So disappointed he’s not gonna get his flowers with the Academy this year. Hopefully Dune: Messiah will get the Return of the King treatment, and he’ll finally get the award treatment he deserves.
Eh, screw the award treatment. His movies will be remembered, watched and loved decades from now. How great they turned out, that's what matters most and sticks with people. While so many subpar Oscar winners are mostly forgotten by history
A superhero movie by Denis would be incredible, imagine if they picked him to do the DCEU instead of Zack Snyder (I know, probably didn't make as much of a name for himself back then, butI think he'd respect the source material much more)
I think Prisoners is one of the more underrated thrillers of all time. Sure it's being talked about more now, but still not getting the attention it fully deserves. That movie gets going 5 minutes in & genuinely never stops. Always been a personal favorite for me!
@@cash5512 I didn't necessarily mean underrated as a movie, but more as a "Thriller". I don't hear it mentioned as one of the very best of its genre hardly ever. So that's more what I was trying to say
I met Denis on set of Dune:Part Two. He is such a humble person. I was one of the Fremen soldiers for a month, but he treated me with such respect I didn't expect, one day near the end of the shoot in Budapest he greeted me as I was a big part of the movie. Thank you Denis! Your work will always inspire us as artists.🤲
Denis Villeneuve might as well could be the best director working today. Unlike most directors these days, he stays consistent with his work by constantly putting out all hits and no misses, which is speaks volumes to his amazing resume.
Denis' adaptation of Dune I enjoyed in theaters as it's the Star Wars of our generation but him making a legacy sequel to an iconic 80s movie is hard to pull off but he did with Blade Runner 2049.
Who is ''most directors''? Villenueve is nothing compared to Christian Petzold, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hong Sang-Soo, Céline Sciamma, Claire Denis, Julio Bressane, Juliane Rojas, Rajamouli... and I'm assuming my ignorance, knowing that there are so many other directors around the world I haven't see
I've rewatched Arrival like 20 times at this point. I could probably recite a lot of the scenes off the top of my head, and it is still as beautiful to me now as when I first watched it as a teenager. I love movies that make me feel warm about growing old, and I always feel that way with Arrival, despite how devastatingly sad it can get.
Blade Runner 2049 similarly came to me at a formative point of my life, and honestly changed the way I view films. I saw it in college with some friends who all came out disappointed, saying it was “boring” and “needed more action.” Meanwhile I’m absolutely gushing over the flawless cinematography, the perfectly executed tone, and frankly in awe at Denis’ daring and absolute care he brought to the characters and story. Truly one of my favorite films ever.
I remember watching it in theaters and walking out late at night with it being foggy and mirroring the movie. It made it even more immersive! The time I was watching and I realized gosling laying on the stairs bleeding with snow falling, was just mirroring the scene in rain in the first BladeRunner. In the way K, as a character, pushed the bigger philosophical idea brought by replicants, even farther. The scene in the first BR was a replicant with water raining down on him, a different form of a human, with water raining down. While BR2049 had K, with snow raining down onto him, which is just a different form of rain. A truly special movie and experience for me!
Seeing blade runner 2049 in the theatre was without a doubt the most transformative movie-going experience I have ever had. I didn't just watch something, I was going through an experience and left a different person. And I have been chasing that feeling ever since. For that reason alone, it is not only my favourite Villeneuve film but also my favourite film of all time. To me, it is flawless.
Arrival takes the top spot. I've never had a film-watching experience like it. It was so full of hope and heartbreak, and the message that pain is worth feeling and how it's inextricable from joy. You can't have one and just forsake the other. I swear Amy Adams invented new emotions when I watched it. I feeling of anticipating loving someone so much and grieving them at the same time. Unfortunately, Jeremy Renner is also present but still an incredible film
Incendies is a personal fav of mine. Made me think about the trauma my grandma went through. A lot of mystery behind it that my family hasnt fully gotten clarity on but it clearly haunted her to her dying day. The film captures that dread and that sense of persevering despite it. Its such a bleak film but it still has the moments where people process that emotion and continue to move forward that I love. My gramma didnt go thru the level of turmoil that that fictional family did, but the feelings were what resonated for me. Such a delicate, devastating and beautiful film. Nice ranking, good stuff Karsten! 👊🏻❤️
3:05 just want to clarify that the mass shooting of the Polytechnique massacre happened because of the perpetrator's hatred toward feminists (and mental heath state), but he didn't shoot any feminists. He just decided too shoot any random woman in that school that day.
