With the golden age of the superhero genre dominating the modern-day box office, it can be difficult for true sci-fi lovers to get as much attention when it comes to film. French Canadian director Denis Villeneuve tasks himself with the often tricky task of making big-budget, elevated sci-fi films, and usually does it masterfully.
From his earlier films, some of which aren’t even in English, to his three Oscar nominations and the six Oscars won by Dune this year, Villeneuve has been a modern staple in an acclaimed genre of cinema, and this will only improve with casting for Dune 2 underway. Finding as many of his films to watch online is an excellent idea, so here's a ranking to help fans figure out which to check out first.
9 Enemy (2013)
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this intense thriller as a quiet man that happens across his Doppelgänger in a film, and becomes obsessed with him and his life. The two men meet and discover that they are not just identical in appearance, but also have the same scars. After this, each becomes fascinated with the other’s life and demeanor.
While this is an intriguing film with some dark and interesting takes on the subconscious mind, it wasn’t the best of what Villeneuve has done in his career. Despite definitely not being a bad film, it may be his worst work. It is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and also stars Melanie Laurent, Sarah Gadon, and Isabella Rossellini.
8 Maelstrom (2000)
Another Villeneuve film that focuses on psychological aspects, Maelstrom is a French-language film about a young woman that accidentally hits and kills an elderly man with her car. She then meets his son and falls in love with him, but worries that if he uncovers the truth about what she did it will ruin their relationship.
The guilt of this young woman, the narration throughout the film by a fish, and many other aspects make it a strange entry in Villeneuve’s filmography. However, it is an intriguing and introspective look in a relatively short runtime. It takes the form of an extended allegory that perhaps ran a little into the ground eventually. Still, critics praised it at the time for showing Villeneuve’s great potential before he became such an influential sci-fi director. Maelstrom is also currently available to watch with Amazon Prime Video.
7 Polytechnique (2009)
Another work that Villeneuve made about a tragedy, this one is based on the real “Ecole Polytechnique Massacre” or “Montreal Massacre” that took place in 1989. The film is short, running at under 80 minutes, and shows the events of a gunman murdering a number of young women from the perspectives of two students.
This is another film with a powerful message, albeit a lot less underlying than in some of his other works. Villeneuve made Polytechnique because he believed there was an important conversation to be had around the topic. The film is currently only available on Apple TV.
6 Sicario (2015)
A much more well-known work, Sicario was a huge hit for Villeneuve. The plot centers on an FBI agent played by Emily Blunt that partakes in a joint operation to take down a drug cartel leader. Like much of Villeneuve’s work, it focuses heavily on the psychological aspects of how Blunt’s character deals with the moral dilemmas as she tries to deal with greater and greater evils.
The film is filled with action and was praised heavily by fans and critics alike. Sicario feels inspired by the heavy-handed, dramatic thriller style of Villeneuve’s earlier work. While it may not be the very best he has made, it is ingenious and has a very different message than most similar action films. Sicario is currently available to watch with Netflix.
5 Prisoners (2013)
Another thriller that deals with difficult topics and the hardships of grief, Prisoners is about the kidnappings of two young girls in Pennsylvania and the lengths that one of the fathers is willing to go in order to get his daughter back.
While this is an incredibly dark thriller in many aspects, the real standouts are the direction of Villeneuve and the performances of Hugh Jackman as the desperate father and Jake Gyllenhaal as the detective trying to solve the case before disaster strikes. The film was hugely praised on release by fans and critics and is currently available on Netflix and Amazon Prime.
4 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Villeneuve’s first attempt to revive a long-dead sci-fi franchise came with Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Blade Runner 2049. A story set long after the original future-predicting classic, Villeneuve brought all the thoughtful filmmaking and darkness from his previous films into this franchise and gave it new life, a great feat for a man that has previously claimed Blade Runner is responsible for his passion for filmmaking.
A replicant Blade Runner, K, uncovers the fact replicants may now be able to reproduce biologically, and he tracks down Rick Deckard, the suspected father of a child. Together, they try to solve the mystery behind the identity of the child before others can reach them. Blade Runner 2049 has been hugely praised, even if it hasn’t led to more films in the franchise so far because of the big budget holding it back from success. It is currently available to re-watch on Netflix.
3 Incendies (2010)
The third and final of Villeneuve’s French-language films, Incendies follows twins whose mother dies and leaves them the task of delivering letters to the long-lost father and brother they didn’t know they had in the Middle East. The film deals with a series of brutal topics that could be triggering for viewers, but is an incredible piece of work that Villeneuve co-write as a screen adaption of a play he saw performed in 2004.
While difficult to watch at times, Incendies is filled with heart and the shocking twists that the journey of the twins take will be unlike anything viewers have experienced before in film. Incendies is currently available on Amazon Prime.
2 Arrival (2016)
Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguist that is hired to try and communicate with one of twelve alien ships that have landed around the Earth. When a message is interpreted by China as involving a weapon, she has to uncover the real meaning behind the messages and try to bring the world together in order to stop war from being unleashed upon the aliens.
Arrival again uses Villeneuve’s thoughtful, slow-paced style and fits this style perhaps better than any of his films. It is a triumph and was nominated for eight Oscars, winning one and positioning Villeneuve as the excellent sci-fi director he is primarily known as today. It also managed to avoid becoming more fantasy than science with incredible linguistic work that took playce behind the scenes. Unfortunately, the film currently isn’t available on any streaming service without additional rental fees.
1 Dune (2021)
Dune stars Timothee Chalamet and a host of A-list stars in a story about Paul Atreides, the son of a powerful Duke who is given rule over the planet Arrakis by the Emperor. However, the Emperor is obviously secretly plotting with the Baron that formerly controlled the planet to destroy House Atreides before their power influence overtakes his own.
Villeneuve’s most recent and best film to date, Dune challenges the director’s style by entering the world of the much more audience-friendly, big-budget action sci-fi. However, it is also incredibly cerebral and deals with complexities in a way that previous adaptions of the story have massively failed to do. While Villeneuve continues working on a sequel to bring the story to a conclusion, fans can watch Dune on HBO Max.