Throughout his long career in Hollywood, Ridley Scott has managed to make quite a few fantastic movies. Movies that have become, in their own way, part of the canon. What’s more, he has proven to be remarkably versatile as a director, with movies in numerous genres, including drama, epic, and science fiction. Anyone who has seen one of his films also knows that Scott has a keen eye for what works in a movie in terms of visuality.
When one goes to watch a Scott movie, it’s certain that it will be a feast for the eyes. However, he’s had quite a few misfires in his career as well.
The Counselor (2013) – 5.3
The 2010s have proven to be a somewhat uneven decade for Scott as a filmmaker, with The Counselor being one of his efforts to largely fall flat with critics and audiences.
This is truly a bit of a tragedy, considering the fact that the movie stars a truly stellar cast. Unfortunately, it’s a rather depressing experience, the sort of outing that focuses on all the things that are wrong with the world and very little of the positive.
G.I. Jane (1997) – 5.9
Starring Demi Moore as the titular character, G.I. Jane follows her as she attempts to prove that women are just as capable of men in terms of serving in the armed forces.
It’s a movie that is very much of the period when it was made, and there are times when the movie’s message tends to obscure the drama. Still, it shows signs of Scott’s signature visual style and his keen eye for what makes a compelling image on the screen.
Gods and Kings (2014) – 6
At first, one might think that the story of Moses from the Old Testament would be the ideal vehicle through which Scott could explore his enduring interest in the epic form. Unfortunately, despite the strong performance of Christian Bale as Moses, the movie rarely moves beyond feeling like a reheated version of Gladiator.
And, of course, there is also the fact that, despite the fact that the movie is set in the Middle East, it stars a cast that is almost entirely white.
Someone to Watch Over Me (1987) – 6.1
This movie is a bit of a strange outlier in terms of Scott’s later output, and it tries to be both a thriller and a romance.
Unfortunately, the way that it goes about doing so creates a plot that has more than a few twists and turns that are hard to follow (or, really, accept as realistic in any way). It was met with mixed reviews from critics at the time, who noted that while the movie was a visual triumph, it was ultimately undercut by its own narrative choices.
Alien: Covenant (2017) – 6.4
It was perhaps inevitable that Alien: Covenant, another science fiction movie from a director known for directing some classics of the genre, would struggle to find anything new to do with the material. Indeed, that is precisely what happens.
However, though it doesn’t take many narrative risks, the movie still manages to have the sorts of thrills and terrors that these movies are famous for, as well as boasting a fairly large body count.
Legend (1985) – 6.5
It may come as a surprise to some, but Ridley Scott was actually the director of this movie, which has gone down in history as one of the darkest fantasy movies to come out of the 1980s.
Though its reputation has improved over the years, there are still quite a lot of people who just can’t get into it or simply cannot appreciate the challenges that it poses to the genre of fantasy.
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) – 6.5
One might think that an epic about Columbus’ journey to the Americas would be something that Scott would be perfect for, but even his keen eye isn’t quite enough to save this movie from being thoroughly mediocre.
The performances are actually pretty strong, and there are (of course) some beautiful visuals, but there’s just not quite enough narrative energy to make this a compelling epic movie of the sort that Scott would perfect in the later stages of his career.
Robin Hood (2010) – 6.6
At first glance, this looks like exactly the kind of movie that Ridley Scott would create: a historical epic filled with lots of action and populated by some of the best actors in Hollywood. Unfortunately, the results don’t quite match up to the expectations.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the movie; it’s more that it doesn’t seem able to capture the sort of soaring energy and epic grandeur of some of Scott’s other efforts. The result is a bit of a medieval mess.
White Squall (1996) – 6.6
There’s no question that Ridley Scott is in many ways the master of the adventure movie. In this movie, the vision of the director meets the material.
Although this isn’t considered one of Scott’s greatest movies, it’s more than entertaining enough, with some truly exciting sequences that show his visual skill and, if nothing else, it also features a splendid performance from Jeff Bridges (who can often save any movie just by his presence alone).
Hannibal (2001) – 6.8
This movie, a sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, never quite manages to hit the same chilling notes as its predecessor. It’s hard to say why, exactly, it doesn’t quite work.
Perhaps it’s the change of cast from Jodie Foster to Julianne More as Clarice Starling that is so jarring, or perhaps it’s the way that this movie seems to indulge just a little too much in the blood and gore of it all. Whatever the case, it’s a very difficult movie to watch.