Hearing you talk about Denis gives me chills, I can feel the love for him and I couldn't agree with it more. Personally my favourite of his is Arrival, cause of all the themes it tackles and how visually rich it is (although that can be said of all of his recent work)
I discovered Denis Villeneuve because of Blade Runner 2049 but it wasn't until I saw Prisoners and I was blown away by that film by the mystery of the abduction plot of the story. Watching Dune & Dune Part II in theaters was a privilege because not only it's Star Wars of our generation but now I'm willing to watch David Lynch's version. Anyways, Blade Runner 2049 I loved more than the original, which I find rare alike Top Gun: Maverick. I fell in love with what 2049 looked like to K's journey to find Deckard along with the fact that he's not his son after finding out. I enjoyed the Can't Help Falling In Love scene because it shows both odds of K just wanting to talk to Deckard meanwhile, Deckard didn't want to be hunted as he's a Replicant by protecting his daughter we find out. Although its Tears In The Rain to me.
Context is important, apart from Maelstrom and August 32nd everything Denis has made can be argued as S tier so really it just comes down to preference. They’re all great movies, but he values certain things more than others hence the rankings, but if you asked me for example Prisoners would easily be top 5
I'm québécoise so I've read the play and watched the movie for highschool (Then watched the movie a second time because I loved it). Incendies is not only one of my favourite Québécois movies, but one of my favourite adaptations period. The play is great, it has most of what people love about the movie in it, but it's also essentially the stage equivalent of a French New Extremity film. It's very over the top, there's some highly expressionist, borderline surreal aspects, and the characters are much more extraverted to the point of melodrama sometimes. Villeneuve was perfect for adapting it because he streamlines the story so much, turning it into this stark, uncomfortably realistic drama that leaves you empty rather than shocked. The best way I can put it is, the play's message is "War is a senseless cycle of violence of comical proportions," whereas the film's message is "This was one series of events that happened to one unimportant woman in one unimportant war. This is what war does to so many." This and the film's subtly subversive aspects (Montreal is shown as a lifeless grey wasteland compared to the beautiful shots of the middle-east, the instigators of the bus scene look like stereotypical muslim terrorists but have prints of the Virgin Mary on their AKs), add so much depth to an already devastating core plot.
Man, for me, Denis's masterpiece has to be Prisoners. Although not pleasant watch, every scene builds and builds the tension, and the last hour honestly is just nerve vrecking panick attack. It allways gets me so emotional, the subtle touching score, the perfect cinematography and Hugh Jackman's and Jake Gyllenhall's greatest performences. I am not a father yet, but I can only imagine, what it will be like watching this heart breaking story wit my own kids in mind. Denis Villenueve is my favourite director of all time, I am glad people are catching up to him after Dune 2.
Incendies is one of those movies that I would recommend every single person to watch at least once and I’d definitely say that it’s one of the best movies ever made. But at the same time I would never have the courage to watch it myself ever again. Definitely a haunting masterpiece.
Arrival. Arrival. Arrival. Has my heart. Have cried so darn much over it. Yet I go back to it. Find new meaning, unlocks a new emotional almost every time I rewatch it.
Being from Montreal, Denis came to a promotional event for Dune 2 in February to take some pictures and sign some shit. I wanted to give him a compliment he'd actually remember, so I told him I really liked Maëlstrom. He was very much caught off-guard...
I never clicked so fast. I would love to see more of these 'Ranked' videos because they are so damn fun. Maybe do someone like Kurosawa / Ridley or Innaritu next.
Blade Runner 2049 will probably always be my favourite Denis film. The weight of having proceeding the original classic must have been immense, yet Denis nailed it. Mesmerising and existential, it’s just magnificent.
2049 is my favorite movie of his, or maybe even my favorite movie at all, it's the one that I rewatch constantly and get floored by it every single time
Bladerunner 2049 is the movie that opened my "third eye" to appreciating films. It was the first time I noticed things like the cinematography or the score, and not just seeing movies as a way to turn my brain off. I wouldn't be on this channel or many others like it today if it wasn't for it.
2049 was the movie that reignited my love for movies and is probably the catalyst that made me dive deeper into movies, including why I now watch your channel
I never knew you have gone through a surgery last yr. But I'm glad you are here today making this Denis list and continue to do your movie commentary videos. have a great day and a great year ahead Karsten. Fan from the Philippines here.
Prisoners is probably my favorite Denis film and I’m genuinely understanding of it only being 7th on your list. He’s easily the best working director today
This just jumped to one of my all time favs of your videos Karst! So well done, both the editing and the writing! You give so much thought to these films and I really admire that. Keep up the great work! :)
Whenever I think of how great Denis is I'm often caught wondering what his other fellow countryman Jean Marc Vallee could have achieved if he hadn't passed away at such a young age.
gotta say: Enemy is my 2nd favorite Villenueve film. Crazy good atmosphere and strong use of the motif of spider-imagery. Made me fall in love with him as a director and was a big movie for me to understand what being an auteur is.
