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Ridley Scott movies in order

Two of the greatest science fiction films ever made, and forty-five years of wildly uneven output around them.

Updated 5 August 2026 · 18 titles tracked

Scott has directed close to thirty features and shows no sign of stopping in his late eighties. The filmography is enormously uneven, which makes a starting order more useful here than for almost anyone else.

He made Alien and Blade Runner three years apart. Almost nothing since has been in that company, and a surprising amount is still very good.

Ridley Scott films, in a suggested starting order

His major works. An entry path rather than release order — toggle on the filmography page.

  1. 1Alien1979 · Major work
  2. 2Gladiator2000 · Major work
  3. 3The Martian2015 · Major work
  4. 4Blade Runner1982 · Major work
  5. 5Thelma & Louise1991 · Major work
  6. 6Black Hawk Down2001 · Major work
  7. 7The Last Duel2021 · Major work
  8. 8Gladiator II2024
  9. 9Kingdom of Heaven2005
  10. 10American Gangster2007
  11. 11Prometheus2012
  12. 12Alien: Covenant2017
  13. 13Hannibal2001
  14. 14All the Money in the World2017
  15. 15The Duellists1977
  16. 16Legend1985
  17. 17House of Gucci2021
  18. 18Napoleon2023
Open the full Ridley Scott filmography

Start with Alien or Gladiator

Alien is a haunted-house film in space, and it is close to perfect. It also sits in the wider Alien order if you want the whole series.

Gladiator is the other entry point — Best Picture, and the film that briefly revived the historical epic single-handedly.

Blade Runner is the greater film and the harder watch: slow, cold, and much better once you already trust him. Watch the Final Cut, not the theatrical version with the voiceover.

The underrated ones

The Last Duel (2021) tells the same events three times from three perspectives and flopped completely. It is one of the best things he has made.

Thelma & Louise is the film people forget is his, and it has not aged a day. Kingdom of Heaven is a genuine case where the director's cut is a substantially better film than the theatrical release — one of the few times that claim is true.

What to skip

Legend, Hannibal, House of Gucci and Napoleon are all skippable. The Alien prequels — Prometheus and Covenant — are for people who want the mythology explained, and actively diminish the 1979 film for people who do not.

Common questions

What order should I watch Ridley Scott movies in?

Any order — they are standalone. Start with Alien or Gladiator, then The Martian, Blade Runner and Thelma & Louise.

Which Ridley Scott movie is his best?

Usually Alien or Blade Runner, made three years apart. The Last Duel is the most underrated of his later work.

Which version of Blade Runner should I watch?

The Final Cut (2007), his definitive version, without the studio-imposed voiceover.

Do I need to watch Prometheus before Alien?

No, and you should not. Prometheus explains the creature's origin, and the 1979 film is stronger for explaining nothing.