Every Ridley Scott Movie Ranked, from ‘The Martian’ and ‘Napoleon’ to ‘The Counselor’ and ‘House of Gucci’

29. “1492: Conquest of Paradise” (1992)

During the press tour for his historical epic “Napoleon,” Scott made his views on the relationship between cinema and historical accuracy clear by telling those who criticized the movie for its deviations to “get a life.” Generally speaking, this approach has served the director well, allowing him to put his own stamp on fascinating figures from history without having to bother himself with sticking to the tiny details that make up a life. Where it falters is when his dedication to ignoring facts is in service for a man like Christopher Columbus. A violent colonizer who enslaved and killed many of the indigenous people he encountered in America, and so excessively racist and brutal that he was removed from his position by the Spanish monarchs, Columbus as played by Gérard Depardieu in Scott’s “1492: Conquest of Paradise” is a peaceful, altruistic hero. “1492” is already one of Scott’s weakest films, a plodding and boring epic with none of the scope or majesty its genre may imply, but its valorization of Columbus is truly nauseating and plummets the movie all the way down to last place in our ranking. —WC

28. “Exodus: Gods and Kings” (2014)

Scott was open in the lead up to the release of “Exodus: Gods and Kings” that, in spite of making a movie retelling the story of Moses, he identifies as an atheist. And while there’s nothing stopping someone without religious beliefs from making a great film about Christianity, it perhaps explains why his retelling is so spiritually empty. A $200 million spectacle that uses 3D effects to bring the miracles described in the Book of Exodus to life, “Gods and Kings” feels like all flash, no soul, failing to find a heart to its story in spite of actors like Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton playing Moses and Ramses. When the only interesting thing about a film is the accusations of whitewashing it spawned by casting white people as Egyptians, you know there’s a problem. —WC

27. “Body of Lies” (2008)

A goateed Leonardo DiCaprio and dressed-down Russell Crowe get testy in “Body of Lies”: a wholly underwhelming chapter in the aughts’ slog of spy thrillers considering terrorism in the Arab world. An over-complicated super intelligence drama elevated by Scott’s palpably enthusiastic direction and a strong cast, this 2008 film feels borderline unwatchable in a modern context — failing to impress with its action, heart, or philosophy and leaving a weird taste in the mouth of any even remotely versed in modern international politics. Still, locked in the past though it may be, “Body of Lies” isn’t actively detestable. It’s mostly just a feature-length nothing that’s easiest to praise for its striking desert scenes with just a little sci-fi flair. —AF

26. “Robin Hood” (2010)

It’s disheartening that a director as talented as Scott could make a Robin Hood film as dull as this 2010 dud. Robin Hood should be fun! He steals from the rich and gives to the poor, he hangs out in Sherwood Forest with the Merry Men, and he romances Maid Marian. But 2010’s “Robin Hood” jettisons all of the swashbuckling adventure that makes the character as depicted in the Disney or Errol Flynn versions so charming in favor of a “grounded” (read: boring) take that basically acts as a snoozy origin story for Russell Crowe’s stiff spin on the famous outlaw. Scott shoots the hell out of a couple of great action scenes, but they’re only brief glimpses of the energy in what otherwise feels like a misfired arrow. —WC

25. “A Good Year” (2006)

Russell Crowe enjoys what had to be his most comfortable Scott collaboration with “A Good Year,” set at a sun-soaked vineyard in the southeast of France and based on Peter Mayle’s book of the same name. The relaxing promise of this soft rom-com from 2006 unfortunately proves an ideal backdrop for the starring actor and filmmaker to clumsily stumble through cliches from a genre they seem to neither appreciate nor understand, as Crowe plays a self-obsessed mogul who inherits an estate that’s pretty but lifeless in Scott’s final rendering. Lacking on the comedy and less than compelling as a drama, the feel-good film has its defenders — but even they’ll be hard-pressed to defend its uncharacteristically sleepy pacing and boring plot. —AF

24. “G.I. Jane” (1997)