Why does the background music go so hard ... top notch video 👌 Edit: would love to know what song you're using in the background of the Dune 2021 section 🙏
I agree with your ranking. I have watched all of his 10 films except for August 32nd. I'm still surprised that Denis wasn't nominated at the Oscars 2025. Oh well, he's still my favorite director and will keep on watching all his movies, interviews, reviews and more!
It perhaps shouldn’t be surprising, but I’m always still a bit taken aback by cinephiles who talk about being Villeneuve fans but have never watched any of his Canadian films. At a minimum everyone should watch _Incendies_ given that it was what launched him into Hollywood.
2049 is probably the film that’s made me who I am today. Love it so much, and I don’t think I’d be here today trying to become a filmmaker had it not been for that movie.
Arrival *is* tragic but I maintain that it can also be really uplifting if viewed in a certain way. I once had a heated debate with my family after we watched it over whether it had a “happy ending”. *Spoilers ahead* I get it, losing her child is obviously unhappy, but you know about that from the start. What the end tells you is that she’s come to terms with that loss and even actively chooses to endure it because she feels that the time they have together is priceless. She wouldn’t give it up just to avoid the tragedy of her passing. To me, that’s a really optimistic and uplifting stance for the film to take, that our worth as people isn’t defined by how or when things end.
Its such an incredible film its the embodiment of it being better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Ive always found it to have one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful and tragically life-affirming messages in any film that Ive seen.
Being a French-Canadian (un vrai québécois!), the one that resonate the most with me is Polytechnique. But, most of them could be my favorite, which says a lot.
Great video, denis is my favorite director. Enemy is my favorite film of his, and the psychological aspects are obviously great but an underrated aspect of the movie that I don’t see talked about enough, are the political themes and subtext that draws parallels to the psychological side
My favorite of his and a top 5 film of all time for me is Arrival. It really did reaffirm the way that I view the world around me and the beauty of life.
Arrival is number one for me, it’s a masterclass in adapting written work for the screen. The story is written in future and past tense to showcase the changing time perception of the language. The movie adapts this trough editing future plot points as if they’re flashbacks. It truly does the short story justice!
Sicario takes top spot to me. Arrival was far and away my most anticipated film of 2016 (crazy considering I was barely 18 and my sensibilities were much more in line with Civil War taking that spot) and it ended up being one of my favorites of the year as well, but somehow I haven’t found myself wanting to revisit it nearly as much as Sicario, which I can watch literally whenever. Prisoners is also one I can watch over and over regardless of how bleak it is.
As a sci-fi lover Villeneuve is so impressive to me, he makes these strange and literally alien worlds so life like. It’s never cheesy or silly, for the duration of the movie I always feel like I am in another world. I would love to see him make an Enders Game movie (and hopefully the sequels/ prequels as well)
the country they traveled to in incendies is lebanon it was mentioned a couple of times and the history of the country ( the civil war ) played an important part in the story and gave more depth to it
I get unreasonably excited for a Karsten director ranking. Please do more! Do the Coens! Jacques Demy! Do Gregg Araki! I know you've already seen their films!
I remember watching Blade Runner 2049 for the first time when I was like 16, and I was blown away the same way I was when I watched Interstellar for the first time when I was 13. Two of the most impactful and formative movies for me in my journey of discovering my passion for film.
haven t seen all of them but arrival is one I could watch over and over, prisoners is amazing and dune II i watched 4 times at the cinema and in imax was the best cinematic experience i ever felt
couldn't agree more, definitely my favourite. i remember it went a bit over my head the first time i watched but i rewatched it a couple of days later and it completely fell into place. what a film
@ Yep. One that you have to sit with for a little bit. Then when you revisit it again and again it all falls into place and you realize it's an absolute masterpiece (imo). I've picked up so many different details on each viewing. Would love to see him tackle a psychological thriller again.
For my money, 2049 is his best work. Amazing cinematography, Gosling's and de Arma's best performances, with a plot that doesn't hold your hand, rich with symbolism.
I saw Incendies in Montreal in 2010. It was at a festival and members of the production team were at the projection. The viewing was such a shock, so upsetting, that I still have tears coming every time I think of Incendies. I will never forget that bus scene, and that ending. My ranking of Villeneuve movies changes with time and mood. I think right now, it is: 1. Incendies 2. Dune part 2 3. Arrival 4. Sicario 5. Prisoners 6. Dune part 1 7. Blade Runner 2049 8. Polytechnique Have not seen the 3 others.
