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Director Ridley Scott has a long and diverse filmography with several critical and commercial hits. However, historical epics and sci-fi are the director’s go-to genres. Scott made his feature film debut with the historical dramaThe Duelistsand followed it up with two sci-fi movies. As a result, fans might be surprised to learn that the director wasn’t an avid fan of the genre growing up.
During an interview, Scott opened up about directing the cult classic sci-fi filmBlade Runnerduring the earlier portions of his career. Scott revealed that while he wasn’t interested in the genre watching one of the best sci-fi movies of all time completely shifted his perspective. Here is what Scott had to say about the sci-fi film that impacted him the most.
Ridley Scott only madeBlade Runnerbecause of2001: A Space Odyssey
Ridley Scottdirectedthe 1979 sci-fi horror filmAlien, which was a box office hit and spawned a franchise. However, the same cannot be said for his next sci-fi venture 1982’sBlade Runner, starring Harrison Ford in the lead role. While the film is a cult classic now, it wasn’t successful when it was first released.
During an interview withDecent Films, Scott was asked about his interest in science fiction, which led to him directing two movies in the genre very early in his career. Scott admitted that while he did not enjoy sci-fi growing up, Stanley Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odysseychanged his perception.
I never liked science fiction as a child, until Stanley [Kubrick] did 2001. Then I thought, Aha. Here’s the threshold; here’s the doorway.’
Scott made the above comment, explainingthe deep impact of Kubrick’s movie. The film was revolutionary when it was released and is widely considered the trendsetter for modern sci-fi movies. Hence, it is easy to see how the movie influenced Scott as a filmmaker.
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Furthermore, the director added that he also watched 1977’sStar Wars, describing it as seminal. He argued that the two movies are better than anything in the genre and they encouraged him to try his hand at telling sci-fi stories, leading to classics likeAlienandBlade Runner.
Ridley Scott reflected on how his religious views affected his films
In the same interview, Scott was asked about directing the 2014 biblical epic filmExodus: Gods and Kings. Given his penchant for science fiction and being someone who does not have strong religious views, Scott was questioned about his approach to material deeply rooted in religion.
Scott revealed that he attended Sunday school in the earlier stages of his life and while he moved on from it, some of the religious teachings were ingrained in him. While Scott suggested that he leaned toward being an atheist, he admitted to approaching religious ideas from a basis of realism.
I think any liberties I may have taken in how I show this stuff is on pretty safe ground, because I was going from the basis of reality, never fantasy.
Scott made the above statement, explaining how he overcame the challenges of making a film rooted in faith and religion.
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Despite Scott’s best efforts,Exodus: Gods and Kingsremains one of the worst movies in his career. It emerged as a box-office bomb and currently holds a score of 30% onRotten Tomatoes. Instead, Scott’s approach to religious ideas works better as an undercurrent in movies likeGladiator.
Blade Runneris streaming on Hulu.
Pratik Handore
Content Writer
Articles Published :1774
With a keen interest in comic book movies and blockbuster franchises, Pratik usually covers news and updates on the DCU, MCU, Star Wars, and more.A die-hard fan of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, Pratik spends most of his time exploring different storytelling mediums that invoke a sense of wonder and adventure. Other filmmakers whose works have deeply influenced him include Alfred Hitchcock, James Gunn, and Guillermo del Toro.