The awkward, unholy marriage of Scott’s “Thelma and Louise” with his younger brother Tony’s blockbuster “Top Gun,” G.I. Jane boosts a committed performance from Demi Moore as the (entirely fictional) first woman to undergo a harsh Navy training program. But Moore’s strong work is in service of an entirely flat script with an almost insultingly oversimplified feminist message and an awkwardly paced plot that wraps up 45 minutes before the movie actually ends. And in spite of the appropriate grit offered by the brutal training scenes, the movie has a strong whiff of American military jingoism that consistently undermines its progressive bent. Nowadays, the fact that this was the film that indirectly caused the Oscar slap is probably the most interesting thing it has going for it. —WC

23. “Someone to Watch Over Me” (1987)

“You didn’t tell me she was so beautiful,” complains Lorraine Bracco’s cheated housewife Ellie, in a frustrating role for the actress who’s still the fiery heart of Scott’s steamy revenge thriller “Someone to Watch Over Me.” There’s a stale predictability to screenwriter Howard Franklin’s femme fatale love triangle, which stars Mimi Rogers as a damsel in distress who leads Tom Berenger’s family man cop astray from Bracco while evading a dangerous criminal (Andreas Katsulas). But even in its more forgettable moments, the classically seductive New York cop drama offers a keyed-in cast and stylish direction that’s appropriately romantic and reasonably entertaining. —AF

22. “Black Rain” (1989)

Michael Douglas’ forehead does cold, hard work in 1989’s “Black Rain”: a smoky yakuza thriller that’s predictably melodramatic and forced in its action, but a perfectly satisfying misunderstanding of international jurisdiction that evokes the imagery of “Blade Runner” in a good way. Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia play NYPD cops who are required to escort a suspect (Yūsaku Matsuda) back into Japanese custody, before they’re tricked into handing him off to the bad guys. It’s flavorful enough to avoid being called generic, but certainly a relic of its time only worth revisiting if you’re really interested. —AF

21. “Prometheus” (2012)

When “Prometheus” first released in 2012, the main thing people had to say about the “Alien” prequel was that it didn’t make any sense. Specifically, about a thousand plot points brought up during the titular spaceships research trip to a distant planet with horrific secrets don’t really get resolved, and a lot of the decisions made by the characters over the course of the film are questionable, to put it mildly (Charlize Theron running in a straight line to outrun a vertical spaceship is a particular classic). Those criticisms are not necessarily untrue, but “Prometheus” is smarter than its sillier moments imply, a heady and confounding story about the nature of mankind. And even if you don’t have the patience to dig into the film’s deeper meanings, it also works as a totally vibey delight, thanks to gorgeous visuals and some great performances, particularly Michael Fassbender as the odd, psychosexual robot menace David. —WC

20. “Legend” (1985)

Long-haired Tom Cruise, unicorn poaching, Tim Curry as a sexy demon of darkness, and more fantastic strangeness await in the immediately striking “Legend.” Scott’s 1985 fantasy creation is more style than substance, but it’s an essential weirdo detour in the director’s filmography that offers a gleefully unbridled look into its creator’s appetite for geekery. It leaves a lot to be desired, but should be a breezy chapter for Scott completionists with even the slightest appreciation for its camp and epic theatricality. —AF

19. “Hannibal” (2001)

Following up Jonathan Demme’s 1991 Best Picture winner “The Silence of the Lambs” with another Hannibal Lecter movie, itself an adaptation of the original author Richard Harris’ 1999 sequel book, was a bold move for Ridley Scott. Especially when Demme and Foster declined to return to the material, and Julianne Moore had to step up as FBI agent Clarice Starling opposite Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as the famous cannibal, and with the movie still remaining in the first one’s universe.

Here, Lecter has long ago escaped from custody and remains at large in Europe, where a disfigured surviving victim played by Gary Oldman is, well, hungry for revenge. And of course, who else to lure as bait for Dr. Lecter than Clarice herself. “Hannibal” did massive box office in 2001 to the tune of $351 million despite middling reviews. But Scott, who has since publicly revealed pain over follow-ups to his own films from other directors like James Cameron (“Aliens”) and “Blade Runner 2049” (Denis Villeneuve), managed a stylish, original, and deeply twisted and creepy sequel to the Demme-helmed classic. It’s way more gruesome and moody than the original film — itself the second Lecter installment after Michael Mann’s “Manhunter” — and deserving of a second look, rich in color and the brain-eating hopelessness we’d expect from any Dr. Lecter offering. —RL 

18. ‘Gladiator II’ (2024)

There’s one element of ‘Gladiator II’ that makes the entire rest of the endeavor worth it, and that’s Denzel Washington’s stunning performance as the scheming Macrinus, a stablemaster who uses gladiator Lucius (Paul Mescal) as a tool for his own political manipulations. He’s exquisite, commanding the screen every time he appears, and provides true movie star charisma that makes the film soar whenever he’s on screen. The rest of the film, though, is far dustier than you’d expect; Scott clearly didn’t have much in the way of unique ideas for a sequel to the original ‘Gladiator,’ and the result is a film that mostly apes and recycles elements from the original historical action epic to diminishing returns.