I completely understand the respect folks give his crime movies, but the guy is actually the greatest science fiction director we’ve ever gotten. Either of your top two choices are perfectly feasible for a number one placement (though I’d have personally swapped them). Thanks for the video!
Incendies hands down. It has a left lasting impression on me. I am still thinking about it time to time everytime Villeneuve name comes up. It is my personal favorite. Dune 2 may be his best work but Incendies is close to my heart.
for me Arrival is the GOAT. not just for Denis, but for film in general. it's my absolute favourite movie in terms of both the emotional impact it had on me and just being a really really excellent sci fi. I adore Denis. he almost makes me forgive Quebec for a few of my exes lol :(
Love seeing Villeneuve rankings cause his films are so different, even if the tone is similar, and so everyone's lists vary so much. Haven't seen his first 3 but here's my list: Incendies Prisoners Dune: Part Two Arrival Sicario Enemy Blade Runner Dune: Part One I loved all of these, so most of these are separated by decimals.
So disappointed he’s not gonna get his flowers with the Academy this year. Hopefully Dune: Messiah will get the Return of the King treatment, and he’ll finally get the award treatment he deserves.
Dune 2 was banger scene after banger scene, all of them beautifully presented. They just hate the dude at this point.
That's what I was thinking! I honestly think they would have nominated him for Dune 2 if they didn't announce he was gonna do a third one.
Eh, screw the award treatment. His movies will be remembered, watched and loved decades from now. How great they turned out, that's what matters most and sticks with people. While so many subpar Oscar winners are mostly forgotten by history
A superhero movie by Denis would be incredible, imagine if they picked him to do the DCEU instead of Zack Snyder (I know, probably didn't make as much of a name for himself back then, butI think he'd respect the source material much more)
I really hope so, but I'm so scared because it's releasing the same year as The Oddesey 😭
The Prisoners placement made me fall to my knees
Until I remembered all his post 2010 movies are perfect and could be in any order
People dick ride Dune too much. Dune Part 1 and Prisoners should’ve switched places tbh.
Prisoners is still my personal favorite.
@@Sharpe1502Dune Part 1 is boring and way too confusing if you haven’t read the book.
Prisoners is Atleast top 5
On rewatch of Prisoners, I felt the absence of Joe Walker.
I think Prisoners is one of the more underrated thrillers of all time. Sure it's being talked about more now, but still not getting the attention it fully deserves. That movie gets going 5 minutes in & genuinely never stops. Always been a personal favorite for me!
It's use of tension is masterful
It’s, in my opinion, one of his most tragic movies. The more I watch it, the sadder I get for Dano’s and Dastmachian’s characters.
Idk about underrated. Every time someone brings this movie up, it's always how underrated the movie is lol
@@cash5512 the fact that Karsten put it on number 7 just tells you, that it's still underrated even among Villeneuve's fans.
@@cash5512 I didn't necessarily mean underrated as a movie, but more as a "Thriller". I don't hear it mentioned as one of the very best of its genre hardly ever. So that's more what I was trying to say
Prisoners at 7 is criminal but it also shows how many great movies this guy has
Seriously, Prisoners is my #1, but I could easily see anything since Incendies being #1 on anyone’s list.
Prisoners could’ve been a masterpiece of the reveal at the end wasn’t the stupidest shit ever.
Prisoners is not as good as people say it is. Realistically the crime should’ve been solved in the first 10 minutes
Incendies is my favourite Denis Villeneuve movie. Glad you showed it the love it deserves in your video!
I just watched it. My god it is something that you will think about for a long time
Loved that he used two songs from Amnesiac
Me too!
The twist kills you
This might be the one directors ranked video I’ve wanted from you since you started this series, I can now die a happy man
Now we just need Terrence Malick after Way of the Wind
Bring on the Coen brothers ranking! 🔥
2:05 "a tiny bit of Tarantino in this" -> shows scene with bare feet
I met Denis on set of Dune:Part Two. He is such a humble person. I was one of the Fremen soldiers for a month, but he treated me with such respect I didn't expect, one day near the end of the shoot in Budapest he greeted me as I was a big part of the movie. Thank you Denis! Your work will always inspire us as artists.🤲
Wow that is so cool you got to be part of an amazing film! Do you have any experiences with any of the main actors?
Really cool. So happy you had that experience!
Denis Villeneuve might as well could be the best director working today. Unlike most directors these days, he stays consistent with his work by constantly putting out all hits and no misses, which is speaks volumes to his amazing resume.
Denis' adaptation of Dune I enjoyed in theaters as it's the Star Wars of our generation but him making a legacy sequel to an iconic 80s movie is hard to pull off but he did with Blade Runner 2049.
