This week sees Ridley Scott return to the sci-fi genre as the highly anticipated Prometheus hits the big screen.
The movie is set to be the biggest science fiction movie of the year from one of the greatest directors in the business.
So to celebrate the release of the movie we take a look at some of the best sci-fi filmmakers.
- Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg is perhaps not recognised first and foremost as a sci-fi filmmaker but he has made a couple of movies in this genre that are still as powerful today as they were when they were first released.
E.T. is one of the greatest children's movies ever made, and yes the ending still makes me cry even though I have seen the film a thousand times.
This movie is very much seen from a child's perspective and what if so fantastic about E.T. is that is shows that children are much more accepting that adults.
Elliot accepts E.T. for what he is. Elliot is also a lot more understanding of his plight and is not afraid of something that is different - which is a great message in itself.
E.T. is a movie about childhood, family, friendship and tolerance and has as much relevance today as it did back in 1982.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind was groundbreaking in a way that is showed the human race ready to encounter and accept alien life rather than fighting with it - which is what movies had one in the past.
Spielberg showed what could be achieved with special effects with this film as this work really did bring the movie to life.
- Ridley Scott
Of course you can't have a list of sci-fi filmmakers and not mention the work of Ridley Scott, who made his name with this genre over thirty years ago.
Alien remains one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made as Scott moved the boundaries with almost everything that he did on this film.
First and foremost Ripley is a woman. Sci-Fi had been a very male dominated genre and with the casting of Sigourney Weaver in this role Scott broke the mould - not to mention be created one of the most iconic characters of all time.
Scott used the slow pace to rack up the tension not to mention that it is intelligent and technically spot on.
Alien remains the benchmark against which all other movies in this genre must stand up against.
Three years after the release of Alien Scott returned to this genre with Blade Runner, which was loosely based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
In this movie Scott created a brutal urban distopia that was gritty and dark as well as visually stunning - right from the opening frame you knew that he was about to deliver something incredible special.
It is a fascinating look at humanity and death and it is incredibly evocative and atmospheric throughout.
- Stanley Kubrick
It is hard to believe that 2001: A Space Odyssey was released back in 1968 but it was a piece of landmark cinema because the director showed what could be achieved in movies.
The special effects were groundbreaking for the time as he changed the way that we watched movie forever.
This is perhaps the greatest sci-fi movie in the genre as Kubrick explored humanity from relationships to technology and society and behaviour.
He followed this up three years later with A Clockwork Orange, was a satirical look at a dystopian society where a violent gang wreak havoc and it really is unforgettable.
- David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg has made a whole host of sci-fi movies throughout his directing career and he mixed sci-fi with horror in 1981 with Scanners.
This was an absolute must see from the director as this was a dark movie that had all of the signature style of the director.
Videodrome came two years later and it explored the idea of how people can be brainwashed by television.
The Dead Zone was based on the Stephen King novel and was released in 1983. It was a dark and rather twisted movie.
Prometheus is released 1st June
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Sir Ridley Scott Stephen Spielberg Prometheus