Culture news TOP 7 of the best films by Denis Villeneuve. A SF filmography, but not only!
Dune, Part II is a cinema sensation. With $182 million raised worldwide during its launch week alone, the new film by Denis Villeneuve is indeed the expected success. The Canadian director is no stranger to such success, both critically and commercially, and his filmography speaks for itself. Here are the TOP of his films, ranked from best to least good.
- Original title : Arrival
- Duration : 1h56
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Scriptwriter : Eric Heisserer
- Director of Photography : Bradford Young
- Actors / Actresses: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker
- Oscars : 1 out of 8 nominations (Best Sound Editing)
First contact provides an answer to what would happen if we encountered an extraterrestrial life form. With the arrival of mysterious visitors aboard their ships, the film depicts humanity helpless in the face of this phenomenon and close to triggering all-out war. The fate of the human race rests in the hands of Louise Blanks, who, with her team, will try to communicate with the newcomers in order to obtain answers, but time is running out.
#02 Dune, Part Two (2024)
- Original title : Dune: Part Two
- Duration : 2h46
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Scriptwriter : Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
- Director of Photography : Greg Fraiser
- Actors / Actresses: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson
- Oscars : waiting for the 2024 edition
A long-standing project for Denis Villeneuve, Dune, part two brings together all the ingredients to do better than its predecessor. The events directly follow those of the first film in which Paul Atreides meets Chani, accompanied by the Fremen people and decides to lead the revolt against his father’s assassins. The young hero is plagued by terrible visions, which will push him to make a drastic choice.
#03 Fires (2010)
- Original title : Fires
- Duration : 2:03
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Scriptwriter : Denis Villeneuve
- Director of Photography : André Turpin
- Actors / Actresses: Rémy Girard, Lubna Azabal, Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin
- Oscars : 0 out of 1 nomination
Carried by a grandiose acting performance, Fires is a family drama which left its mark on many spectators. With their mother’s will, Jeanne and Simon Marwan receive two envelopes intended for their supposedly dead father and a brother of whom they know nothing. They decide to go to the Middle East, in order to find traces of their ancestors and a mother totally different from the one they knew.
#04 Dune (2021)
- Original title : Dune
- Duration : 2h36
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Screenwriters: Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
- Director of Photography : Greig Fraser
- Actors / Actresses: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac
- Oscars : 6 out of 10 nominations (Best Visual Effects, Best Film Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Designs, Best Sound Mixing)
Dune is the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novels that everyone wanted to see. We follow Paul Atreides, a young man determined to preserve his family and his people sent to the most dangerous planet in the universe, whose control has been strongly contested by enemy forces for centuries. The reason… its soil is home to the world’s most precious resource, capable of taking humanity to the next level.
- Everything you need to know about Dune on AlloCiné.
#05 Sicario (2015)
- Original title : Sicario
- Duration : 2h02
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Scriptwriter : Taylor Sheridan
- Director of Photography : Roger Deakins
- Actors / Actresses: Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin
- Oscars : 0 out of 3 nominations
Sicario was critically acclaimed for its effectiveness in showing the violence of the cartels. The border between the United States and Mexico has become a zone governed by no rules. We follow Kate, an FBI recruit, who joins an elite intervention group in the fight against drug trafficking. Idealistic by nature, the young woman will be drawn into a clandestine journey, who then has no other choice than to question her convictions in order to survive.
- Everything you need to know about Sicario on AlloCiné.
#06 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
- Original title : Blade Runner 2049
- Duration : 2h44
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Screenwriters: Michael Green, Hampton Fancher
- Director of Photography : Roger Deakins
- Actors / Actresses: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas
- Oscars : 2 out of 5 nominations (Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography)
With Blade Runner 2046, Denis Villeneuve offers us a visually impressive film and a contemplative journey. The director depicts a society marked by conflicts between humans and their bioengineered slaves. Officer K, who is a Blade Runner, is on a mission to eliminate deviants who do not obey humans. Following the discovery of a secret capable of shaking the world, he is hunted down by high authorities, with the only hope of finding Rick Deckard, a former Blade Runner who has been missing for decades.
#07 Prisoners (2013)
- Original title : Prisoners
- Duration : 2h33
- Director: Denis Villeneuve
- Scriptwriter : Aaron Guzikowski
- Director of Photography : Roger Deakins
- Actors / Actresses: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Paul Dano
- Oscars : 0 out of 1 nominations
Denis Villeneuve’s 5th film, Prisoners is a thriller in which we follow Inspector Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) who tries to solve a case of missing children in northern Pennsylvania. For his part, the father of the two lost girls played by Hugh Jackman embarks on a quest for revenge to find his children. The film was well received by critics with 70/100 on Metacritic and the performances of the two leads were universally acclaimed. However, the pace remains too slow for many spectators and the film did not exceed the 130 million mark at the worldwide box office. It remains a well-made feature film which immerses us in a heavy atmosphere until the last minute.