The first movie that disturbed Denis Villeneuve: “One of the best gifts I ever had because of the trauma”

Few directors have had as big an impact on the modern science fiction scene as Denis Villeneuve. The Canadian made his first venture into the genre with 2016’s Arrival, the story of a linguist’s attempts to communicate with an alien race who have landed on Earth. Then came the long-awaited follow-up to a stone-cold classic – Blade Runner 2049. Villeneuve took over the series from Ridley Scott and produced a venture that was every bit as exciting as the legendary original.

Most recently, Villeneuve has made two movies set in the world of Frank Herbert’s Dune, which have been both phenomenally successful and critically acclaimed. 

Sci-fi and Villeneuve are a match made in heaven. He understands the medium’s key mission statement of using huge, galaxy-sized settings to explore very small, very real themes and never compromises on character and story in favour of empty spectacle. In conversation with Bafta, Villeneuve revealed that one legendary science fiction movie inspired him when he was young and left a mark on him that he still feels to this day.

“One of the first films I’ve seen at a young age that I should not have seen is probably the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey,” he revealed. “In a way, it was one of the best gifts I ever had because the trauma of seeing the opening sequence with the ape still today gives me shivers.”

The scene Villeneuve is referring to is commonly known as ‘Dawn of Man’ and comes right at the beginning of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece. It starts with a tribe of ape-like prehistoric humans being chased away from a watering hole by a rival group. After exploring a field of bones, one of the creatures – known as ‘Moonwatcher’ to some fans – picks up a large one and begins smashing things with it. Armed with a newfound knowledge of weaponry, the tribe retake control of the lake, setting humanity on a dangerous trajectory.

Everything about Dawn of Man is expertly done, from the movements of Moonwatcher actor Daniel Richter to the harsh desert landscapes recreated on a London film lot to its iconic use of Strauss’ ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’. Villeneuve has made no secret of his love for Kubrick, and his fingerprints are all over the contemporary director’s work. 2001: A Space Odyssey, in particular, inspired many of the famous sci-fi films that followed it, but remnants of its visual stylings can clearly be seen in both Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival. Those alien pods are basically beefed-up monoliths.

This wasn’t the only landmark sci-fi film that had a major influence over a young Villeneuve, as he revealed that he was “obsessed” with Star Wars. “I was the target audience. I was ten years old. It went to my brain like a silver bullet,” he said. “The Empire Strikes Back is the movie that I anticipated the most in my life. I saw the movie a billion times onscreen. I was traumatised by The Empire Strikes Back. I adore Star Wars.”

What Villeneuve has been able to transform his childhood obsession into is remarkable. So many of his most creative ideas have sprung from movies that are seen by some as passe these days. Oft-imitated, films like A Space Odyssey and Star Wars are still having their say in the world of cinema, over half a century on from their initial releases.

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