Rolling Stone: Ridley Scott’s Movies, Ranked Worst to Best" . . .
Ridley Scott’s Movies, Ranked Worst to Best
From biblical epics to Lady Gaga dramas, Black Hawk Down to Blade Runner — our complete rundown of Sir Ridley's greatest hits (and misses)
By A.A. Dowd, David Fear, Tim Grierson, Emily Zemler
August 29, 2026
Science-fiction landmarks, sword-and-sandal epics, slick neo-noirs, gritty crime thrillers, gory horror flicks, female-bonding road movies, war films, romantic comedies, lavish costume dramas, coming-of-age parables — Sir Ridley Scott has made virtually every type of movie you could imagine, short of musicals and Westerns. (And there’s a strong argument to be made that his latest, an adaptation of the dystopian novel The Dog Stars, is actually a Western in disguise.) He’s dealt with stories that take place 1300 B.C. and the 22nd century, giving respective screen time to Roman gladiator and paranoid androids, and has the ability to go from staging massive battle sequences to intimate conversations between two women on the open highway. Over a professional career that’s spanned five decades — six if you count his early days as a set designer for the BBC in the early 1960s and his prolific commercial work in the early 1970s — Scott has done it all. And the seemingly indefatigable 88-year-old filmmaker shows no sign of slowing down or stopping any time soon.
The sheer diversity in Sir Ridley’s resumé doesn’t just apply to genres, however. It also extends to the subject of quality. Look back at his filmography, and you’ll find masterpieces, cinematic car wrecks, and everything in between. In the spirit of admiration, we present our ranked list of the best and worst of Ridley Scott’s features — the good, the great, and the not-so-great. All that’s left to say is that we stand by our placement of his vastly underrated gem The Counselor and we will not be taking questions at this time.
29 ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ (2014)
(See link for comments)
28 ‘Robin Hood’ (2010)
27 ‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ (1992)
26 ‘Legend’ (1985)
25 ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ (1987)
24 ‘Body of Lies’ (2008)
23 ‘White Squall’ (1996)
22 ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ (2005)
21 ‘A Good Year’ (2006)
20 ‘Hannibal’ (2001)
19 ‘Black Rain’ (1989)
18 ‘House of Gucci’ (2021)
17 ‘All the Money in the World’ (2017)
16 ‘Napoleon’ (2023)
15 ‘Matchstick Men’ (2003)
14 ‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017)
13 ‘The Last Duel’ (2021)
12 ‘Prometheus’ (2012)
11 ‘G.I. Jane’ (1997)
10 ‘Gladiator II’ (2024)
9 ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001)
8 ‘American Gangster’ (2007)
7 ‘The Counselor’ (2013)
6 ‘The Duellists’ (1977)
5 ‘The Martian’ (2015)
4 ‘Gladiator’ (2000)
3 ‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991)
2 ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
1 ‘Alien’ (1979)
ALIEN, Harry Dean Stanton, 1979, TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett C
“In space, no one can hear you scream.” Scott’s second movie set the bar not just for the rest of his career, but for every movie that’s ever attempted to mix horror and hard sci-fi — it’s the ultimate haunted-house-in-space story, featuring a revolutionary female hero in Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, a peerless ensemble cast (Tom Skerritt! Yaphet Kotto! Veronica Cartwright! Harry Freakin’ Dean Stanton!!!) and introducing a creature that would prove to be both culturally durable and iconic. Like the monster itself, Alien takes its time and toys with its prey before going in for the kill, slowly introducing the crew and giving audiences a chance to take in its “dirty space” aesthetic. Once John Hurt gives birth to a bouncing baby Xenomorph though his chest, however? Oh, it’s on. When Ian Holm’s paranoid android describes the ship’s apex-predator stowaway as “a perfect organism,” he could be talking about Scott’s film itself. —D.F.
