For nearly 50 years, Ridley Scott has captivated audiences with memorable characters, epic stories, and striking visuals. Like his contemporaries Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, Scott understands the scope and application that goes into making a great film that is both entertaining and important. 86-year-old Scott, one of Hollywood's most prolific filmmakers, has no immediate He has no plans to retire anytime soon.

This weekend, Scott's 29th feature film, “Gladiator II,” will be released. In honor of the film, we surveyed Scott's filmography and did the impossible.

Of all the films in Scott's filmography, “Prometheus” was his riskiest. He even risked damaging the reputation of his masterpiece “Alien”. For the British director, it was high-risk, high-reward. Set 30 years before “Alien,” “Prometheus” follows an expedition led by Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) to a distant moon. The crew believes this will lead them to the origins of humanity and a god-like creature known as “The Engineer.”

The crew lands safely on the barren moon and the journey is a success. Even without the Xenomorphs, the crew battles fearsome creatures, but their most fearsome foe may be a human-like android named David (Michael Fassbender). With stunning visuals and a great cast, “Prometheus” was a rewarding gamble for Scott, who revitalized the “Alien” franchise.

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“Thelma & Louise” will be remembered for its legendary final image that immortalized characters who chose freedom in the face of death. But Scott's road trip film is ultimately a feminist classic featuring two women who stood up for themselves and fought back against patriarchal society. Supported by Carrie Khouri's Oscar-winning screenplay, “Thelma & Louise” stars Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as two friends who go on a weekend fishing trip.

When a man attempts to rape Thelma (Davis) at a bar, Louise (Sarandon) shoots him. Thinking that the police will not arrest them for lack of evidence, the two decide to flee to Mexico. Thelma and Louise are in a race against time as they must reach the border before Detective Slocum (Harvey Keitel) catches them.

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Scott rarely directs comedies. But that doesn't mean his films aren't funny. The Martian, despite winning a Golden Globe, is not a true comedy, but it does incorporate dark, sarcastic humor into an optimistic examination of the human psyche. Based on the novel by Andy Weir, “Martian Man” stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, a brilliant astronaut who is mistakenly declared dead and left on Mars.

Alone on an exotic planet, Mark must survive so that he can join another research crew arriving four years later. To survive, Mark must figure out the science and rely on his intuition. After missing out on a big hit with “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” Scott has bounced back with “Martian Man,” proving that he can pull off a blockbuster.

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Two things work against “Black Hawk Down.” The fact that it was released three years after “Private Ryan,” Spielberg's World War II film. Furthermore, the political nature of “Black Hawk Down” is opaque, especially in its depiction of Somalis and the inaccuracies of its operations.

These two distinctions aside, “Black Hawk Down” is absolutely brilliant as an action film. It follows a group of U.S. soldiers fighting their way out of a Somali city after their helicopter is shot down. In “Black Hawk Down,” we see some of Scott's best techniques at work in some of the most intense fight scenes ever seen. The cast also includes Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, and Tom Hardy in leading roles in their early careers.

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Imagine making the best science fiction horror film and then following it up with the most influential science fiction film of all time. Scott has done just that with “Alien” and its follow-up, “Blade Runner”. Scott's cyberpunk sci-fi mystery is set in the dark, brooding, futuristic setting of Los Angeles in 2019.

Harrison Ford plays Rick Deckard, a former police officer tasked with tracking down and killing four Replicants (artificially created humans). After falling in love with a Replicant (Sean Young), Deckard ponders what it means to be human and questions his identity and mission. With its haunting images and synthesizer score, “Blade Runner” is Scott's most philosophical film to date.

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Twenty-four years later, audiences are still captivated by Maximus Decimus Meridius in “Gladiator.” If Ellen Ripley is Scott's greatest female heroine, Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, remains his top male hero. Set in the heyday of ancient Rome, “Gladiator” follows Maximus, a Roman general who was chosen by Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) to be the next emperor, but was ousted by Marcus Aurelius' amoral son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).

Sold into slavery, Maximus becomes a powerful gladiator driven by a desire for revenge against Commodus and the empire. Backed by an excellent script and spectacular visuals, “Gladiator” is everything an epic period piece should be.

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Few words embody “Alien” better than “simple is perfect.” There is not much of a plot in “Alien. The crew of the Nostromo awakens early from their capsule to explore a planet. The group explores an unknown planet, witnesses a creature burst from someone's chest, and fights for survival against a killing machine called the Xenomorph. [Alien] is one of the greatest films ever made. This murder mystery serves as Scott's master class in atmosphere and terror. Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, has become the gold standard for action heroines. Many filmmakers would have rushed the Xenomorph's appearance in the first act. But not Scott. He took his time, using silence to build suspense. This is a definitive work by an exceptional director.

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