Is Ridley Scott really that good?

[TX85]

Yes I honestly believe in my opinion that Ridley was/is and MAYBE will always be that damn good and being full of greatness!

I love most of his films with the least ones being decent to me,I don't think he ever made a BAD movie!!

 

[Doctor Jones]

I do think Prometheus could be something special though. It sounds too damn good to be like his recent films.

 

[dude stannis]

and who pays for this?

I'll ****ing pay for it!

Also to the Scott vs. Nolan debate. You CAN like both without having to rip one or the other to pieces. They're both great directors. Also, Nolan himself is a Ridley Scott fan and made the crew of Batman Begins watch Blade Runner to let them know what kind of world he wanted to create with that film. If it had not been for Ridley Scott's influence, we might not even have Christopher Nolan as we know him today. Show some respect!

There's no debate. They both have made masterpieces, but Nolan only has 7 films under his belt. In 20 years time he's going to have the odd miss. It happens.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah, if a filmmaker can make movies like Blade Runner and Alien and Gladiator then that is a truly great filmmaker. Like Laperladen perfectly put it. He just doesn't make very good decisions alot of times. But when he hits, it's special. He's made two films that are widely acclaimed and recognized in film.

 

[danoyse]

I prefer his commercial work over most of his movies, minus two or three. Props for Blade Runner and Alien, but I don't like much of anything outside of those two. Thelma and Louise is one of the worst movies I've seen.

I loved Thelma and Louise.

 

[DACrowe]

You're right he has only had four masterpieces (the ones you listed as simply "good"): Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. Then again, you phrased it as only. I could say:

Ridley Scott has FOUR masterpieces on his resume when most directors have none.

Then he has a long list of good, if not GREAT movies as well:

-Thelma and Louise
-Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)
-Matchstick Men
-American Gangster
-The Duelists
-White Squall

Yes he does have some clunkers on his resume (I'm looking at you Hannibal, Robin Hood, A Good Year and Black Rain. But, so what?? He is not as consistent as Scorsese or even Spielberg, but he's made more great films than most directors including fanboy favorites around here like James Cameron and Peter Jackson (who I think both of whom are great, but are not above making bad movies).

Most filmmakers can't claim they've made so many quality films, especially ones that are considered classics, have completely reinvented genres in all four masterpieces cases, and have stood the test of time. This thread has haters gonna' hate written all over it, in my opinion.

 

[Mako]

You're right he has only had four masterpieces (the ones you listed as simply "good"): Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. Then again, you phrased it as only. I could say:

Ridley Scott has FOUR masterpieces on his resume when most directors have none.

Then he has a long list of good, if not GREAT movies as well:

-Thelma and Louise
-Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)
-Matchstick Men
-American Gangster
-The Duelists
-White Squall

Yes he does have some clunkers on his resume (I'm looking at you Hannibal, Robin Hood, A Good Year and Black Rain. But, so what?? He is not as consistent as Scorsese or even Spielberg, but he's made more great films than most directors including fanboy favorites around here like James Cameron and Peter Jackson (who I think both of whom are great, but are not above making bad movies).

Most filmmakers can't claim they've made so many quality films, especially ones that are considered classics, have completely reinvented genres in all four masterpieces cases, and have stood the test of time. This thread has haters gonna' hate written all over it, in my opinion.

Agree with everything you said.

 

[Bunker]

Body of Lies is really underrated. It's convoluted, but still really enjoyable. Russell Crowe is pretty much unrecognizable, imo.

 

[Commodore Schmidlapp]

How many directors can claim to have made ONE all time classics, let alone the TWO that Scott made in Alien and Blade Runner. Two of my absolute favorite movies.

 

[brett66]

He's consistent and has made some excellent films. I don't really know what "that good" means, but he's definitely better than a hell of a lot of directors.

Oh, and 1492 is under appreciated in my opinion. A bit excessive but I think it's a good film.

 

[Rac]

I have to agree with Rocketman. Ridley mostly delivers solid good pictures, but he isn't the masterful filmmaker everyone likes to think he is.

 

[dustbros]

Who the **** says Ridley is not the masterful filmmaker? Ah, just saw your profile pic. then it makes sense.

 

[Rac]

Who the **** says Ridley is not the masterful filmmaker? Ah, just saw your profile pic. then it makes sense.

Because that wine ranch movie was so friggin great?

And, are you saying Planet of the Apes is not good? Sci-fi classic right there with Alien and Blade Runner.

