{"id":691092,"date":"2026-07-14T12:23:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/691092\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T12:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:23:11","slug":"denis-villeneuves-three-favourite-21st-century-sci-fi-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/691092\/","title":{"rendered":"Denis Villeneuve’s three favourite 21st century sci-fi movies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Denis<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ Alamy<\/p>\n

Tue 14 July 2026 8:32, UK <\/p>\n

Without a doubt, Denis Villeneuve<\/a> is one of modern cinema\u2019s most essential science-fiction directors, creating some of the genre\u2019s most successful releases over the past decade.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the Canadian filmmaker began his career creating dramas before moving on to thrillers and, eventually, the rich world of sci-fi. Yet, it seemed a natural conclusion for him. After all, he once said, \u201cMy birth of the love of cinema was born with Close Encounters and 2001. Those sci-fi movies I saw when I was a little kid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evidently, with the levels of success that Villeneuve has found with his recent sci-fi endeavours, such as Blade Runner 2049 and the Dune franchise, it seems the director has finally found his true cinematic calling. That\u2019s not to say that his previous movies weren\u2019t also fantastic, with releases such as Incendies, Prisoners and Sicario all receiving significant commercial and critical acclaim. <\/p>\n

Yet, when it comes to science fiction, Villeneuve knows how to master the genre, using it as a vessel to explore the complexities of the human condition. He once told Little White Lies that his love for sci-fi emerged at a very young age and even went beyond the screen. He said: \u201cMy father was obsessed by technology and all those scientific magazines about new discoveries, like Popular Mechanic or Science et Vie.\u201d <\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cSo there was that presence of how the world could evolve with technology \u2013 of what the world of tomorrow could be.\u201d The future and the imagination that it could foster fascinated Villeneuve just as much as it does today.<\/p>\n

\"Denis<\/a>Credit: Far Out \/ Jack Davison<\/p>\n

As he added, \u201cI must not underestimate the presence of a nuclear power plant that I could see from my kitchen. I was raised in the atomic age, where the big fear of the time was not the climate but the atomic bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n

The filmmaker cites classic sci-fi movies such as Stanley Kubrick\u2019s 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/a> and Ridley Scott\u2019s Blade Runner as some of his favourites of the genre. However, he\u2019s not averse to newer sci-fi movies, citing three 21st-century picks as some of his other favourites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Further reading: Cutting Room Floor<\/p>\n

The modern masterpieces that inspire Denis Villeneuve<\/p>\n

Talking to The New York Times, Villeneuve said: \u201cWhen I started making movies at the end of the 20th century, the previous generation of filmmakers said cinema was dead. Well \u2026 long live cinema!\u201d Thus, he picked Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n\u2019s Children of Men as one of the greatest films of the 21st century. The stunning dystopian thriller was released in 2006 and is based on P.D. James\u2019 novel of the same name.<\/p>\n

The movie explores a world plagued by infertility, leading to societal chaos. While Children of Men doesn\u2019t have all of the stereotypical sci-fi tropes, it presents a terrifying world that isn\u2019t as far removed from the current state of society as we\u2019d like to think.<\/p>\n

Villeneuve also selected Christopher Nolan\u2019s Inception, released in 2010. The director has taken significant inspiration from his contemporary, once excitedly telling IndieWire: \u201cTo bring intellectual concepts and to bring them in that scope to the screen right now,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s very rare. Every movie that [Christopher Nolan] comes out with, I have more admiration for his work.\u201d The link is evident in the films that he creates himself.<\/p>\n

Finally, Jonathan Glazer\u2019s phenomenal exploration of alienation and the human condition, Under the Skin, from 2013.<\/a> Villeneuve told The New York Times that when it comes to his favourite movies, \u201cThere are specific shots that went directly through my skull, like a bullet spreading particles of my brain on my walls\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cfollowing Scarlett Johansson in a pool of darkness\u201d in Under the Skin as one of his examples. The fascinating film, buoyed by Johansson\u2019s incredibly hypnotic performance and Mica Levi\u2019s stellar score, is undoubtedly a British masterpiece even though responses were peculiarly muted upon release back in 2013.<\/p>\n

All of these movies are propelled primarily by gripping stories and how they pull you into their world. This is something that the Canadian has always admired. As he once proclaimed, \u201cVery early on, I was writing stories, and I was amazed at Spielberg\u2019s movies when I was young.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adding, \u201cComing from the countryside, I was so impressed with the way he was able to tell stories and the way he was able to deal with le merveilleux \u2013 the wonders.\u201d He\u2019s now made a living proudly exploring le merveilleux himself.<\/p>\n

Denis Villeneuve\u2019s favourite modern sci-fi movies:Children of Men (Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n, 2006)Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)Under the Skin (Jonathan Glazer, 2013) <\/p>\n

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