Acclaimed British director Ridley Scott has lashed out at Millennials “who were brought up on these fucking cellphones” for the box office failure of his new movie The Last Duel (you can check out the trailer to the film below).
The film boasts a star-studded cast including Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Ben Affleck and newcomer Jodie Comer, and is an historical drama set in medieval France that follows the story of a knight who challenges a friend to a duel after his wife claims the friend raped her.
The flick – which runs at over two-and-a-half-hours – debuted globally last month and thus far has only raked in $US30 million ($A41.5 million) in ticket sales despite costing a cool $US100 million ($A138 million) to make. In Scott’s defence, it also generally scored excellent reviews.
Speaking on comedian Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, the 83-year-old Scott (pictured above) said: “I think what it boils down to – what we’ve got today [is] the audience who were brought up on these fucking cellphones.
“The millennian, [who] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you told it on the cellphone.”
“This is a broad stroke, but I think we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook. This is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”
Maron said he was surprised that the period action piece didn’t resonate with younger people, to which Ridley remarked: “I agree with you.”
He added: “Particularly with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Adam Driver and this new girl called Jodie Comer,” he said.
“That’s the call you make. That’s the call that Fox made. We all thought it was a terrific script, and we made it.
“You can’t win all the time. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never had one regret on any movie I’ve ever made. Nothing.
“I learned very early on to be your own critic. The only thing you should really have an opinion on is what you just did. Walk away. Make sure you’re happy. And don’t look back. That’s me,” Scott said.
Luckily Scott doesn’t have to wait long to see if he has another hit. His next project House Of Gucci starring none other than Lady Gaga comes out in late November.
The director has been in feisty form of late, only last week labelling superhero films as “boring as shit with scripts that aren’t any fucking good”. And this is the man who gave us such cinematic gems as Alien, Gladiator and Blade Runner.
Review site Rotten Tomatoes also agreed with Scott on the merits of The Last Duel. The movie received an 85 per cent critic rating and an 81 per cent audience rating, which means its a darn fine piece of movie making.
The site’s critical consensus states: “The Last Duel‘s critique of systemic misogyny isn’t as effective as it might have been, but it remains a well-acted and thought-provoking drama infused with epic grandeur.”
While the audience wrap-up says: “If you don’t mind its somewhat repetitive story structure, The Last Duel is an exciting, well-acted period drama that leaves you with plenty to think about.”
