Ridley Scott laments global film mediocrity, rewatched his own films

Veteran filmmaker Ridley Scott said on Sunday at a British Film Institute event in London that he believes the global film industry is suffering from an abundance of mediocre work, and that he has taken to rewatching his own films as a result. Speaking in conversation about his career, the director of Alien, Gladiator and Blade Runner argued that the sheer quantity of films produced worldwide has diluted overall quality and that digital effects often mask weak scripts.

"The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally, millions. Not thousands, millions," Scott said, adding that the industry has become overwhelmed by mediocrity. He cautioned filmmakers to focus on strong writing, urging, "Get it on paper." He also said, "We're drowning in mediocrity," and described turning to his back catalog for satisfaction, noting that his films "don't age" and that he recently rewatched Black Hawk Down with renewed admiration.

Scott linked the problem in part to production incentives and technological trends, saying many contemporary films are "saved and made more expensive by digital effects" because they lack a compelling foundation in the screenplay. He suggested that...