Ridley Scott calls modern films “shit”: “I’ve started to watch my own movies [instead]”

Ridley Scott has admitted that he finds modern films “shit” and has started to rewatch his own movies instead.

The Blade Runner director is known for being outspoken, and shared his opinion on the state of cinema today in a new chat at the BFI Southbank.

“The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally – millions. Not thousands, millions… and most of it is shit,” he said (via Metro).

“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 proportion of what I’ve just said, but in the 1940s when there were maybe 300 films a year made, 70% of them were similar.”

Scott suggested that modern films are “saved and made more expensive by digital effects” as they haven’t got “a great thing on paper first”.

He added: “Actually, right now, I’m finding mediocrity – we’re drowning in mediocrity. And so what I do – it’s a horrible thing – but I’ve started watching my own movies, and actually they’re pretty good! And also, they don’t age.

“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.”

Over his career, Scott has directed classics such as Thelma & Louise, Gladiator, as well as Alien and two of its prequel films.

Earlier this year, the director ruled out returning to the latter sci-fi franchise, suggesting he has “done enough” with it.

“I think I felt it was deadened after four,” he told Screen Rant. “I think mine was pretty damn good, and I think Jim’s was good, and I have to say the rest were not very good. And I thought, ‘Fuck, that’s the end of a franchise which should be as important as bloody Star Trek or Star Wars’”.

He added of prequel Prometheus: “The audience really wanted more. I said, ‘It needs to fly.’ No one was coming for it, (and) I went once again (and made) Alien: Covenant, and it worked too. Where it’s going now, I think I’ve done enough, and I just hope it goes further.”