Lucius is but a pale imitation of Russell Crowe’s original enslaved gladiator, and Mescal is clearly uncomfortable and poorly cast in a broadly appealing blockbuster role. The rest of the cast feels aggressively fine — from Pedro Pascal as Lucius’ rival to Fred Hechinger and Joseph Quinn as dual emperors that mimic Joaquin Phoenix’s original baddie — while the action feels more rubbery thanks to some CGI shenanigans and a depressing lack of imagination all around. One yearns for the version of this film that focuses solely on Macrinus; it’s with him and with Washington’s performance where you feel Scott’s spark as a director and storyteller truly shine. —WC

17. “House of Gucci” (2021)

Before “House of Gucci” even came out, people were widely anticipating its Lady Gaga-led story of love and murder in the moneyed Gucci dynasty would be, to use an often misapplied term, “camp.” And they were right, at least in terms of their expectations for Gaga; as the voluptuous and venomous Patrizia, whose desire for money radiates through her pores, the pop star is a total scream, and provides a lunatic logic that gives the movie some real juice. It’s the non-Gaga parts that prove to be an issue. As the men of the Gucci family that surround the outsider Patrizia, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Jared Leto never feel like they’re on the same wavelength, alternately overplaying and underplaying to confusing effect. Scott doesn’t manage to get a handle on the film’s tone or its insights into the moneyed world it occupies, and the result is listless. The film Gaga is starring in seems like a real blast; it’s a shame that nobody else in “House of Gucci” was also making it. —WC

16. “All the Money in the World” (2017)

While the circumstances that compelled Scott to reshoot a staggering 22 scenes over the course of eight days and just one month before the film’s Christmas 2017 release date remain awful, there’s something to be said for picturing the wild scene that led to the filmmaker taking on such an insane idea. Can you imagine telling Ridley Scott what needed to be done? And can you possibly imagine any other working filmmaker so gamely taking on this task? Scott’s fact-based drama was already a bit of a stretch: a true-life crime caper involving one of the world’s richest families, a real story that to this day sounds too nuts to be real, a prestige picture that involved both Michelle Williams (yes!) and Mark Wahlberg (hmm), and that’s before the man rolled camera on the whole enchilada again. The result is an intermittently amusing drama that soars with Williams’ understandably frantic performance and mostly drags elsewhere (to the point that eagle-eyed viewers even had the leisure to pinpoint the moments in which original star Kevin Spacey, infamously replaced by Christopher Plummer, still popped up via a back or whatever). It’s totally serviceable “movies for adults” stuff, but what people will always remember because of the kind of drama you couldn’t script. —KE

15. “White Squall” (1996)

“White Squall” is not one of Scott’s best known films. But it might be a perfect entryway to his cinematic talents and vision. Unlike his better known efforts, “White Squall” is less constrained by genre traditions or epic conventions that can dominate his work. Instead, though the true story of a group student sailors whose ship is beseiged by a massive storm is as much as story of a fight for survival as any of Scott’s work, it becomes more personal and intimate than most. The handling of the storm scenes is among the most impressive shot and edited as any sequence in his work. Led by a typically nuanced and compelling Jeff Bridges performance (as the skipper/educator) and an appealing ensemble of then-lesser known and amateur actors, the film’s reputation without any political undertones (other than disdain for wealth), the crew’s motto “Where we go one, we go all” has been adopted by QAnon members. —TB

14. “Napoleon” (2023)

