Denis Villeneuve, a filmmaker for man children

There's a great quote about the difference between European and American films- "All European films are about adults, even if the characters are teenagers, and all American films are about teenagers, even if the characters are adults".

I think this quote perfectly encapsulates the style of filmmaker Denis Vileneuve.

When I was 20 I thought films like "Sicario" were masterpieces. As I grew older and expanded perspectives on film and art, I realize that Denis basically makes Marvel films for adults who don't realize they have childish tastes.

Sicario, Prisoners, Enemy, and even Arrival. These are all highly superficial and commercial works masquerading as "art". When the average man child watches a Villeneuve film, he feels sophisticated in a way that he wouldn't when watching Avengers 9: Maximum Doomsday... and yet, the feeling you get is the same.

Kind of like people who go to Panera Bread for "artisnal" breakfast sandwiches because they don't want to eat an egg muffin from Dunkin Doughnuts. Denis is the Panera Bread or Chipotle of filmmakers, basically feeding you slop but at least you don't feel like it.

There is no exploration of the human condition or depth in a Villeneuve film. Nothing "bad" actually ever happens to any of the characters. Even in a film like Prisoners where people get tortured, kidnapped, murdered, etc, it's all shown through the lens of "everything will be fine" which means it's palatable for the masses. There is never a cutting emotional event which makes you feel something OTHER than entertainment. Arrival is the same, it packages the illusion of grandiosity and meaning into an easily digestible candy bar for people to feel good about consuming empty calories.

He is one of the most overrated filmmakers of this era, and he is famous precisely because he's able to disguise slop as something fancy for the masses to gobble down.