The Christopher Nolan movie Denis Villeneuve calls a “masterpiece”
The recent works of Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve are some of the best-shot movies of the last decade or so. Having worked with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins on Prisoners, Sicario and Blade Runner 2049, his recent take on the classic science fiction novel Dune again matched his equally impressive standards.
Villeneuve has many cinematic loves, but it looks as though one of his biggest is Christopher Nolan, who is also known for his epic big-budget film works. Of particular interest to Villeneuve when it comes to Nolan is his 2020 science fiction thriller Tenet and the Canadian director once explained his love for the movie.
“I was blown away by Tenet; I think it’s a masterpiece,” Villeneuve told the Reelblend podcast. “I think it’s a movie that’s an incredible cinematic achievement. I think that it’s a very complex movie. I had so much fun, I saw it several times, and each time it was a blast, and I think the level of mastery of Christopher Nolan is unmatched.”
Tenet focuses on an ex-CIA agent who learns to control time so he can prevent a world-threatening attack from occurring. Villeneuve went on to express his love for Nolan even further. “He is by far one of the best filmmakers working in the world today because people don’t realise the eye level of his cinematic mastery; it’s crazy,” he added. “It’s crazy.”
One thing that Villeneuve has to do when a new Christopher Nolan movie comes out, though, is to watch it in the cinema on a big screen rather than at home in the corner of the living room. “Every time Chris puts a movie on the screen, I have to [see it on the big screen],” he said. “Of course, I saw Tenet in the theatres.”
“You can’t watch a Nolan movie at home; that’s like, that makes absolutely no sense,” Villeneuve continued. “You have to, at first, receive the full impact of a Nolan movie in a theatre.” It’s fair to say that one ought to do a Nolan film justice and view it on a big screen with the sound turned way up to get the full effect.
Villeneuve then went on to explain his fascination with Nolan and how the director continues to grow from film to film. “It’s really fascinating to see him evolving from one movie to another and always pushing the envelope, technically, narratively, and always reinventing himself,” he said. “For me, it’s deeply inspiring to see that master at work.”
