When you really think about it, there are arguably only two popular modern directors who make serious, “grown-up” motion pictures, that are also thrilling, big budget sci-fi movies, and those two directors are Christopher Nolan, and Denis Villeneuve.
Sure, you could also throw in Ridley Scott (who I much prefer as a historical director over a sci-fi director), but I think most would agree that he’s more of a legendary filmmaker who is STILL pumping out movies, whereas Nolan and Villeneuve are more contemporary directors.
And, with Dune Parts 1 and 2 finally wrapped up and available to the public (with Part 3 likely still a ways off), I thought that now was as good a time as any to rank every single Denis Villeneuve movie, dating all the way back from the ‘90s to present day. Because he’s seriously been amazing for that long.
11. Maelstrom (2000)
You want to know a weird film? Maelstrom. Maelstrom is a weird film. And, the thing is, it didn’t have to be! At its core, it’s a story about a woman (played by Marie-Josee Croze) who has an abortion, and her life goes downhill from there. I don’t want to spoil the big twist in the middle, but the strange thing about this film is that it’s all narrated by a talking fish who’s about to get its head chopped off. Like, what? Why?
That’s a pretty good question. Other than the fish, though, the film is a little bland. Don’t get me wrong, it’s dark as all hell in the way that only a Villeneuve film can be. But, besides that, it’s just not as engaging as it could be, which is why it ends up on the bottom of this list.
10. Polytechnique (2009)
Polytechnique is about a school shooting in Canada, which is based on a true story. It’s shot in black and white, and disturbs me on an emotional level since I grew up hearing about Columbine. Polytechnique is so stark and horrifying because it doesn’t really have much to say besides the idea that massacres are terrible.
That said, out of the movies that I can think of that center on the topic of school shootings — including Elephant and We Need To Talk About Kevin — this is actually the most hopeful, because it doesn’t focus on the killer or the parents. Instead, it focuses more on the victims (all women), and offers a glimmer of hope that the other movies completely shy away from. I wish it was a bit more complex, but a film of this nature really doesn’t need to be.
9. August 32nd On Earth (1998)
I have a soft spot for Villeneuve’s debut film, which is about a woman (played by Pascale Bussieres) who gets into a car accident and comes out of it wanting to have a baby. She enlists her best friend (Played by Emmanuel Bilodeau), but he says that the only way he’ll go along with it is if they agree to have the baby in the desert. It’s not the most complex film, but that’s kind of why I like it.
August 32nd On Earth sounds like a sci-fi movie, but it’s really just about how life is short and we really don’t have much time, so we might as well spend it with the people we care about. I like that it’s nowhere near as dark as the rest of Villeneuve’s catalog. Sure, it’s a little slow at times, but I never find it boring.
8. Sicario (2015)
Who had any idea that 2015’s Sicario would actually become a series (We’re still waiting to see if it will be a trilogy)? Starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin, Sicario is the story of an FBI agent (Blunt) who goes after a cartel thinking that there is still some good in humanity, while Del Toro’s character doesn’t see good in anybody, and is now an assassin. The film is labeled as a thriller, and it is quite thrilling at times, but it’s also an incredibly dark journey into the human soul, and there really is no light at the end of it all. It’s just dark. Pitch black dark. At times, Sicario is a bit too grim. Blunt’s character, Kate, was definitely the moral compass of the film, and that helped it from becoming entirely bleak. It’s so dismal at times, however, that it becomes less enjoyable as “a thriller” in the process.
7. Incendies (2010)
Speaking of dark, Incendies may be even darker than Sicario. It’s also not trying to be a thriller, though, so its darkness is more palatable. It’s the story of two twins (Played by Melissa Desormeaux and Maxim Gaudette) who go to their recently deceased mother’s homeland to find a brother they never knew existed. But, there’s a civil war going on in the area, and you get a true sense of what it must have been like for their mother to get her children out of that area and into a much safer environment.
And…well, there’s so much more to it than that. It’s mostly because we get to see what their mother (played by Lubna Azabal) went through, because the movie keeps jumping back and forth in time. What we learn is so disturbing that it recontextualizes everything in the story. I won’t spoil it, but it gave me serious Old Boy vibes. A part of me feels like the film could be a bit more straightforward, but I also think that it might rob the story of some of its oomph if it were. So, it’s great, but a part of me feels like it could be a little bit better.
6. Prisoners (2013)
Prisoners is another thriller from Villeneuve, but I think this one is a lot more effective than Sicario. The story is a parent’s worst nightmare. Two girls go missing, and one of the parents (played by Hugh Jackman) thinks the police aren’t doing enough. Especially once they apprehend a man who’s not all there (played by Paul Dano) and then let him go, as Jackman’s character is certain that he has their daughters.
Prisoners, like most of Villeneuve’s films, is hard to watch. Jackman’s character tortures Dano’s character, and the whole time, we’re never sure if he’s torturing a pedophile or a mentally handicapped man. And he doesn’t know either! You seriously hold your breath the entire film, and by the end of it, you’re still holding your breath. A masterful movie, and definitely one of Villeneuve’s best.
