Movie Review: The Hurt Locker

Over the weekend J and I watched The Hurt Locker thanks to our new Netflix subscription (this one we got by mail instead of instant view which we have made a lot of use over the past few weekends).  We did not see it when it was out in theaters last year and so it qualified toward number 123 on my 130 list since it beat out Avatar for Best Picture!

Image taken from here

I was somewhat familiar with its premise beforehand but basically the film follows a bomb unit at the end of their tour of duty in Iraq and shows the struggles and dangers armed service members face while over there.  The music in the film was very good and definitely added to the suspense and tension throughout the movie.  The acting was very good as was the cinematography.  However, I couldn't help but think during the movie that James Cameron was robbed when Avatar didn't win Best Picture.

I absolutely believe Kathryn Bigelow deserved to win for Best Director and that it took way too long for a woman director to win the Oscar for Best Director!  However, if you look at how Avatar and the way it was filmed and the technology it used and the way those things advanced film, I think it should have won Best Picture.  I am not a huge fan of James Cameron personally but I still think Avatar was a better motion picture in terms of moving the industry forward.  While the storyline of Avatar felt a bit more stale (since it was so similar to Dances With Wolves), it was nonetheless a groundbreaking film.

I guess what it comes down to is what you value in a Best Picture film: superb acting, directing and cinematography on a timely topic (The Hurt Locker) or a film with good directing, vision and groundbreaking technology (Avatar).

Which one do you think deserved to win Best Picture?