Ridley Scott Slams Modern Hollywood Movies, Says They Are So Bad He Is Forced to Rewatch His Own Movies

Legendary director Ridley Scott has spoken out about the state of modern Hollywood, saying the industry is “drowning in mediocrity.”

The filmmaker, known for classics like Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator, shared his thoughts during a screen talk at the BFI Southbank on Sunday, October 5. He was interviewed by his son, Luke Scott, and answered questions from the audience about his career and approach to filmmaking.

Scott explained that watching films and TV shows has always been a key part of his process, especially when casting his projects.

But he admitted that he finds most movies today lacking in quality. “Well, right now I’m finding mediocrity, we’re drowning in mediocrity,” he said. Because of this, he now often re-watches his own films. “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,” he added. He mentioned that revisiting Black Hawk Down recently left him impressed with the film’s quality.

“The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally, millions. There’s not thousands, there’s millions, and most of it is s***,” he said.

Scott reflected on how practical effects have contributed to the timeless feel of his movies. He also criticized the reliance on digital effects in modern films, arguing that many movies today are saved more by technology than strong writing. “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 said.

He went further to explain that while millions of films are made today, only a small fraction are truly great.

He also shared memories of making Blade Runner, calling it a difficult experience because he was a newcomer to Hollywood at the time. “It was the first time I was in Hollywood making a movie, and being there I was a stranger in a strange land,” he said. “Doing it was very hard because it was so different and such a new universe. People hadn’t experienced that before.”

Scott credited Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey for influencing his approach to science fiction, particularly his work with androids like Ash in Alien and Roy Batty in Blade Runner. “It all goes back to Stanley. Kubrick had the genius idea of HAL… the mission was more important than the crew. People don’t give enough credit to 2001—it was a major genius act,” he said.

He also revealed that he was not the first choice to direct Alien, he was actually the sixth pick, with Robert Altman originally in the running.

Making the film was challenging because of the number of opinions he faced from producers. “It was pretty fraught doing Alien, actually,” he admitted. “Between my producers, everyone had an opinion, and I was not used to opinions. I had to literally draw the line in the sand and say, ‘Back off. Watch me do this, okay?’”

Scott’s comments have reignited discussions about the state of modern cinema, with many fans agreeing that originality and strong storytelling are sometimes lacking in today’s movies.