From 'The Duellists' to 'The Martian,' Ridley Scott has greatly influenced movie making

Few filmmakers have had the amount of influence on the movie industry as Sir Ridley Scott. Since his debut film The Duellists in 1977, Scott has made a series of incredible films spanning multiple genres. His latest film, The Martian, has been released to high acclaim, and while Scott's new films continue to push the boundaries of cinema, his past films have helped define the state of film as it is today.

Perhaps most famous is the way in which Ridley Scott influenced science fiction filmmaking. Though many movies in the post-Star Wars era attempted to replicate that film's success, Scott dared to do something different with Alien. Scott challenged the norm by setting a horror film in space and used innovative techniques- including the slow build of tension by not revealing the creature until the end-  to create a highly effective horror thriller.

Additionally, Scott's 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner furthered the art of science fiction cinema by exploring the psychological aspects behind humanoid technology. That movie, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick, featured existential questions that would be debated among fans for years.

Similarly, Scott has done an incredible job at redefining the art of "sword-and-sandal" epic films. Gladiator, released in 2000, was a powerful and epic film that took the somewhat mindless genre and used it for truly dramatic storytelling. Scott's only Best Picture-winning film to date, Gladiator not only was a powerful action film, but an exciting time capsule into an era rarely given such authenticity. Scott has since taken chances with Robin Hood and Exodus: Gods and Kings, adapting classic stories and modernizing them for new audiences.

In his pursuit of realism, Ridley Scott has also added a lot to the way in which war films are perceived. One of the most authentic modern combat films ever made is the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, which followed the story of a team of elite U.S. soldiers caught behind enemy lines in Somalia. A giant cast and intensely staged action sequences make for a difficult task for any filmmaker, but Scott got to the heart of film's drama by giving depth to each character and grit to each moment of conflict.

This was also seen in Kingdom of Heaven, a period piece chronicling the ancient crusades of Jerusalem. Again, Scott does a great job putting emotion behind the action, and he uses the religious conflicts of the time to draw great dramatic motivations behind his characters.

Few filmmakers have been making great films for over three decades, but Ridley Scott's commitment to the art of changing film and determination to push what's possible has established him as a master directors. The Martian, and the rest of Scott's filmography, is not just a great collection of films, but a reminder of how much one man has changed the industry.