 

[bullets]

Ridley Scott remains one of the consistent directors out there. He either makes good movies or decent ones. I haven't lost my faith in him as a filmmaker. Prometheus looks promising.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Is Ridley Scott overrated? I say yes, judging from how he's perceived in the geek community as the go-to guy for everything under the sun.

But is he a good director? I also say yes. Part of the reason his "batting average" is low is because he's extremely productive; there's very few directors among the others mentioned already that has simply generated as much work as Scott has since 1980. So you're bound to not produce a masterpiece each time.

Most of his movies haven't been great, but I've never come out of them thinking I wasted my time and money.

 

[Motown Marvel]

having directed movies that arent masterpieces could never detract from the multiple masterpieces that he has directed. nothing he could ever do could take away the fact that movies like blade runner are sheer brilliance and examples of master film making. no one else could have done what he did. having the expectation for someone to be brilliant all the time in everything they do is an impossible standard. and when they dont live up to that impossible standard all the time, you cant suddenly turn on them and use it to take away from their accomplishments.

is ridley scott really that good? yeah. he is.

 

[BLACK-SPIDEY]

Is this thread serious? Whats next? Is Steven Speielberg really that good? Is Peter Jackson really that good?

 

[DieSmiling]

4 out of 19 is silly. You make it sound like only 4 of his 19 movies have been good, when in reality 4 out of 19 have been extraordinary. That's a different proportion.

 

[DieSmiling]

Is this thread serious? Whats next? Is Steven Speielberg really that good? Is Peter Jackson really that good?

Eh, that one is a little more debatable.

 

[Rocketman]

So is 2000's-Era Spielberg. Highly debatable.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler's List (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Color Purple (1985)
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws (1975)

Isn't it pretty much common knowledge that he can't reach this level again? I mean, Jesus.

 

[redhawk23]

So is 2000's-Era Spielberg. Highly debatable.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler's List (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Color Purple (1985)
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws (1975)

Isn't it pretty much common knowledge that he can't reach this level again? I mean, Jesus.

Minority Report, while I wouldn't insist that its quite that level, is one of my favorite movies of all time. Its kind of random I know, but I love it.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Is Peter Jackson really that good?

clearly you havent seen Dead/Alive. because if you had, you would know the answer to your question is F*********************K YES!

 

[Rac]

Eh, that one is a little more debatable.

Jackson > Spielberg

Just because Jackson has really made only one stinker (yeah yeah, he has time to make more), while Spielberg hasn't really been good since 1993. Catch Me If You Can and Munich were great, but everything else ok, meh or even ****. (Yeah, I thought SPR was just ALRIGHT.)

He's still riding on his 70s and 80s fame. Maybe rightfully so, because most of that stuff is gold, Jerry! Gold!

 

[DarkSovereignty]

Jackson > Spielberg

Just because Jackson has really made only one stinker (yeah yeah, he has time to make more), while Spielberg hasn't really been good since 1993. Catch Me If You Can and Munich were great, but everything else ok, meh or even ****. (Yeah, I thought SPR was just ALRIGHT.)

He's still riding on his 70s and 80s fame. Maybe rightfully so, because most of that stuff is gold, Jerry! Gold!

eh, based on personal preference i would disagree. the only jackson films i like are the lord of the rings films and the frighteners...i love the frighteners (but i love anything with michael j, fox). I haven't seen dead/ alive or the one with the puppets, but based on what i've seen, i really have no desire to. spielbers's given me some of my all time favorite movies.

 

[DACrowe]

So is 2000's-Era Spielberg. Highly debatable.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Schindler's List (1993)
Jurassic Park (1993)
The Color Purple (1985)
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
Jaws (1975)

Isn't it pretty much common knowledge that he can't reach this level again? I mean, Jesus.

Since you left off Empire of the Sun and Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, your point seems already weaker.

Then I remember he made Minority Report, Catch Me if You Can and Munich in the last decade, the last two of which I consider superior to The Color Purple, so again no.

You really are one of those people who say "What have you done for me lately?" Spielberg has more masterpieces on his resume than any other living director not named Scorsese. He is going to go down with the greats like Ford, Hitchcock, Kubrick, Truffaut and you're basic argument is since he hasn't made another Saving Private Ryan recently he's all washed up.

I really hope you're not one of those Avatar fans who will in the same breath call James Cameron one of the best ever. Please don't be that.