Link: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/ridley-scott-movies-ranked-worst-to-best-1235571424/exodus-gods-and-kings-2014-1235602835/
From biblical epics to Lady Gaga dramas, Black Hawk Down to Blade Runner — our complete rundown of Sir Ridley's greatest hits (and misses)
By A.A. Dowd, David Fear, Tim Grierson, Emily Zemler
August 29, 2026
Science-fiction landmarks, sword-and-sandal epics, slick neo-noirs, gritty crime thrillers, gory horror flicks, female-bonding road movies, war films, romantic comedies, lavish costume dramas, coming-of-age parables — Sir Ridley Scott has made virtually every type of movie you could imagine, short of musicals and Westerns. (And there’s a strong argument to be made that his latest, an adaptation of the dystopian novel The Dog Stars, is actually a Western in disguise.) He’s dealt with stories that take place 1300 B.C. and the 22nd century, giving respective screen time to Roman gladiator and paranoid androids, and has the ability to go from staging massive battle sequences to intimate conversations between two women on the open highway. Over a professional career that’s spanned five decades — six if you count his early days as a set designer for the BBC in the early 1960s and his prolific commercial work in the early 1970s — Scott has done it all. And the seemingly indefatigable 88-year-old filmmaker shows no sign of slowing down or stopping any time soon.
The sheer diversity in Sir Ridley’s resumé doesn’t just apply to genres, however. It also extends to the subject of quality. Look back at his filmography, and you’ll find masterpieces, cinematic car wrecks, and everything in between. In the spirit of admiration, we present our ranked list of the best and worst of Ridley Scott’s features — the good, the great, and the not-so-great. All that’s left to say is that we stand by our placement of his vastly underrated gem The Counselor and we will not be taking questions at this time.
29 ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ (2014)
(See link for comments)
28 ‘Robin Hood’ (2010)
27 ‘1492: Conquest of Paradise’ (1992)
26 ‘Legend’ (1985)
25 ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ (1987)
24 ‘Body of Lies’ (2008)
23 ‘White Squall’ (1996)
22 ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ (2005)
21 ‘A Good Year’ (2006)
20 ‘Hannibal’ (2001)
19 ‘Black Rain’ (1989)
18 ‘House of Gucci’ (2021)
17 ‘All the Money in the World’ (2017)
16 ‘Napoleon’ (2023)
15 ‘Matchstick Men’ (2003)
14 ‘Alien: Covenant’ (2017)
13 ‘The Last Duel’ (2021)
12 ‘Prometheus’ (2012)
11 ‘G.I. Jane’ (1997)
10 ‘Gladiator II’ (2024)
9 ‘Black Hawk Down’ (2001)
8 ‘American Gangster’ (2007)
7 ‘The Counselor’ (2013)
6 ‘The Duellists’ (1977)
5 ‘The Martian’ (2015)
4 ‘Gladiator’ (2000)
3 ‘Thelma and Louise’ (1991)
2 ‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
1 ‘Alien’ (1979)
ALIEN, Harry Dean Stanton, 1979, TM & Copyright (c) 20th Century Fox Film Corp. All rights reserved.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett C
“In space, no one can hear you scream.” Scott’s second movie set the bar not just for the rest of his career, but for every movie that’s ever attempted to mix horror and hard sci-fi — it’s the ultimate haunted-house-in-space story, featuring a revolutionary female hero in Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, a peerless ensemble cast (Tom Skerritt! Yaphet Kotto! Veronica Cartwright! Harry Freakin’ Dean Stanton!!!) and introducing a creature that would prove to be both culturally durable and iconic. Like the monster itself, Alien takes its time and toys with its prey before going in for the kill, slowly introducing the crew and giving audiences a chance to take in its “dirty space” aesthetic. Once John Hurt gives birth to a bouncing baby Xenomorph though his chest, however? Oh, it’s on. When Ian Holm’s paranoid android describes the ship’s apex-predator stowaway as “a perfect organism,” he could be talking about Scott’s film itself. —D.F.
Link: https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-lists/ridley-scott-movies-ranked-worst-to-best-1235571424/exodus-gods-and-kings-2014-1235602835/
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- Rolling Stone: Ridley Scott’s Movies, Ranked Worst to Best" . . .