Last year’s action blockbuster Tenet might not have been for everyone, but it did gain one important fan in Denis Villeneuve. The ReelBlend podcast presented by CinemaBlend recently interviewed the Dune director ahead of his monumental film’s release, where he revealed his love for Christopher Nolan’s ambitious film. “I was blown away by ‘Tenet,’” he says, “I think it’s a masterpiece. I think it’s a movie that’s an incredible cinematic achievement.”
Villeneuve also praised the film’s storytelling. “I think that it’s a very complex movie,” he continues in the interview, “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.”
Speaking of Nolan’s direction, he further elaborates on how he respects Nolan’s work, which he says demands to be seen on the big screen:
“He is by far one of the best filmmakers working in the world today because people don’t realize the eye-level of his cinematic mastery, it’s crazy. It’s crazy! Every time Chris puts a movie on-screen, I have to [see it in theaters]. Of course, I saw ‘Tenet’ in the theaters. 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 theater. 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.”
These aren’t praises to take lightly. Given how committed both directors have been to the theatrical movie-going experience, it is no surprise to hear him praise another film that had an exclusive theater release in a time where other films went directly to streaming or video-on-demand.
This praise of Nolan and Tenet is not the only thing that Villeneuve talked about during this interview. He also discussed making Dune specifically for IMAX theaters and how the filming process helped to honor the book's author, Frank Herbert.
Dune is currently playing in theaters and on HBO Max, with Tenet also available to view on the Warner Bros. streaming service. Check out the full podcast interview below: