From one master to another: The sci-fi director Ridley Scott claimed “raised the bar”
Not only has he directed two of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, but Ridley Scott is completely aware that he’s directed two of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made, with the filmmaker refusing to entertain the idea of being even remotely modest about it.
Whereas many directors would downplay their own achievements or refuse to put themselves alongside the greats of cinema, there isn’t a shred of arrogance or over-confidence to be found when Scott named Alien and Blade Runner as two of the finest sci-fi stories ever told on the big screen, because that’s exactly what they are.
Looking at how the former franchise continued to slide into mediocrity before reaching its undoubted nadir with the risible Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, it’s fascinating to remember that the first three entries in the Xenomorph saga were helmed by Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher, a trio who are all comfortably among the most acclaimed and respected auteurs in the industry.
Whereas Fincher has long since disowned Alien 3 and never come close to making a return to sci-fi, Cameron has carried on being one of the medium’s leading lights. It’s a status he’s held since the 1980s when he followed up The Terminator with Aliens, and he’s continuing to blaze a trail by pushing the boundaries of technology further than before in his multiple Avatar sequels.
The two films so far have cleared $5 billion at the box office between them, which is insane. And yet, there could be as many as five more Avatar epics to go, which means there are plenty more advancements in visual effects and performance capture to come. As far as Scott is concerned, “he raised the bar.”
In an interview with First Showing, the filmmaker praised Cameron’s desire to break new ground. If there’s a technology or technique that doesn’t exist, then he’ll make it happen. The Avatar films have been defined by the levels of immersion they create for the audience, and while Scott isn’t one to fawn over 3D, he had to give props where they were due.
“I’ve seen enough of 3D to make it, ‘Yeah, that’s interesting’. I mean, specifically Jim Cameron’s, which is the absolute use of 3D in the best possible way,” he said. “Everything else in the story tends to flag a little bit, so the 3D becomes the actual reason to see it rather than the story. What Jim got right was the reason to see the film was the story, which is enhanced by digital work. That should be the way around it, otherwise you will get bored. You will get bored.”
There are plenty of people who would happily brand Avatar as boring from a narrative perspective, though, but it can’t be argued the franchise makes for a theatrical experience like no other.
