Quentin Tarantino doesn't have much love for modern films.
The 63-year-old Oscar-winning director of Pulp Fiction lamented the state of cinema in an essay for Sight & Sound magazine, writing that it has become rare for him to see a new film he actually likes.
«"Flaws, implausibility, pandering to the audience, inappropriate actors, or just plain stupidity usually ruin every new film coming out of the tawdry sausage factory that once called itself Hollywood," he wrote, according to Variety. "These days, the very concept of film evokes more contempt than generosity in me. And rightfully so, because the films of the last six years make the '80s seem like the '30s.".
Tarantino has previously called the 1980s one of the worst eras for cinema.
Quentin Tarantino attends the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2025 in Cannes, France.
In his essay, he continued: «Since then, I’ve seen a few films I’ve enjoyed—West Side Story (2021); Horizon: An American Saga, Parts 1 and 2 (both 2024), and a few more—but none of them truly captivated me or whisked me away to that magical land of delight I used to regularly visit and which was the reason I loved cinema more than any other art form. Now I prefer reading books.«.
Quentin Tarantino criticized The Hunger Games, calling it a "plagiarism" of that book.
The director made the remark before heaping praise on one new film he's very excited about: The Rip, the 2026 Netflix film starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
«"A gripping new film has arrived that truly captivated me and kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end," Tarantino wrote, before calling The Rip "a gripping police thriller with an original premise that skillfully executes its ideas." He continued, writing that "the whole package" worked, praising the direction, the cast, the cinematography, and the "sensational" script.
June 2026 promises to be a hot month, with premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival and Pride Month celebrations kicking off summer. Check out the best celebrity photos of June. Camila Mendes and Nicholas Galitzine attended the screening of "Masters of the Universe" at the Regal Times Square Cinema on June 1, 2026, in New York City.
(Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images) Camila Mendes attends a screening of "Masters of the Universe" at the Regal Times Square Cinema on June 1, 2026, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images) Nicholas Galitzine attends a screening of "Masters of the Universe" at the Regal Times Square Cinema on June 1, 2026, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images) Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, and Morena Baccarin attend a screening of "Masters of the Universe" at the Regal Times Square Cinema on June 1, 2026, in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images) Mariska Hargitay attends the premiere of "Every Brilliant Thing," her Broadway debut, at the Hudson Theatre on June 2, 2026, in New York City. (Rob Kim, Getty Images)
Check out the best celebrity photos of June featuring Nicholas Galitzine and Mariska Hargitay.
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June 2026 promises to be a hot month, with premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival and Pride Month celebrations kicking off summer. Check out the best celebrity photos of June. Camila Mendes and Nicholas Galitzine attended the screening of "Masters of the Universe" at the Regal Times Square Cinema on June 1, 2026, in New York City.
(Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images)
Tarantino, who made his feature-length directorial debut in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs, hasn't directed a new film since 2019's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He announced plans to make only one more film before retiring.
However, Tarantino also said he is in no rush to make his latest film, partly because he is frustrated with the state of the film industry and how films are made available for home viewing soon after their theatrical release.
Quentin Tarantino lashed out at actor Paul Dano: "He's a wimp.".
«"What... is a film anymore?" he said in a conversation at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. "What, a film that plays in theaters for a token four weeks, and then in the second week you can see it on TV? I didn't do all this for diminishing returns.".
He also called 2019 "the last... year of cinema.".
Quentin Tarantino attends the Fortnite Now Playing event for "The Lost Chapter" on November 19, 2025 in Hollywood, California.
However, Tarantino has previously named several other recent films he enjoyed. In a 2022 interview with the ReelBlend podcast, he said he "adored" Top Gun: Maverick.
«"I thought it was fantastic," he said. "I saw it in the theater… Both that film and Spielberg's West Side Story were truly cinematic experiences, ones I thought I'd never see again.".
Last year, on Bret Easton Ellis's podcast, the director of Django Unchained compiled his list of his 20 favorite films of the 21st century. With the exception of Spielberg's West Side Story, which came in at number 20, the list did not include any films from the 2020s.
In March, Tarantino announced that his next project would be an "adventure comedy" titled "The Cavalier" for the West End. He has not yet announced what his tenth and final film will be, after abandoning plans to make a film called "The Film Critic.".
However, Tarantino has written a script for a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, scheduled for release on Netflix later this year. Directed by David Fincher, the film stars Brad Pitt, reprising his Oscar-winning role as Hollywood stuntman Cliff Booth.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Quentin Tarantino criticizes Hollywood and the state of the film industry.