By Audrey Enjoli
Ridley Scott, the acclaimed filmmaker behind “Alien” (1979), “Gladiator” (2000), and “The Martian” (2015), among a bevy of other blockbuster films, has shared his criticisms of the lack of originality in today’s films.
The award-winning British director touched on the prevalence of lackluster storylines on the silver screen while speaking at an event at the BFI Southbank, a London-based cinema operated by the British Film Institute.
“Right now, I’m finding mediocrity. We’re drowning in mediocrity,” Scott, 87, candidly said while sharing the stage with his son, 57-year-old director Luke Scott.
“The quantity of movies that are made today—literally globally—millions. There’s not thousands, there’s millions, and most of it is [expletive].”
During the discussion, which focused on Ridley Scott’s decades-long career in Hollywood, the filmmaker noted that most of the films produced today are often “saved and made more expensive by digital effects.” He added that movies must first have “a great thing on paper” before being shown on the big screen.
Due to the state of the modern movie industry, the director said he has resorted to rewatching his own films.
“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,” Ridley Scott said.
“I watched Black Hawk Down the other night and I thought, ‘How in the hell did I manage to do that?’ But I think occasionally a good one will happen, and it’s like a relief that there’s somebody out there who’s doing a good movie.”
Ridley Scott made his directorial debut with the 1977 film “The Duellists,” a historical drama set in Napoleonic France.
Since then, he has directed countless feature films, among them 1991’s “Thelma & Louise,” which earned Scott his first Oscar nomination for Best Director the following year. His 2000 film “Gladiator,” starring Russell Crowe, took home five Academy Awards in 2001, including the trophies for Best Picture and Best Actor.
More recently, Scott directed the 2024 epic historical drama “Gladiator II.” The highly anticipated sequel—the cast of which included Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Paul Mescal—grossed more than $55 million in the United States during its opening weekend, Box Office Mojo reported.
With a slew of projects currently in the works, including the post-apocalyptic sci-fi film “The Dog Stars,” expected to hit theaters next year, Scott is showing no signs of slowing down.
“It’s my passion and therefore my pleasure. I think it actually keeps me going,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2024 ahead of his 87th birthday. “I mean, Clint Eastwood is 94. … I’m 86 now, so I’ve still got a few to go.”
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