5. Dune: Part 1 (2021)
Dune Part 1 had the thankless job of setting up the characters and world of Arrakis, and… pretty much knocked it out of the park. We said as such in our review at the time, and it also got nominated for Best Picture at the 2022 Academy Awards, which is no small feat as most sci-fi pictures get snubbed at the Oscars (Just ask Ex Machina, or hell, even Godzilla Minus One for a more recent example).
But, Dune Part 1 is certainly deserving of all the accolades. I mean, it had to sand walk in order for Dune Part 2 to ride a sandworm. In this Part 1 installment, we learn about Paul Atriedes, played by Timothee Chalamet, and the war over the sand planet, Arrakis. A lot of the film is slow-paced, but it’s punctuated by thrilling action sequences, and scary sandworms.
It’s a great movie, and I liken it to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in that it perfectly sets up the next part. That said, since it’s such a set-up picture, it definitely feels lesser than its much broader and more expansive second part, which is why it lands here on this list.
4. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
I’m going to be honest with you. I hate Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (Even though it’s one of the best sci-fi movies of all time). Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is one of my favorite books, and it’s a landmark in science fiction, but the movie adaptation is just too slow for me. Not so with Villeneuve’s version. The sequel follows the first film, but it expands upon it tremendously. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was great when it came to world-building, but not so great at character development. However, Villeneuve gets a fantastic performance out of Ryan Gosling, and his quest is just so much more interesting than Harrison Ford’s in the original.
Speaking of Ford, he makes another appearance in this one. Honestly, Ford’s section of the film is the weakest part for me since it feels so tacked on, even though it’s essential to the story. Everything else around that is perfection, and it’s one of the few sequels that I believe is superior to the original.
3. Enemy (2013)
Here’s some more honesty: While I know Enemy is not Villeneuve’s best film, it’s my personal favorite of his. It reminds me of Takashi Miike’s Gozu, if you’ve ever seen that. Jake Gyllenhaal plays two roles in this film, one a professor, and the other an actor who looks just like him. What transpires is a complete head trip that includes the women who love them, and spiders. Lots and lots of spiders.
I really can’t tell you why exactly I find Enemy to be so compelling. It’s more of a mood thing than anything else. I’ve watched it several times, and each viewing brings me deeper and deeper into its story, until it feels like I’m actually trapped in a spiderweb, and I can’t get out. That’s how much I love this film. Like I said, it’s my favorite, but I know he has two other films that most people would consider to be his finest work.
2. Dune: Part 2 (2024)
Dune: Part 2 is a landmark film, and one that we gave a well-deserved 5 stars in our review. The movie is bigger, more exciting, and even deeper in every way than Part 1, and it covers all of the most exciting moments from the book, such as Paul Atriedes riding a sandworm, and his battle with Feyd-Rautha, played impeccably by Elvis’ Austin Butler.
The film feels much larger in scope than Part 1, and has so many more characters (With FINALLY more Zendaya). It also has so many more action scenes and explosions, that it’s kind of overwhelming. That said, unlike Dune: Part 1, which was almost all set-up, Dune: Part 2 never feels like it’s taking its time. In fact, it’s enthralling all the way through, which makes me excited for Dune: Part 3 (Which might just come out while I’m still in my 40s, if we’re lucky).
But, the greatest accomplishment of Dune: Part 2 is probably that it took such an odd-ball story and made it so widely accessible. David Lynch once gave it a go, but it was much-maligned (Even though I really like it!). But, I would argue that Dune: Part 2 is honestly on the same level as a modern day Star Wars, if not better. And, the people have responded in turn, making it a blockbuster success. Dune: Part 2 is everything that you could want in a movie-going experience. That said, I still don’t think it’s Villeneuve’s best movie. That would still be…
1. Arrival (2016)
Here’s my problem with most sci-fi films. You usually only get two kinds: Fun action movies like Men In Black and iRobot, or deep, heady movies like Solaris and 2001. I like both, but I usually find that I want just a tad more intellect in my action, and a sprinkle of better pacing in my head trips.
But then, you have the incredibly rare, well-paced, cerebral sci-fi movies like Total Recall and Contact. And when it comes to more recent films, Arrival instantly jumps to mind. It’s the kind of sci-fi film that I would recommend to both people who have never watched a thought-provoking sci-fi flick, as well as ardent fans of the medium. It works on both levels.
Starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, and Forest Whitaker, Arrival is the thinking person’s Independence Day. Aliens come to Earth, but instead of being hostile, they just want to talk. The problem is, we don’t know how to communicate with them. Therein lies the conflict, but it’s so brisk and easy to follow that you actually feel smart for enjoying such an intelligent film. Arrival is one of the greatest science fiction films of all time, and one that solidifies Villeneuve as one of the greatest directors of all time.
And, that’s the list. Denis Villeneuve seems like he can do no wrong at this point. And, while it might take awhile before we get the next Dune installment, at least we can look forward to Villeneuve keeping us guessing (and thinking!) in the future with his next project. The adaptation to Nuclear War: A Scenario, can’t get here soon enough!