Denis Villeneuve Hails This Christopher Nolan Movie as a “Masterpiece”

Denis Villeneuve, the director of Dune, has spoken highly of Christopher Nolan’s 2020 film Tenet, calling it a “masterpiece” during an interview on the Reelblend podcast. Villeneuve explained that the movie impressed him with its complexity and ambitious filmmaking.

“I was blown away by Tenet; I think it’s a masterpiece,” Villeneuve said. “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 is a science fiction thriller that follows a former CIA officer who gains the ability to manipulate time in order to stop a dangerous attack. Villeneuve also praised Nolan as one of the best directors working today, emphasizing his skill and creativity. “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.

Villeneuve highlighted the importance of seeing Nolan’s films in theaters. “Every time Chris puts a movie on the screen, I have to [see it on the big screen],” he said. “You can’t watch a Nolan movie at home; that’s like, that makes absolutely no sense. You have to, at first, receive the full impact of a Nolan movie in a theatre.”

He also noted that Nolan keeps pushing himself creatively with each project. “It’s really fascinating to see him evolving from one movie to another and always pushing the envelope, technically, narratively, and always reinventing himself. For me, it’s deeply inspiring to see that master at work,” Villeneuve said.

Tenet was written, directed, and produced by Nolan and his wife, Emma Thomas. It stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. The film took over five years to write, with Nolan developing its central ideas for more than a decade. Filming lasted six months in multiple countries, and its release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It premiered in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2020, and in the United States on September 3, 2020.

The movie became the first major Hollywood release during the pandemic. It earned $365 million worldwide on a $205 million budget, making it one of the top-grossing films of 2020, though it did not fully recoup its budget. Critics were divided on the movie, but it won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and earned several other nominations.

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