Ridley Scott: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

22. 1492: Conquest Of Paradise

As visually stunning as any of Scott's epics to date and boasting an impressive supporting cast including Sigourney Weaver, Michael Wincott, Frank Langella and Armand Assante, 1492 is nevertheless a surprisingly tedious depiction of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the New World. Much of the blame lands at the feet of whoever agreed to cast the very French Gerard Depardieu as the not-at-all French Columbus, for though he attacks the part with Gusto, he's just not at all convincing as the legendary explorer. Moreover, the film's surprisingly tedious given the immense possibilities Scott had: it looks nice but is rife with dubious historical interpretations and an overall lack of excitement. Critics savaged it and audiences weren't interested, with the film making just $7.1 million against a $47 million budget, a rare all-out bomb for the director.