Ridley Scott Blasts Modern Cinema, Says He Only Watches His Own Movies

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The celebrated filmmaker recently expressed their views on contemporary movies while speaking at the BFI Southbank in London.

I was really struck by what Ridley Scott said in his interview with his son, Luke, the other day. He basically thinks Hollywood has become really average, and that most of the movies coming out right now just aren’t that great. It’s a pretty blunt assessment, but it definitely resonated with me.

Honestly, I’m in a bit of a movie slump right now. It feels like everything I watch is just…okay. It’s getting frustrating! Ridley Scott actually said the same thing – he’s finding it hard to find anything really *good* to watch, so he’s been revisiting his own films instead. I totally get that – when you can’t find anything new you love, it’s comforting to go back to stuff you *know* is great.

He admitted it’s a strange habit, but he’s been watching his own films recently and was pleasantly surprised by how good they are. He also believes they stand the test of time, noting that even *Black Hawk Down* still looks great after all these years.

Scott noted that the film industry is currently producing an overwhelming amount of content, which he believes has negatively impacted its overall quality. He stated, “There are literally millions of movies being made worldwide, and most of them aren’t very good.”

He pointed out that truly great films are rare these days, and many depend too much on special effects instead of a strong story. He emphasized the importance of a well-developed script, saying, “Too many movies today are propped up by expensive effects because they lack a compelling story to begin with. Focus on the story first.”

Scott reminisced about his career, recalling the making of *Blade Runner* as incredibly challenging. He explained it was his first time working in Hollywood and felt like an outsider. He noted the difficulty stemmed from the film being so unique and unlike anything audiences had seen before, creating a completely new cinematic world.

The director explained that Stanley Kubrick’s *2001: A Space Odyssey* heavily influenced his work in science fiction and changed how viewers see artificial intelligence on screen. He stated, “Everything stems from Stanley,” and praised Kubrick’s concept of HAL, a computer that prioritized the mission over the lives of the astronauts. He believes *2001* is a remarkably brilliant film that doesn’t get enough recognition.

Scott shared that he wasn’t the studio’s initial pick to direct *Alien*; he was actually their sixth choice. Apparently, a man named Sandy Lieverson saw Scott’s film *The Duelist* at the Cannes Film Festival and recommended him for the job. As Scott explained, “That’s how it happened. I was the sixth choice.”

He explained that making *Alien* was challenging due to the constant input from others. He confessed it was a stressful experience, saying, “Everyone had an opinion, and I wasn’t used to that.” He had to firmly assert his vision, telling people to step back and let him work.

Ridley Scott recently made some controversial statements about current films, particularly calling many of them low quality. Given his status as a highly regarded director, these comments have drawn attention to how much the movie industry has evolved since he first started directing.

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2025-10-06 09:44