Creating sci-fi can be a nightmare, Arrival director says

Quebec director Denis Villeneuve says he grew up dreaming about space.

European sci-fi comic books from the likes of Jean Giraud, Enki Bilal and Philippe Druillet had a big influence on his childhood, as did the films Star Wars, Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien.

Over two decades into his career, Villeneuve is finally tackling sci-fi himself, with the Quebec-shot aliens-have-landed tale Arrival and an ambitious Blade Runner sequel due out next year.

The 49-year-old calls himself “part of the Star Wars generation,” noting he was 10 when the first film hit thea- tres and he “was the perfect target audience.”

“I still remember vividly the first time I saw images from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the emotion I had where I had the impression to be in contact with something that was bigger, that my father would not be able to explain to me — something that was mysterious, very evocative, strongly poetic and that would create a vertigo inside of me because of the fear of the unknown.

“I would love to be able to create the vertigo one day in a movie, the fear of the unknown.”

But it hasn’t been an easy transition from dramas to sci-fi for Villeneuve.

Shooting the Blade Runner sequel — with its all-star cast including Harri- son Ford, Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright and Jared Leto — has been “intense and rewarding” he said.

“It’s very difficult to do science fiction. I thought that I would be free and that I would feel a relief because I would have the freedom because of the genre and it’s the opposite. ”

Arrival received praise from critics at the Toronto International Film Festival for its visceral look at the world’s reaction to the arrival of 12 giant, half moon-shaped alien spacecraft.

“At the beginning, I was very excited and very quickly the gift became a nightmare because you realize that everything has been done,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to create a being that is fresh, original.”