By: Bryan Dumas
It was David vs. Goliath, Ali vs. Sonny Liston, Rocky vs. Apollo Creed. It was, to put it simply, an upset of epic proportions.
In one corner you had James Cameron’s big budget sci-fi masterpiece, Avatar. Since its release, critics have praised Avatar for its stunning visual effects and cinematographic genius. Moviegoers came out in droves to treat themselves to a unique experience in theaters as Avatar was shown in IMAX and IMAX-3D. Those effects, along with Cameron’s penchant for producing blockbusters earned big money at the box office, and in only three short months Avatar became the highest-grossing film of all time; netting $2 billion since its December release. That $2 billion broke the previous box office record that Cameron set with the release of Titanic in 1998.
Contrast that with The Hurt Locker, which despite its summer release has only grossed around $15 million, roughly 2% of Avatar’s earnings. No sexy special effects, a much lesser known cast, lesser-known director, and a less popular subject (the Iraq war) all contributed to the chips being stacked against the low budget war film.
If the plot weren’t thick enough as it were, throw in the fact that James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow were married at one point and went head to head in the Best Picture category and you had a situation so dicey that even Mike from Jersey Shore could appreciate it.
The Hurt Locker not only upset Avatar, it dominated, taking home a total of six Oscars including Best Screenplay. Bigelow also became the first woman to win Best Director on her movie’s big night. And what an evening for the cast and crew of The Hurt Locker, taking home six little golden men, and defeating the highest-grossing film of all-time for the Best Picture made it truly a night to remember. A wise man once told me “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” The Hurt Locker is a perfect example of a little dog with a lot of fight in it. Swagger!!!
