#340. Ridley Scott

While some directors have found success in a single genre, others have perfected their craft so well that they can find success in multiple genres. Ridley Scott has directed many successful and memorable films over the years, which is practically a testament to his prolific repertoire as much as it is his artistic vision. It can be challenging to nail down what his most significant successes are to pigeonhole him into a genre. His science fiction films have been iconic, but he’s also received critical acclaim for historical pieces. From dark fantasies (Legend (1985)) to modern heist comedies (Thelma & Louise (1991) and Matchstick Men (2003)), Ridley Scott has done them all. This week’s two films highlight some of the early successes in Ridley Scott’s directing career.

Alien
Year: 1979
Rating: R
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

After his directorial debut with The Duellists (1977), Scott transitioned from historical drama to sci-fi/horror. It is significant to note that, while Scott did not direct the direct sequels of Alien (1979) (a task given to James Cameron and David Fincher), he did retake the helm when it came time to reboot the series via the prequel films that started with Prometheus (2014). With the original director back in control, Alien: Covenant (2017) helped to continue the revitalization of the Alien franchise. Of course, with this much experience in directing plots set on alien worlds, it’s no wonder that his adaptation of The Martian (2015) also gained him a nomination for Best Picture. Sure, his historical epic, Gladiator (2000), actually won Best Picture, but since he didn’t also produce it, he only received a nomination for Best Director for his efforts.

On the distant planet of LV-426, the crew of the Nostromo finds themselves the unwitting victims of the greed of their corporate benefactors. They soon learn the distress signal from the planet was a trap, and now one of their crew has been incapacitated by a face-hugging alien. After the alien falls off of its own accord, the alien bursts out of the crew member’s chest and runs away to hide in the ship. Picking off each member of the squad, one-by-one, the rapidly-matured alien is now on course to return to Earth, thanks to the android who was following the orders of the company that employs the Nostromo. As the only survivor, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) arms herself to confront the indestructible beast loose on her ship. Few options remain for Ripley as she tries to escape while at the same time destroying the horrific alien.

Blade Runner
Year: 1982
Rating: R
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

A mere three years after Alien was released, Scott knocked it out of the park again with Blade Runner (1982). Many hold his “Director’s Cut” of the film to be the best version, clearly showing his vision for the movie was better than the one Warner Brothers wanted to sell. Much like Alien, he left the sequel to Blade Runner in another director’s (eventually) capable hands. Even so, Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 (2017) is incredible, but still misses the spark of the Ridley Scott original. After all, Blade Runner was groundbreaking for its set design, a trend seen throughout Scott’s other films. Whether it’s Biblical Egypt in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) or the streets of Somalia in Black Hawk Down (2001), Ridley Scott takes us to these locations and immerses us in the settings, even if they’re in a future not yet arrived, like in Blade Runner.

In the year 2019, android technology has become so advanced that it is near impossible to tell the difference between them and normal humans. Because these androids often act up, Blade Runners are employed to “retire” the robots and keep humanity safe. While many androids have a short lifespan, some of them are looking to extend their life. One such android is Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), who has assembled a team of androids and returned to Earth to “meet their maker,” so to speak. Consequently, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is put to the task of being the Blade Runner to take out these androids. He soon learns the standard emotional tests to distinguish androids aren’t sufficient, and he must use his skills as a former police officer to track down these androids and prevent them from killing any more people.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 superb Ridley Scott movies

Bacon #: 2 (Prometheus (directed) / Michael Fassbender -> X-Men: First Class / Kevin Bacon)

#339. Alien vs. Predator

Which came first, the Predator or the Xenomorph egg? It’s almost weird to me how these two sci-fi/horror franchises have become inexorably linked over the years. If anything, it’s to the credit of 20^th Century Fox to combine these two successful franchises together, even if the films resulting from the crossover aren’t that great. Sure, each franchise has excellent and mediocre entries in their canon, but both franchises’ worst are better than the best film of their combined universe. Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) were both critically panned. Fortunately, this has not detracted from the popularity of either franchise. While the idea of combining the Alien and Predator antagonists originally started as an idea in a graphic novel, the idea of a crossover is hardly new. Regardless, this week’s two films highlight the original films from the respective Alien and Predator franchises.

Predator
Year: 1987
Rating: R
Length: 107 minutes / 1.78 hours

Despite not being nearly as prolific or as critically acclaimed as its Alien counterpart, the Predator franchise is still an essential piece of popular culture. Perhaps the reason the franchise hasn’t been taken seriously is due to the overt machismo that characterized Predator (1987). It’s even harder to take the franchise seriously when the Predator is integrated with our society, as seen in Predator 2 (1990) when the titular character comes to Los Angeles to do its killing. Recently, there has been a bit of a revival, with the Predators (2010) reboot, which added some more interest to the characters than just the meathead military guys from the original. Time will tell if this year’s The Predator (2018) will help bring the franchise into relevance, or if it will be the detonator on the nuclear device to kill the franchise for good.

Deep in the jungle of Val Verde, a spacecraft lands and releases its pilot into the dense surroundings. While a team led by CIA operative George Dillon (Arnold Schwarzenegger) are in the jungle to recover some stolen documents, they soon find a group of Army Special Forces who went in ahead of them was brutally murdered. Unbeknownst to them, the murderer is still on the loose, and starts tracking the group of trained military men. One-by-one, the members of the team are picked off by the alien known as a “Predator,” a being who hunts dangerous creatures for sport. Eventually, the only remaining member of the team is Dillon, but he has determined the Predator can only see in infrared, thus saving him from a potential conflict. Using the ingenuity of man, Dillon sets up a series of traps and is able to take down the Predator. Unfortunately, the Predator has one last trick up its sleeve.

Alien
Year: 1979
Rating: R
Length: 117 minutes / 1.95 hours

In 1979, Alien was a hallmark film for both the horror and sci-fi genres. Not only is the eponymous Alien the 14^th best villain of all time, according to the American Film Institute, but the sequel, Aliens (1986) practically improved on the original. It’s no wonder there are almost twice as many Alien films as there are Predator ones. Of course, Alien³ (1992) failed to deliver, and Alien: Resurrection (1997) did little to boost the franchise. When Ridley Scott, the director of the original Alien film, decided to revive the franchise with a set of prequel films, he succeeded in bringing the magic back to the franchise’s roots, but still falling somewhat short of the groundbreaking appeal of the original. Even with Prometheus (2012) and Alien: Covenant (2017) being moderate successes, there’s a chance that a future film would blow the whole franchise out the airlock into the icy vacuum of space.

In response to an emergency beacon on an alien world, the starship Nostromo lands on LV-426 to investigate. While there, the crew discovers the skeleton of a giant alien that appeared to be killed by something erupting from its chest. When they find a chamber full of enormous eggs, one of the eggs opens, and a creature attaches itself to the face of one of the crew members. Returning to the ship, the rest of the team helps to discover that this “facehugger” has highly corrosive blood. Fortunately, it dies after releasing its hold on the crew member. Unfortunately, shortly afterward, an alien creature bursts from his chest and skitters away to hide in the vents of the ship. Now the crew suddenly find themselves up against an alien threat that their company actually wants them to bring back to Earth. Warrant Officer Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the last surviving member of the crew, and it’s up to her to kill this monster.

2 sum it up: 2 films, 2 man-killing monsters