I should clarify that I only read half the book, so I haven’t read that scene. It sounds like the movie didn’t capture something special about his relationship with the worm.

I didn't read any of the books. I read wikis and stuff, but from what I understand from the plot of the film, and the lore surrounding the works, we are seeing Paul and his gifts mature and manifest in their totality; part of him taming the worm is reaching his powers to their peak to the point where he can tame these huge creatures. The first scene we have of Paul (AFAIK) is him using the voice to force his mother to give him water. There was no impressionism or emotional expression in the scene (With the worm) from a technical viewpoint; no zooms, blurs, interesting camera angles, movements, lighting or anything of the sort. We didn't see him emanate his will in any way, he just climbed up the hooks, grabbed the reins, and that was about it.

Visually, it looked like he climbed unto a bumpy floor and grabbed a few strings, while people threw dust in his face. And then it showed these giant train worms going through a desert. There were so many interesting shots in the first film, and the way music melded with those scenes was amazing. A lot of the sequel just felt more of the same, repetitions of established things and sticking Paul's theme over the top.

Same with the hallucinations and drug trips. He just sees a fucking beach? Great. I can look up pictures of beaches on earth at my computer.

EDIT : Comparisons, that I will also need to revisit later :

Paul and the box : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SCWy9gsw3E

Paul and the worm : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ3mJIh0bFY