I also haven't heard any negative stories about his sets, and he didn't advocate for a pedophile to be let back into the country
It’s probably Nolan still
He's definitely the most visionary
Who is ''most directors''? Villenueve is nothing compared to Christian Petzold, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Hong Sang-Soo, Céline Sciamma, Claire Denis, Julio Bressane, Juliane Rojas, Rajamouli... and I'm assuming my ignorance, knowing that there are so many other directors around the world I haven't see
I've rewatched Arrival like 20 times at this point. I could probably recite a lot of the scenes off the top of my head, and it is still as beautiful to me now as when I first watched it as a teenager. I love movies that make me feel warm about growing old, and I always feel that way with Arrival, despite how devastatingly sad it can get.
Blade Runner 2049 similarly came to me at a formative point of my life, and honestly changed the way I view films. I saw it in college with some friends who all came out disappointed, saying it was “boring” and “needed more action.” Meanwhile I’m absolutely gushing over the flawless cinematography, the perfectly executed tone, and frankly in awe at Denis’ daring and absolute care he brought to the characters and story. Truly one of my favorite films ever.
Yeah those viewers are why we got the mess of Dune Part 2. I wonder if they even saw the original Blade Runner.
Literally same here
Part 2 is good. What are talking about? Hell it has about as many action scenes as 2049@@miz4535
I remember watching it in theaters and walking out late at night with it being foggy and mirroring the movie. It made it even more immersive! The time I was watching and I realized gosling laying on the stairs bleeding with snow falling, was just mirroring the scene in rain in the first BladeRunner. In the way K, as a character, pushed the bigger philosophical idea brought by replicants, even farther. The scene in the first BR was a replicant with water raining down on him, a different form of a human, with water raining down. While BR2049 had K, with snow raining down onto him, which is just a different form of rain. A truly special movie and experience for me!
it's a movie that wants you to think. To wrestle with those quintessential questions of life. if you can't do that, you're not gonna enjoy it.
As a French Canadian, I am proud of our boy
French🤢
our legend⚜️
As an English Canadian, I am also proud of your boy
Nos Denis: Villeneuve et Arcand
Same
Prisoners might be my favorite of his and I think it is his best. An absolute masterpiece
Your placement of Prisoners is craaaaaazy
Blade runner 2049 unlocked the film loving part of my brain. I truly believe that film changed my life.
Montrealer here 👋🏻 we love Denis. Excited for your list!
Also if anyone is interested in Québécois movies, I have a list on Letterboxd, same username as here. We have really good cinema :)
non Montrealer, we also love Denis :)
The ending of Enemy legitimately shocked me. Probably the most effective jump scare in a non traditional horror way
Seeing blade runner 2049 in the theatre was without a doubt the most transformative movie-going experience I have ever had. I didn't just watch something, I was going through an experience and left a different person. And I have been chasing that feeling ever since. For that reason alone, it is not only my favourite Villeneuve film but also my favourite film of all time. To me, it is flawless.
What was that movie even about?
My situation is absolutely same. 2049 made me see and appreciate movies as art
Arrival takes the top spot. I've never had a film-watching experience like it. It was so full of hope and heartbreak, and the message that pain is worth feeling and how it's inextricable from joy. You can't have one and just forsake the other. I swear Amy Adams invented new emotions when I watched it. I feeling of anticipating loving someone so much and grieving them at the same time. Unfortunately, Jeremy Renner is also present but still an incredible film
Incendies is one of the most cutting commentaries on evil and the creation of people as monsters I have ever seen.
1:17 August 32nd on earth
2:57 Polytechnique
5:09 Maelstrom
6:46 Enemy
8:48 Prisoners
11:03 Sicario
13:12 Dune
15:45 Blade runner 2049
17:59 Incendies
20:37 Arrival
23:20 Dune: part-2
Incendies is a personal fav of mine. Made me think about the trauma my grandma went through. A lot of mystery behind it that my family hasnt fully gotten clarity on but it clearly haunted her to her dying day. The film captures that dread and that sense of persevering despite it. Its such a bleak film but it still has the moments where people process that emotion and continue to move forward that I love. My gramma didnt go thru the level of turmoil that that fictional family did, but the feelings were what resonated for me. Such a delicate, devastating and beautiful film.
Nice ranking, good stuff Karsten! 👊🏻❤️
23:47 that feeling when
it's over, the brainrot got me
3:05 just want to clarify that the mass shooting of the Polytechnique massacre happened because of the perpetrator's hatred toward feminists (and mental heath state), but he didn't shoot any feminists. He just decided too shoot any random woman in that school that day.
I caught that too, he didn't specifically target feminists, just female students, mainly engineering ones. He was still anti-feminist though.
