properly express in a certain medium, in this case, acting by real human actors.

 

We also need to remember that, books use certain plot twists to add impact, because it is hard for books to deliver impact in plain words. However, a film has the added advantage of visual and audio effects that can be used to add impact, and an impactful plot twist in words may even up becoming overly exaggerated when there are accompanying visuals and audio.

Like the book, this movie left the story at a cliffhanger, with Paul looking like a hero, and I really hope Dune Messiah gets adapted so that we can complete the story and let people know the full message that Frank Herbert wanted to convey.

Next would be to work a bit harder over the next few days, so that I can check out the Dolby Cinema experience. 😅