Ridley Scott slams modern cinema: "We're drowning in mediocrity"
During a recent talk at the British Film Institute in London, the Gladiator and Blade Runner director didn't mince words as he tore into Hollywood's creative slump and the modern overreliance on digital effects.
The legendary filmmaker is tired of modern cinema and believes Hollywood is currently in a slump. Ridley Scott said as much during a recent appearance at the British Film Institute in London, openly criticising today's film landscape, which he claimed is "literally drowning in mediocrity."
"Well, right now I'm finding mediocrity — we're drowning in mediocrity. The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally, millions. There's not thousands, there's millions, and most of it is s**t."
Scott argued that out of all the films produced today — both for theatres and streaming platforms — only a small fraction reach a decent level of quality. Maybe about ten percent, he said, are "pretty good," while only around five percent truly stand out.
- Learn more: Creating Hollywood Movie Worlds - Benjamín Fernández Interview Part I: Intro & Gladiator
He especially criticised the modern industry's dependence on digital effects to mask weak scripts and patch up storytelling flaws.
"80-60%, eh, 40% is the rest, and 25% of that 40 is not bad, and 10% is pretty good, and the top 5% is great. 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."
Scott admitted that he's grown so weary of modern films that he's begun revisiting his own work, not out of nostalgia, but simply because it makes him feel better amid what he sees as a flood of mediocrity.
"I've started watching my own movies... and actually, they're pretty good! And also, they don't age."
He mentioned Black Hawk Down as an example and expressed amazement at how he even managed to make such a film. Still, Scott left a sliver of optimism, noting that while the current landscape looks grim, a few gems will always appear, even if they remain exceptions rather than the rule.
