The 2000s marked an era of change and innovation in more ways than one. While the early years of the decade didn’t show much difference from the ‘90s in terms of fashion and music, the latter years evolved into a whole new vibe that would massively influence the next decade. The 2000s saw a drastic increase in the popularity of Google, YouTube, and Amazon. Meanwhile, social networking websites quickly took their place on top with MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter dominating.
In the realm of movies, the decade saw the release of Avatar, the top-grossing film of all time, created by James Cameron, the man who helmed the previous top-grossing film of all time (Titanic). It was the highest-grossing film not only of 2009, but of the decade, exceeding $1 billion at the box office in under three weeks. It wasn’t toppled until the age of The Avengers.
Movies-on-demand became a thing during the ‘00s too, thanks to five major Hollywood studios: Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Universal Studios, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Established through MovieLink, popular films were finally made available to viewers legally via the internet.
In 2001, Apple announced the launch of iTunes during the Macworld Expo in San Francisco, a software used to organize and play digital music and videos. Soon after, the company released the first iPod, an MP3 player that was capable of storing 1,000 to 2,000 songs and featured a 10-hour battery life. The first-generation iPod retailed at $399 for the 5GB model and $499 for the 10GB version.
The 2000s also marked the death of some popular names in the entertainment industry, including Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Anna Nicole Smith. Because of the circumstances surrounding each incident, their deaths were sensationalized in the media.
In 2007, Netflix launched the very first subscription service that offered legal video streaming of movies via a computer, without any ads. A year later, Hulu, another video website, launched with a similar service.
The 2000s was not without devastation. The 9/11 attacks and hurricane Katrina occurred during the decade. Then, in 2007, the deadliest school shooting in the history of the United States also took place at Virginia Tech.
In terms of politics, Barack Obama was sworn in as president of the United States in 2009, becoming the first African-American president in US history. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a popular Hollywood action film actor known for his movies such as The Terminator, Predator, and Total Recall, became the 38th Governor of California in 2003.
Avatar is a 2009 science fiction film by James Cameron. Set in the middle of the 22nd century, it tells the story of the Na’vi, a humanoid species found in Pandora, a habitable moon in the Alpha Centauri star system which humans are starting to colonize. Starring Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana, avatar refers to the genetically engineered Na’vi body created by humans and operated remotely. Development began way back in 1994, with filming scheduled to take place right after the release of Titanic. According to Cameron, however, he didn’t have the necessary technology available at the time to help him achieve his vision for the film, so production was delayed.
The film had an official budget of $237 million and made use of new techniques in terms of motion capture, specifically stereoscopic filmmaking which involves the use of stereopsis for binocular vision to enhance or create an illusion of image depth. It went on to make $2.79 billion at the box office, becoming the first film to achieve gross sales of over $2 billion in film history. It held the top spot for almost a decade as the highest-grossing movie worldwide. Avatar received nine Academy Award nominations, winning Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction.
The 2000s saw a rapid increase in the popularity of social media networks, one of which is Facebook, a site that is now one of the most widely used websites in the world. Despite its success, there have been several controversies surrounding its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. The Social Network portrays the story of the site’s beginnings and all the resulting lawsuits. Released in 2010 under the direction of David Fincher and based on a book by Ben Mezrich, it stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, and Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker. Mark Zuckerberg and other Facebook staff were not involved in the project but Saverin was consulted by Mezrich when he wrote the book.
On a budget of $40 million, the film went on to make $224.9 million at the box office. The film also received an approval rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. It is the third film in history to receive the “Big Four” critics awards, specifically the Best Picture from New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and National Society of Film Critics.
Released in 2008, this American war drama follows the story of an Iraqi War Explosive Ordnance Disposal team as they are targeted by a group of rebels. Starring Jeremy Renner, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Mackie, and Guy Pearce, it shows the characters as they struggle with the stress of combat and how it affects their mental health. The Hurt Locker premiered at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival before being released in the US in 2009 under Summit Entertainment.
The film had a budget of $15 million and earned $49.2 million from box office sales. It has received acclaim from critics, who praised not just the director and cast but the writing and action sequences too. The film received nine Academy Award nominations and won six, including Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay. It is also the first film directed by a female to win the Best Picture Award. Renner’s performance also received critical acclaim, with Richard Corliss from TIME Magazine calling it the film’s highlight.
Snatch is a British crime comedy film directed by Guy Ritchie. Released in 2000, the film is set in the criminal underworld of London and touches on two connected plots, one following the story of the search for a lost diamond and the second telling of a small-time boxing promoter who unwittingly finds himself entangled with the business of a ruthless gangster. The film features an ensemble cast, including Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro, and Jason Statham.
With a budget of $10 million, Snatch earned $83.6 million from the box office and also received positive critique. It received several nominations from different award bodies including Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Brad Pitt from the Awards Circuit Community Awards in 2000, Best Film Editing from the Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards in 2001, and Best Title Sequence at the Golden Trailer Awards in 2001.
Released in 2007, No Country For Old Men is a neo-Western, neo-noir crime thriller film based on a 2005 novel by Cormac McCarthy. It tells the story of a Vietnam war veteran and Texas welder during his life in the 1980s West-Texan desert. The cat and mouse thriller stars Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, and Javier Bardem, exploring themes such as conscience, fate, and circumstances and how these affect the characters.
The film was produced on a budget of $25 million, eventually making $171.6 million at the box office. It received 109 nominations from different award bodies and won 76 awards, including Best Director, Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor during the 80th Academy Awards. It was also deemed the best film of 2007 by the National Board of Review.
Peter Jackson was born on 31 October 1961 in Wellington, New Zealand. A family friend bought him a Super 8 movie camera when he was just eight years old, after having noticed that the youngster loved taking photos. Jackson used the camera to make his own movies and while these were only short, it was evident in his work that he had a talent for creating special effects at a low cost. At the age of 22, he produced an amateur film, Bad Taste, which was shown at the Cannes film festival and received acclaim and awards.
The film’s success opened the door for more opportunities at directing movies, the first of which was Dead Alive, Jackson’s first professionally made film that was released in 1992. He is perhaps best-known for helming The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with The Return of the King earning him and his cast and crew eleven Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture.
Martin Charles Scorsese was born on 17 November 1942 in Queens, New York City. Both his parents came from Palermo, Sicily and he was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, later on serving as the inspiration for some of his films. Scorsese earned his degree in film communications in 1964, after which he obtained his MA from the School of Film at New York University.
With several awards already under his belt, dating back to the ‘60s, Scorsese proved himself to be one of the best directors there is in the’ 00s with Gangs of New York, The Aviator, Shine A Light, and Shutter Island. He won his first Academy Award for Best Director in 2006 for The Departed and has received numerous accolades from other award bodies too.
Christopher Edward Nolan was born on 30 July 1970 in Westminster, London. He grew up in both London and Illinois and started making his own films at seven years of age with the help of his father’s Super 8 camera. Nolan’s vision in filmmaking is influenced primarily by Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. He even made a stop motion animation tribute to Star Wars called Space Wars, when he was just eight years old.
Nolan is widely known for his work on the Dark Knight trilogy, with his vision of making the comic-based films more gritty, relatable, and believable rather than fantasy-filled. Batman Begins, released in 2005, was received with critical acclaim and became the eighth top-grossing film in the US the same year.