Was just about to come and comment the same thing.
Hearing you talk about Denis gives me chills, I can feel the love for him and I couldn't agree with it more. Personally my favourite of his is Arrival, cause of all the themes it tackles and how visually rich it is (although that can be said of all of his recent work)
I discovered Denis Villeneuve because of Blade Runner 2049 but it wasn't until I saw Prisoners and I was blown away by that film by the mystery of the abduction plot of the story. Watching Dune & Dune Part II in theaters was a privilege because not only it's Star Wars of our generation but now I'm willing to watch David Lynch's version. Anyways, Blade Runner 2049 I loved more than the original, which I find rare alike Top Gun: Maverick. I fell in love with what 2049 looked like to K's journey to find Deckard along with the fact that he's not his son after finding out. I enjoyed the Can't Help Falling In Love scene because it shows both odds of K just wanting to talk to Deckard meanwhile, Deckard didn't want to be hunted as he's a Replicant by protecting his daughter we find out. Although its Tears In The Rain to me.
Nah the Prisoners placement is criminal
It's not a very good script
Context is important, apart from Maelstrom and August 32nd everything Denis has made can be argued as S tier so really it just comes down to preference. They’re all great movies, but he values certain things more than others hence the rankings, but if you asked me for example Prisoners would easily be top 5
Prisoners deserved muchh higher
I'm québécoise so I've read the play and watched the movie for highschool (Then watched the movie a second time because I loved it). Incendies is not only one of my favourite Québécois movies, but one of my favourite adaptations period. The play is great, it has most of what people love about the movie in it, but it's also essentially the stage equivalent of a French New Extremity film. It's very over the top, there's some highly expressionist, borderline surreal aspects, and the characters are much more extraverted to the point of melodrama sometimes. Villeneuve was perfect for adapting it because he streamlines the story so much, turning it into this stark, uncomfortably realistic drama that leaves you empty rather than shocked. The best way I can put it is, the play's message is "War is a senseless cycle of violence of comical proportions," whereas the film's message is "This was one series of events that happened to one unimportant woman in one unimportant war. This is what war does to so many." This and the film's subtly subversive aspects (Montreal is shown as a lifeless grey wasteland compared to the beautiful shots of the middle-east, the instigators of the bus scene look like stereotypical muslim terrorists but have prints of the Virgin Mary on their AKs), add so much depth to an already devastating core plot.
Sir Karsten Runquist, please can you do a coen brother's ranked. It would bring tears to my eyes...
Man, for me, Denis's masterpiece has to be Prisoners. Although not pleasant watch, every scene builds and builds the tension, and the last hour honestly is just nerve vrecking panick attack. It allways gets me so emotional, the subtle touching score, the perfect cinematography and Hugh Jackman's and Jake Gyllenhall's greatest performences. I am not a father yet, but I can only imagine, what it will be like watching this heart breaking story wit my own kids in mind. Denis Villenueve is my favourite director of all time, I am glad people are catching up to him after Dune 2.
It’s about time that Karsten got to talk about giant spiders
Incendies is one of those movies that I would recommend every single person to watch at least once and I’d definitely say that it’s one of the best movies ever made. But at the same time I would never have the courage to watch it myself ever again. Definitely a haunting masterpiece.
Arrival. Arrival. Arrival. Has my heart. Have cried so darn much over it. Yet I go back to it. Find new meaning, unlocks a new emotional almost every time I rewatch it.
1. Prisoners
2. Blade Runner 2049
3. Incendies
4. Dune Part 2
5. Arrival
6. Sicario
7. Dune Part 1
8. Polytechnique
YES!!!
Sicario should be 1
Prisoners is his best work indeed
I agree. I feel like he added Dune 2 from recency bias
Being from Montreal, Denis came to a promotional event for Dune 2 in February to take some pictures and sign some shit. I wanted to give him a compliment he'd actually remember, so I told him I really liked Maëlstrom. He was very much caught off-guard...
I never clicked so fast.
I would love to see more of these 'Ranked' videos because they are so damn fun.
Maybe do someone like Kurosawa / Ridley or Innaritu next.
Blade Runner 2049 will probably always be my favourite Denis film. The weight of having proceeding the original classic must have been immense, yet Denis nailed it. Mesmerising and existential, it’s just magnificent.
2049 is my favorite movie of his, or maybe even my favorite movie at all, it's the one that I rewatch constantly and get floored by it every single time
2049 is my favorite movie of all time. Saw it 4 times in theaters (I probably made up half of its box office)
entire list hurt me thanks karsten
Bladerunner 2049 is the movie that opened my "third eye" to appreciating films. It was the first time I noticed things like the cinematography or the score, and not just seeing movies as a way to turn my brain off. I wouldn't be on this channel or many others like it today if it wasn't for it.