Scott has always had a natty sense of humor, but the filmmaker has absolutely grown into it more in recent years (see: “The Martian,” “The Last Duel,” father, son, and “House of Gucci”), using all his gusto and pomp to skewer the hoity, the toity, and the just plain silly. Silliest of all? …Napoleon Bonaparte? Oh, Ridley! But he’s not wrong, because while the fierce fighter and two-time French emperor was indeed a military genius and a cracking head of state, he was also kind of a sad loser, at least in the hands of Scott and star Joaquin Phoenix. And while historians will quibble over plenty in Scott’s latest film – which is, even in the theatrical version, not even a remotely complete vision, as Scott chattered for months about the far-longer director’s cut that is now on Apple TV+ – there’s something to be said about the essence (again, kind of a sad loser) he infuses the “great man” with. It’s funny, but it’s also disarmingly human. And, yes, for anyone still eager to see a meat and potatoes action epic, Scott delivers that too, punctuating his epic with jaw-dropping battle sequences that aren’t just among his own best, but the best in this very rarefied class of film. —KE

13. “Black Hawk Down” (2001)

A lot of Scott’s films are best enjoyed if you strip some of the politics at hand completely out of the equation, and no film exemplifies this better than “Black Hawk Down.” Based on Mark Bowden’s nonfiction book, the film tells the story of the Battle of Mogadishu, a 1993 American Army Rangers raid to capture Somali warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. It’s almost laughably stereotypical in its centrism of Americans, with almost every Somali character a faceless drone,  and Scott is generally interested in the technical details of the mission over any context about the politics or background. A history lesson or a meaningful look at American imperialism, this is not. But as an action movie, “Black Hawk Down” rips, with Scott his unmatched technical prowess with some of the best action scenes in his entire career. Whether that’s enough to make up for the film’s many shortcomings is your call to make, though you might have to leave some concerns at the door. —WC

12. “The Duellists” (1977)

Decades before he brought Napoleon Bonaparte to the big screen, Scott made his feature debut with a film about two officers in his wars and their nearly 20 year long rivalry with each other. And remarkably, the film without Napoleon may have more to say about his impact on France than the film that’s actually named Napoleon. The film, based on the short story “The Duel” by Joseph Conrad, is divided into several parts, and centered around the duels between Bonapartist Feraud (Harvey Keitel) and aristocrat d’Hubert (Keith Carradine), which act as reflections for the changing political landscape of France and what drives men to war. It’s heady stuff anchored by terrific performances from the leads, dreamy visuals inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s “Barry Lyndon,” and historically accurate fight choreography from swordsman William Hobbes which brings the passion of these two very different men to life. —WC

11. “Kingdom of Heaven” (2005)

Forget the True Cross, “Kingdom of Heaven” is the true director’s cut! It obviously can’t be too high up our list when the theatrical version is a serviceable if somewhat emotionally stunted actioner (much like Orlando Bloom’s character!), but the extra 45 minutes of movie Scott added back give the film an entirely different shape, with deeper relationships, a less hackneyed exploration of the connections between love and faith, and actually some stuff for Edward Norton’s leper king Baldwin IV to do! Norton’s character wins the biggest, but Scott’s true version of “Kingdom of Heaven” shows us just how good the director is at balancing of the scope of history with characters whose pain and desires are just as sweeping. Few directors are as adept at dramatizing the hinge points that make historical epics so enthralling. —SS

10. “American Gangster” (2007)

Inspired by the real-life legacy of heroin mob boss Frank Lucas, “American Gangster” puts Denzel Washington in a subversive casting: Playing an organized crime leader who rules 1968 Harlem. As in any good RICO case mafia movie, a few corrupt cops, a love interest, a Jay-Z soundtrack, and brushes with the DEA are paramount to the lesser-known story of Washington’s Frank Lucas. Scott, however, wasn’t the first director attached: Brian De Palma, Peter Berg, Terry George, and Antoine Fuqua were in talks, with Fuqua later exiting the project four weeks before principal photography in 2004 began. Once Scott was brought on two years later, “Gladiator” and “A Good Year” collaborator Russell Crowe was cast as the detective investigating Frank Lucas. In turn, “American Gangster” garnered two Oscar nods and ranks among “Serpico,” “The Godfather,” and other organized crime epics. —SB

9. “Matchstick Men” (2003)

