Ridley Scott Says Modern Movies Are “Drowning in Mediocrity” So He Just Watches His Own
Legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott doesn’t hold back when sharing his opinions on Hollywood, and his latest comments are amusingly bluntest. The iconic director behind Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator recently revealed that he’s so unimpressed with today’s movies that he’s stopped watching them altogether, and now prefers to rewatch his own.
During a recent screen talk at London’s BFI Southbank, hosted by his son Luke Scott, the 86-year-old director reflected on his career and shared his frustrations with the current state of cinema. When an audience member asked about his viewing habits, Scott said:
“Right now I’m finding mediocrity, we’re drowning in mediocrity. So what I do, and it’s a horrible thing, but I’ve started to watch my own movies, and actually they’re really good! And also, they don’t age.”
It’s hard to argue with that confidence. Scott’s filmography is filled with genre-defining classics from the haunting horror of Alien and the visionary sci-fi world of Blade Runner to the epic historical spectacle of Gladiator, not to mention Thelma & Louise, The Martian, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, and The Duellists.
Scott even admitted to revisiting one of his most intense films recently.
“I watched Black Hawk [Down] the other night and I thought, ‘how the hell did I do that?’ But I think that occasionally there’s a good one that will happen, it’s like a relief that there’s somebody out there who’s doing a good movie.”
I love that he finds entertainment in watching his own movies. The director went on to criticize the industry’s obsession with quantity over quality, saying that despite the huge number of movies released every year, most of them fail to deliver.
“The quantity of movies that are made today… most of it is st,” he said. He then clarified that around “5%” of modern movies are “great,” another “10%” are “pretty good,” “40%” are “not bad,” and the rest are, in his words, “st.”
Scott also reflected on how filmmaking has changed since Hollywood’s Golden Age, pointing out that special effects often mask weak storytelling.
“I’m not sure about the portion of what I’ve just said, but in the 1940s, when there were perhaps 300 movies made, 70% of them were similar, for example.
“I think a lot of films today are saved and made more expensive by digital effects, because what they haven’t got is a great thing on paper first. Get it on paper.”
Despite his criticisms, Scott hasn’t slowed down. His latest release, Gladiator II, brought him back to ancient Rome with a new cast led by Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. Up next, he’s developing an adaptation of Peter Heller’s post-apocalyptic novel The Dog Stars, a Bee Gees biopic, and possibly a third Gladiator film.
I think Scott is right about Hollywood. Whether or not you agree with him, there’s no denying that the director has earned the right to speak his mind. With a career spanning five decades and a library of timeless films, it’s safe to say his work really doesn’t age, unlike a lot of what’s coming out today.
Via: YahooUK