2049 was the movie that reignited my love for movies and is probably the catalyst that made me dive deeper into movies, including why I now watch your channel
My favorite movies from Denis are Arrival, Blade Runner 2049, Dune and Dune Part Two.
I never knew you have gone through a surgery last yr. But I'm glad you are here today making this Denis list and continue to do your movie commentary videos. have a great day and a great year ahead Karsten. Fan from the Philippines here.
Prisoners is probably my favorite Denis film and I’m genuinely understanding of it only being 7th on your list. He’s easily the best working director today
This just jumped to one of my all time favs of your videos Karst! So well done, both the editing and the writing! You give so much thought to these films and I really admire that. Keep up the great work! :)
My list:
11. Maelström
10. August 32nd On Earth
9. Polytechnique
8. Sicario
7. Dune : Part 1
6. Enemy
5. Dune : Part 2
4. Blade Runner 2049
3. Prisoners
2. Arrival
1. Incendies
Incendies is one of the most heartbreaking movies I’ve ever seen, in the best way possible
I agree with everything but Prisoners. That movie is something else, it is one of the only truly flawless movies I can think of.
same. I've seen it 4 times and each time I'm left blown away.
Whenever I think of how great Denis is I'm often caught wondering what his other fellow countryman Jean Marc Vallee could have achieved if he hadn't passed away at such a young age.
Valle was so underrated. Big Little Lies, Crazy, Sharp Objects…all incredible. It’s a shame I feel like he is kind of forgotten.
Enemy was the film that got me into watching films. So small and insular, and perfectly done. Disappointed it ain't higher, but I can understand why
I loved this video! Thank you for making this ❤
gotta say: Enemy is my 2nd favorite Villenueve film. Crazy good atmosphere and strong use of the motif of spider-imagery. Made me fall in love with him as a director and was a big movie for me to understand what being an auteur is.
Your best video so far. Thanks for the incredible deconstruction of such a masterful modern aritst.
Why does the background music go so hard ... top notch video 👌
Edit: would love to know what song you're using in the background of the Dune 2021 section 🙏
I agree with your ranking. I have watched all of his 10 films except for August 32nd. I'm still surprised that Denis wasn't nominated at the Oscars 2025. Oh well, he's still my favorite director and will keep on watching all his movies, interviews, reviews and more!
It perhaps shouldn’t be surprising, but I’m always still a bit taken aback by cinephiles who talk about being Villeneuve fans but have never watched any of his Canadian films. At a minimum everyone should watch _Incendies_ given that it was what launched him into Hollywood.
I haven't been watching too many movies lately but this ranking made me realize how much I love Denis's filmography. Thank you, Karsten
great video, i love your director rankings. PEAK
19:04 get your steps in brother
This video is needed right now
2049 is probably the film that’s made me who I am today. Love it so much, and I don’t think I’d be here today trying to become a filmmaker had it not been for that movie.
Arrival *is* tragic but I maintain that it can also be really uplifting if viewed in a certain way. I once had a heated debate with my family after we watched it over whether it had a “happy ending”.
*Spoilers ahead* I get it, losing her child is obviously unhappy, but you know about that from the start. What the end tells you is that she’s come to terms with that loss and even actively chooses to endure it because she feels that the time they have together is priceless. She wouldn’t give it up just to avoid the tragedy of her passing.
To me, that’s a really optimistic and uplifting stance for the film to take, that our worth as people isn’t defined by how or when things end.
Its such an incredible film its the embodiment of it being better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Ive always found it to have one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful and tragically life-affirming messages in any film that Ive seen.
So happy to see Incendies getting the recognition it deserves! One of my absolute fav films of all time!
Being a French-Canadian (un vrai québécois!), the one that resonate the most with me is Polytechnique. But, most of them could be my favorite, which says a lot.
Great video, denis is my favorite director. Enemy is my favorite film of his, and the psychological aspects are obviously great but an underrated aspect of the movie that I don’t see talked about enough, are the political themes and subtext that draws parallels to the psychological side
My favorite of his and a top 5 film of all time for me is Arrival. It really did reaffirm the way that I view the world around me and the beauty of life.
I have been waiting for this video!
Thank you for this video. I love your analyses.
You know it's a good day when Karsten uploads a director rank video
What another quality video bro! Keep it up 😎🤌
13:33 and you know what else is massive?
MY MOM!
@ lowww tapperrrr fade
2049 is his masterpiece Imo.
Arrival is number one for me, it’s a masterclass in adapting written work for the screen. The story is written in future and past tense to showcase the changing time perception of the language. The movie adapts this trough editing future plot points as if they’re flashbacks. It truly does the short story justice!