For a deeply satisfying movie that hinges on a career-defining performance from one of modern cinema’s most fascinating stars, Ridley Scott’s “Matchstick Men” has a strange way of falling through the cracks. Released to a tepid response in September 2003, this slippery tale of a con artist with a guilty conscience was too much of a tweener to find the audience it deserved, and — much like its twitchy protagonist — was also conflicted about swindling people out of their money. For a major Hollywood film that climaxes with a bare-assed Nicolas Cage running around an L.A. parking garage, its “B” Cinemascore is borderline miraculous. —DE

8. “The Martian” (2015)

There’s an argument to be made that what works best about “The Martian” is its wiseacre tone  — courtesy of screenwriter Drew Goddard, author Andy Weir, and of course lead actor Matt Damon, who plays the stressed, stranded-on-Mars botanist Mark Watney. The jokes are fun! The film’s particular procedural approach to its survival story works, though, because it draws on the cinematic shorthand we have for space movies and Ridley Scott is a native speaker of that language. Scott makes the initial disaster as tense and thrilling as anything he’s filmed. But it’s such a treat to then watch him turn into jokes his expert eye for the mechanical details of space life and his innate rhythmic sense for how to cut between bubbles of (not quite) safety and the void. It’s so nice for the terror Scott’s so good at creating to arise not from a xenomorph, but from the repeated slog of Mark’s days being the same shit, different potatoes. “The Martian” is Ridley Scott having fun, and that makes the film even more fun, too. —SS

7. “The Last Duel” (2021)

The bottleneck of film releases circa fall 2021, with the first big theatrical push amid COVID, meant that Scott had to do double duty opening the medieval French rape-revenge tale “The Last Duel” and accidentally campy fashion murder opera “House of Gucci” in the same fall. The one that should stand the weathers of time, however, is “The Last Duel,” co-written by the unexpected trio of Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Nicole Holofcener, whose female perspective lends to a chilling performance by Jodie Comer as Marguerite de Carrouges, who is raped by her husband Sir Jean de Carrouges’ (Matt Damon at his most ignominious) rival, Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), in King Charles VI-era France. Scott deftly tells the story from each perspective, unfolding an unusually intimate chamber drama from the director of big-minded swords-and-sandals epics like “Gladiator,” before culminating in a devastating fight to the death between Damon and Driver. The 20th Century Studios release was a total box office bust, but Scott’s #MeToo-meets-“Rashomon” revenge tale is among his most psychologically pungent work, ending on an ambivalent Comer as both men are humiliated. —RL 

6. “Alien: Covenant” (2017)

Scott once referred to the original “Alien” as “’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ in space,” but this 2017 prequel is much closer to the unbridled ferocity of Tobe Hooper’s horror classic than the more restrained, leisurely “Alien.” Following the philosophical musings of “Prometheus,” for “Alien: Covenant” Scott put his foot on the accelerator and refused to let up, unleashing a barrage of gory terror that concludes with one of the bleakest endings in the history of Hollywood movies. Yet along the way there’s plenty of humor in keeping with Scott’s tendency in the last ten years to loosen up and have some fun, as well as a wealth of conceptual imagination in the sci-fi worlds and the extremely creepy creatures that Scott extrapolates from what’s already been established in the other “Alien” movies. “Alien: Covenant” also showcases a dynamite performance by Michael Fassbender, playing a dual role that calls upon him to act opposite himself in scenes so seamlessly done that we forget we’re watching visual effects. —JH

5. “Gladiator” (2000)

It says a lot when the best scene in an Oscar-winning film that redefines the term “epic period piece” was a total accident. And yes, auteur Scott has confirmed that the heartbreaking hand-in-the-dust sequence was literally just a fluke — because, well, even Scott’s missteps are masterpieces. The 2000 historical drama is set in 180 C.E. as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) returns from battle to succeed Marcus Aurelius’ (Richard Harris) throne. However, Marcus’ son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) is determined to secure the crown, and kills both his father and Maximus’ entire family. Maximus is sold into gladiator training and rises in the competitive ranks until he can confront Commodus and avenge his loved ones. It’s not just that “Gladiator” is an iconic film for its battle sequences and earning Crowe an Oscar; “Gladiator” is among not only director Scott’s top movies but also one of the best movies ever made. Phoenix’s performance as a sinister, incestuous Commodus cemented the two-decade later reunion for “Napoleon,” just as Scott is revisiting “Gladiator” for a sequel led by Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, and “American Gangster” star Denzel Washington. —SB

