Denis Villeneuve Calls ‘Oppenheimer’ A “Masterpiece”

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is still in theaters, and people are still talking about its surprising success. The R-rated, and 3-hour, film surpassed the $900 million mark this weekend at the box-office.

A major “Oppenheimer” fan is Denis Villeneuve, he was interviewed by the AP about it and he has nothing but major praise for Nolan’s film.

After an early screening, “Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve said he knew he’d just seen “a masterpiece.”

Another interesting part in the AP piece has Paul Thomas Anderson ruminating about what the success of “Oppenheimer” might mean for the future of the theatrical experience:

I don’t think there’s anyone who could disagree - seeing ‘Oppenheimer’ on film is superior in every single way. Not to mention, people are tired of asking, ‘Why would I go to a movie theater to watch TV?’ Good question...you don’t have to anymore.

Back to Villeneuve, he’s not innocent of having uttered hyperbole in the past. If you remember, back in 2021, he had also called “Tenet” a “masterpiece.” A dubious claim, to say the least.

I was blown away by ‘Tenet,’ I think it’s a masterpiece. I think it’s a movie that’s an incredible cinematic achievement. I think that it’s a very complex movie, 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.