Sicario takes top spot to me. Arrival was far and away my most anticipated film of 2016 (crazy considering I was barely 18 and my sensibilities were much more in line with Civil War taking that spot) and it ended up being one of my favorites of the year as well, but somehow I haven’t found myself wanting to revisit it nearly as much as Sicario, which I can watch literally whenever. Prisoners is also one I can watch over and over regardless of how bleak it is.
Calling the ending of Enemy one of the gentlest jump scares is the perfect way to describe that final shot
The ending of Enemy is my favorite moment of all Denis’ films
Soooo good to see some love for Incendies!
Let’s gooooo, been waiting for this!!
I love the way you talk about movies! I love Arrival!
Man 2049 has some of the most beatiful cinematography I have ever seen, I swear I can look at any scene all day
As a sci-fi lover Villeneuve is so impressive to me, he makes these strange and literally alien worlds so life like. It’s never cheesy or silly, for the duration of the movie I always feel like I am in another world. I would love to see him make an Enders Game movie (and hopefully the sequels/ prequels as well)
Villeneuve, Deakins, & Johannsson was a true dream team of film-making. RIP Johan.
Ranked series Returns, FINALLY!
the country they traveled to in incendies is lebanon it was mentioned a couple of times and the history of the country
( the civil war ) played an important part in the story and gave more depth to it
I get unreasonably excited for a Karsten director ranking. Please do more! Do the Coens! Jacques Demy! Do Gregg Araki! I know you've already seen their films!
YESSSSSS a Jacques Demy ranked would be the most awesome thing ever!
I remember watching Blade Runner 2049 for the first time when I was like 16, and I was blown away the same way I was when I watched Interstellar for the first time when I was 13. Two of the most impactful and formative movies for me in my journey of discovering my passion for film.
Great ranking. I was glittered by his Dune II when I watched it in theatres. Still my favourite cinema going experience.
haven t seen all of them but arrival is one I could watch over and over, prisoners is amazing and dune II i watched 4 times at the cinema and in imax was the best cinematic experience i ever felt
Just wanted to stop in and say Enemy is his best film and immensely underrated. One of the best psychological thrillers you can watch.
🕷
@@Balencialigator Dare I say, best ending of the 21st century?
couldn't agree more, definitely my favourite. i remember it went a bit over my head the first time i watched but i rewatched it a couple of days later and it completely fell into place. what a film
@ Yep. One that you have to sit with for a little bit. Then when you revisit it again and again it all falls into place and you realize it's an absolute masterpiece (imo). I've picked up so many different details on each viewing. Would love to see him tackle a psychological thriller again.
2049 is such a weirdly cozy movie for me. I can put it on and drift away and just enjoy the imagery
Great video bro
For my money, 2049 is his best work. Amazing cinematography, Gosling's and de Arma's best performances, with a plot that doesn't hold your hand, rich with symbolism.
I saw Incendies in Montreal in 2010. It was at a festival and members of the production team were at the projection. The viewing was such a shock, so upsetting, that I still have tears coming every time I think of Incendies. I will never forget that bus scene, and that ending.
My ranking of Villeneuve movies changes with time and mood. I think right now, it is:
1. Incendies
2. Dune part 2
3. Arrival
4. Sicario
5. Prisoners
6. Dune part 1
7. Blade Runner 2049
8. Polytechnique
Have not seen the 3 others.
I completely understand the respect folks give his crime movies, but the guy is actually the greatest science fiction director we’ve ever gotten. Either of your top two choices are perfectly feasible for a number one placement (though I’d have personally swapped them). Thanks for the video!
Incendies hands down. It has a left lasting impression on me. I am still thinking about it time to time everytime Villeneuve name comes up. It is my personal favorite. Dune 2 may be his best work but Incendies is close to my heart.
I actually watched Arrival for the first time last night and damn, it's a MASTERPIECE 😍
Dune Part Two is definitely my favourite, with Dune and Prisoners following close behind. Prisoners broke me as a parent, it was such a tense watch!
for me Arrival is the GOAT. not just for Denis, but for film in general. it's my absolute favourite movie in terms of both the emotional impact it had on me and just being a really really excellent sci fi. I adore Denis. he almost makes me forgive Quebec for a few of my exes lol :(
Love seeing Villeneuve rankings cause his films are so different, even if the tone is similar, and so everyone's lists vary so much.
Haven't seen his first 3 but here's my list:
Incendies
Prisoners
Dune: Part Two
Arrival
Sicario
Enemy
Blade Runner
Dune: Part One
I loved all of these, so most of these are separated by decimals.