4. “The Counselor” (2013)

When Scott filmed novelist Cormac McCarthy’s only original screenplay in 2013, the critical and box office reception was mixed. But time has been kind to this pitch-black parable about how one man’s bad decision sets in motion an inexorable chain of increasingly horrible events. The characters here are so avaricious they make the schemers of McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men” look like Mr. Rogers, and Scott relishes their grasping acquisitiveness at the same time as he condemns it — the camera lovingly caresses the sleek, sexy actors and their surroundings, yielding an icy jewel of a movie kept from becoming too alienating by the wild sense of humor in the performances. McCarthy’s script consists primarily of a series of lyrically profane meditations on various moral questions, delivered with gusto by a top-notch cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Rosie Perez, and Ruben Blades, all having the time of their lives; their pleasure, and Scott’s, are infectious, though calling a film in which the most sympathetic character leaves the story without her head “pleasurable” is just a hint of the movie’s chilling perversity. —JH

3. “Thelma and Louise” (1991)

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis proved that women could rule the American box office and dominate the movie-going conversation in 1991 with “Thelma and Louise,” Ridley Scott’s gritty road movie that takes them from dreary Kansas and into the maw of the Grand Canyon, guns-a-blazing. Writer Callie Khouri won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for this landmark feminist adventure that even indie financiers turned down before Scott Free Productions got hold of it. Ridley Scott had just redeemed himself as a hitmaker the year before thanks to “Black Rain,” but this was a project that felt more matched in sensibility to the “Duellists” director not long after the bombs of “Legend” and now cult classic “Blade Runner.”  

Sarandon as tart-tongued and eventually killer waitress Louise and Davis as debased and abused housewife Thelma both lost the Best Actress Oscar, but it’s hard to imagine they didn’t cancel each other out. (Nowadays, they’d never be pitted against each other, with one surely shunted to Best Supporting Actress even though both are decidedly lead turns.) Their rollicking journey takes them everywhere from motels in Texas to Mexico, and eventually to a then-ingenue Brad Pitt. But their chemistry as leading ladies who’d go on to make many more blockbusters was cemented in this impossible-to-resist road drama. —RL 

2. “Blade Runner” (1982)

Ah, 2019 Los Angeles never looked so beautiful. Scott’s 1982 dystopian drama “Blade Runner” is arguably one of the greatest films of all time, and the fact that it’s second on the list of Scott’s best films just proves how much of a force the auteur is in cinema history. Harrison Ford stars as Deckard, a former police officer who is tasked with tracking down four rogue replicants: artificially engineered humans. In a noir femme fatale twist, Deckard falls for replicant Rachael (Sean Young) as he questions what it means to be human when the morality of those who aren’t mortal outweighs the savageness of his (fellow?) humans. “Blade Runner” opened a whole new world of special effects and visual design, as well as a synthesizer score that framed the ‘80s era. Despite the film having lackluster reviews out of the box office, “Blade Runner” has since been considered a classic film, and spurred multiple recuts and the triumphant sequel “Blade Runner: 2024.” —SB

1. “Alien” (1979)

Studio movies today have way too much story (and that most definitely includes both “Prometheus” and “Alien: Covenant”). There are like four things that happen in “Alien” — it runs two full hours and it’s one of the best films of all time. Some blue-collar space workers detect a strange transmission from an unknown planetoid, and their ship’s A.I. decides to wake them from hyper-sleep in order to investigate, because the ship’s A.I is definitely on their side (after all, Mother knows best). The crew investigates, John Hurt gets a stomach ache, and a woman named Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the only one who manages to find the cure. But oh, how Ridley Scott fills in the parts between the plot points, milking Dan O’Bannon’s immaculately sparse screenplay for every drop of sinister goodness.

As richly atmospheric as its medium allows, “Alien” is a slasher that’s absolutely drenched in mystery; every nook and cranny of the Nostromo is black enough to hide a Xenomorph, but the film is so effective because it makes you as curious about the darkness as you are cowered by it. The genius of “Alien” isn’t just that it introduced moviegoers to the perfect killing machine, but that — in doing so — it preyed upon our own vulnerabilities, both individually and as a species. And it did so well enough for Ridley Scott to pick up that thread several decades down the line. —DE