Ridley Scott Says Hollywood’s ‘S**t’ Movies Have Driven Him to Watching His Own Films

Virtuoso director Sir Ridley Scott says so much “s--t” is spewing out of Hollywood that he’s been forced to start rewatching his old movies. The Brit mastermind behind Gladiator was speaking at BFI Southbank in London on Sunday when he bemoaned the quality of contemporary releases. “The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally—millions. Not thousands, millions… and most of it is s--t,” he said, according to Metro. The 87-year-old said he was being forced back into his own archives as a result. “We’re drowning in mediocrity,” he said. “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?’” The brain behind Alien and Blade Runner said modern films are too focused on effects at the cost of great storytelling. “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,” he said. “Get it on paper!”