Denis Villeneuve Says This One Movie Is as Close to Perfection as It Gets

Denis Villeneuve is a filmmaker who truly lives and breathes the world of movies. Standing alongside giants like Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese, he has spent his career trying to do something new with every film he makes. Since starting out, he has become famous for creating massive, beautiful images that make people feel deep emotions, often focusing on what it really means to be human.

This talent comes from his deep love for the history of movies. He has often mentioned that classics like Seven Samurai and There Will Be Blood are some of his favorites, but there is one movie he thinks is almost better than everything else. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, he was asked which movie he had watched the most in his life, and he quickly named Apocalypse Now.

Villeneuve explained that he didn’t just watch Francis Ford Coppola’s war epic; he practically lived in it. He said that he studied that movie and has probably seen it a million times over the years. For him, the film is close to perfection and is deeply inspiring because of how it shows the madness of war through its incredible visuals and intense story.

Even though he makes very serious films, Villeneuve also has a fun side when it comes to what he likes to watch. He surprised some fans by admitting that he is a huge fan of James Bond. He thinks there’s nothing like a good James Bond to cheer you up when you are having a rough day, and he especially loves the newer ones.

He singled out Casino Royale as one of his all-time favorites, along with Skyfall. He told the interviewer that he went through these movies several times during difficult periods in his life. You can actually see some of that Bond influence in the way he directs action, and the massive scale of movies like Apocalypse Now clearly helped him when he was building the desert world of Arrakis.

As of this year, Villeneuve has just finished one of the busiest years of his life. After the huge success of his first two Dune movies, he spent the second half of 2025 in Budapest and Abu Dhabi filming the final part of his trilogy, titled Dune: Part Three. Timothée Chalamet recently confirmed that they have finished filming, and the movie is now in the editing phase to meet its release date of December 18.

The new film will adapt the book Dune Messiah and features an amazing cast. Along with returning stars like Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Rebecca Ferguson, Robert Pattinson has officially joined the cast, reportedly playing a major villain.

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