The sandworms we see in Dune: Half Two could not be farther from these we see within the first Dune. Sure, they share the identical bodily traits: a round mouth, crystalline tooth, thick disguise good for weathering Arrakis’ brutal desert circumstances. However on a story degree, they serve a special perform, shifting from mysterious entities to well-known allies.

“Partly one, [the sandworms] are a menace, an invisible menace,” director Denis Villeneuve advised Mashable in a video interview. “You hear about them, however you barely see them.”

For outsiders to Arrakis, sandworms are a hidden menace.

Timothée Chalamet in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Footage

Certainly, our sandworm interactions in 2021’s Dune are principally restricted to flashes of their mouths sucking down spice harvesters, or hints of their our bodies surging beneath the sand. A part of that is as a result of sandworm habits Villeneuve labored to deliver to the display screen. “A sandworm will all the time attempt to defend itself from the floor,” he stated. “It is a very shy creature. I like the concept that it is making an attempt to be as invisible as potential, even when it is an enormous being.”

The restricted glimpses of sandworms in Dune are additionally a matter of perspective. As seen by way of 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 cautious withholding of sandworm imagery adheres accordingly to those characters’ factors of view and to their unfamiliarity with the desert.

It is not till Paul and his mom Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) discover themselves within the deep desert of Arrakis that we see a sandworm in full for the primary time, looming above the pair as they take shelter on a rocky outcropping. The scene marks a significant shift in how Dune treats the legendary sci-fi beast. There is no extra hiding of the sandworm. We linger on this creature for a number of beats, the movie accustoming us to the sight. The message is evident: Paul, Jessica, and the viewers aren’t in Arrakeen anymore. They’re in Fremen territory now, and which means worms.

Dune: Half Two builds additional on that pivotal sandworm scene. There is no extra obfuscation or thriller surrounding them. Right here, we stand up shut and private with their scaly, ridged surfaces. Characters experience them by way of the desert or into battle. At one level, we even meet a child sandworm saved in a Fremen sietch to be able to make the substance generally known as the Water of Life.

Sandworm familiarity turns into a type of cultural osmosis.

Javier Bardem in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Niko Tavernise

The brand new aspect of sandworms on show in Dune: Half Two is a direct results of Paul’s alliance with the Fremen. As we get to higher know the indigenous folks of Arrakis, we additionally perceive their perspective on points of desert residing, such because the sandworms. They view the sandworms — whom they name Shai-Hulud — as a bodily manifestation of their god, in order that they deal with them with devoted reverence. But they’ve additionally been capable of management sandworms and use them for their very own wants, equivalent to transportation. A sandworm may even be a type of rubbish disposal: In a single darkly humorous scene early in Dune: Half Two, the Fremen name a worm to devour the our bodies of slaughtered Harkonnen troopers, leaving no hint of their prior battle.

The evolution of the sandworm from scary beast to a well-recognized a part of on a regular basis life can also be current 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 males on Arrakis concern, you deal with it like a driving animal,” he tells Paul. The concept of “all males” actually solely applies to offworlders who view the sandworms as obstacles for spice manufacturing. Whereas 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 tradition gave him a higher alternative to discover how the Fremen work together with worms. “The extra Paul learns in regards to the Fremen tradition, the extra he needs to be part of it,” Villeneuve defined. “That actually touched me, how Paul needs to immerse himself in a tradition and never impose his means, however extra turn into one in all them. And one of many points of [being a Fremen] is to have the ability to grasp a sandworm.”

In Dune: Half Two, Paul lastly masters a sandworm.

Timothée Chalamet in “Dune: Half Two.”
Credit score: Niko Tavernise

That brings us to the sandworm centerpiece of Dune: Half Two: the primary time Paul rides a sandworm. Not solely is that this probably the most memorable scenes from Frank Herbert’s authentic novel, it is also the closest we have gotten bodily to a sandworm on this franchise up to now. To drag the set piece off, Villeneuve tried to floor it in actuality as a lot as he may.

“All of this was primarily based by myself interpretation of the e book, how a Fremen will be capable of bounce on and harness a worm, and the way this might be bodily potential,” Villeneuve stated. “I needed the sandworm driving sequence to look as actual as potential, as edgy as potential. I needed it to really feel like a motorcycle race.” The result’s a tense avalanche of sand and spice, the place Villeneuve invitations audiences to really feel each bump and drop in Paul’s experience. We additionally get to see new particulars of the worms’ bodily types, like bristles and the delicate inside sections of their segmented rings.

The scene took months to plan, with the creation of a specialised “worm unit” working to good the interactions between people and sandworms. “[They were] like Navy SEALs devoted to the exploration of the method that I needed to develop,” Villeneuve stated. He performed coy in regards to the precise expertise developed for the scene, although, saying: “I am all the time shy to speak about how we shot issues, as a result of it breaks the magic in a means. I like folks to imagine what we have executed.”

Nonetheless, even after perfecting the artwork of sandworm driving and giving us a deeper look into how sandworms are built-in into Fremen life, Villeneuve revealed there’s extra to discover with these iconic inhabitants of Arrakis. In any case, we have solely seen the skin of a worm — what is going on on previous these tooth? If Villeneuve will get his means, we’ll discover out.

“If there’s ever a Dune Messiah adaptation, I’ve an awesome concept,” he stated, his face lighting up. “About the way you get out of a sandworm.”

Dune: Half Two is now in theaters.