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Ridley Scott, legendary director of Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator, says "we're drowning in mediocrity" today so he only watches his own movies: "They’re really good! And also, they don’t age"
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Ridley Scott has given up on modern movies. The legendary filmmaker of all-time classics like Alien, Blade Runner and Gladiator has recently criticized the state of cinema today, blaming the 'quantity over quality' mindset and claiming that he only watches his own movies now.
The director was interviewed by his son, Luke Scott, during a screen talk at London's BFI Southbank yesterday (October 5), reflecting on his career and answering audience questions. Asked by a fan about his regular viewing habits, Scott shared his negative views on the industry.
"Right now I'm finding mediocrity, we're drowning in mediocrity," he said (via Yahoo UK). "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."
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He's not wrong on that account – his filmography is packed with cinematic gems, including Alien, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, American Gangster, Blade Runner, The Duellists, and more.
"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."
The filmmaker went on to say that, despite "the quantity of movies that are made today", he thinks "most of it is s**t". He then slightly retracted his words by saying that 5% of contemporary movies are "great" and 10% are "pretty good", with around 40% being "not bad" and the rest, well, those really are "s**t".
"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," he added.
Ridley Scott's last movie to hit cinemas was Gladiator II, a long-awaited sequel starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. His future projects include an adaptation of Peter Heller's post-apocalyptic novel The Dog Stars, a Bee Gees biopic, and potentially a third Gladiator.
For more, check out our list of all upcoming movies in cinemas in 2025 and beyond.
Mireia is a UK-based culture journalist and critic. She previously worked as Deputy Movies Editor at Digital Spy, and her work as a freelance writer has appeared in WeLoveCinema and Spanish magazines Fotogramas, Esquire, and Elle. She is also a published author, having written a book about Studio Ghibli's 'Kiki's Delivery Service' in 2023. Talking about anime and musicals is the best way to grab her attention.
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