News Culture 'A big slap in the face for me' Dune 2 director reveals his favorite Steven Spielberg film. Denis Villeneuve doesn't do anything like everyone else
Published on February 25, 2024 at 2:30 p.m
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Christopher Nolan isn't the only one making a name for himself in 21st century Hollywood. One director has even distinguished himself so much on several science fiction projects in less than ten years that he has become one of the genre's main representatives. Denis Villeneuve, who is preparing to release Dune, Part 2, is a fan of Steven Spielberg. Unlike many others, his favorite American filmmaker's film is not Jurassic Park or ET
The influence of Steven Spielberg
After Denis Villeneuve tried his hand at an action thriller with Sicario in 2015, he quickly turned to another genre that had been particularly popular since the early 2010s: science fiction. And This passion for SF comes in part from a director who has visited this movement, born on paper and then brought to the big screen many times. While the majority of viewers primarily remember “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) and “Jurassic Park” (1993), it is another film by Steven Spielberg, released five years earlier, that left a lasting impression on Denis Villeneuve.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind is clearly one of the science fiction features that most influenced the director of Dune (2021), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and First Contact (2016). Arrival (original title) is reminiscent of its original title in its themes as well as its “general public” approach to SF Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Denis Villeneuve is full of praise for Steven Spielberg's film, which was shown in cinemas in 1977:
A big, big slap in the face for me. My love for cinema was born with “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” – science fiction films that I saw when I was little. -Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve's favorite films
During an interview with Letterboxd (the social network for film fans), Denis Villeneuve answered the eternal question: “What are your favorite films?” Unsurprisingly, the great directors jostle for the top while science fiction takes pride of place.
Honestly, the list of my four favorite movies can change every morning. One film has been at the top for many years: 2001, A Space Odyssey. For me it is the perfect film for many reasons. Next up is Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, which is perhaps the film I've seen the most in my life. I absolutely love it. After that it gets difficult… I would say a Bergman, because when I discovered him in my twenties it was an earthquake in my life. I have to insert a Bergman film here, and it will be Persona. It's still one of my favorite films of all time because of its psychological exploration of a relationship between two women. And the fourth one, I'm going to cheat and use Blade Runner and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. -Denis Villeneuve
Another interview was an opportunity for the Quebec filmmaker to reveal his TOP of the best science fiction films. There is no Star Wars, no Star Trek, no Dune.
The best science fiction films according to Denis Villeneuve:
- 2001, A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
- The Sons of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)
- Founding (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
- Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Steven Spielberg, 1977)
- Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)
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