Finally, the Oscars Will Now Have the ‘Best Stunts in a Movie’ Award

This is great news for all the stunt performers working in the movies; their efforts and hard work will now pay off. They will now be recognized and admired, and their faces will now be revealed in front of the whole world. After all, the Oscars will not have the ‘Best Stunts in a Movie’ category.

It is a great development in the Hollywood world and the movie industry. ‘Stunts’ have always remained one of the major aspects that played a huge role in the success of Hollywood movies. However, despite putting in the most effort and risking their lives, stunt performers never received the limelight. Their work never received the due credit as it should.

Now, with the Oscar award for best stunts in a movie, the stunt performers are likely to get the due reward.

Almost every other movie nowadays is fully action-packed. Such movies are high-budgeted, commercial, and do the most business at the box office that involves high-voltage stunts and scenes. There are many times you will see big actors and stuntmen riding motorbikes at full speed and doing acrobats in action movies.

You must have also seen those action-oriented high-speed bike scenes where villains chase the main hero. Most of the time, there are stunt doubles who either look alike or are made to look the same as the hero. There are also some cases where the main actors have played action scenes by themselves or ride bikes rashly to avoid getting caught by the enemies.

On one end, there is an award for the best VFX effects and CGI used in the movies. Many movies have been acclaimed as the best and most advanced movies of all time for their superior graphics and effects. One such great example is the “Avatar”.

On the other end, most action thrillers, instead of using effects and CGI, are based on real stunts to make them look genuine. Viewers connect more with the scenes and movies where stunts are real. Movies, such as the all-time favorite Tom Cruise series, “Mission Impossible”, “Mad Max”, and “Fast and Furious”, are among the top motorbike and car action-pack thrillers. Tom Cruise is known for performing most of the stunts in his movies.

It is good news for those stunt performers who have been putting their lives at risk for the movies. However, it will take time. The authority has decided to officially add this category after three years on the occasion of the 100th Academy Award in 2028.

The category for the best stunt design has been long due, and much effort has been made to bring it to the mainstream. The community didn’t recognize stunt performance as a true form of art, and those who have been in this department know how tough it is to perform real stunts in the movies.

Actors like Tom Cruise have played a vital role in putting more pressure to introduce this category. The stunt community of Hollywood, including the stunt designers, directors, and stunt doubles, gave it all to make critics introduce the stunt design category. After years of neglect, finally, the Oscar will now have the ‘best stunt design in a movie’ category to honor those who put everything at stake to make movies look real.

However, the stunt community will have to wait until 2028 to get the first award. Though announced, the critics or jury haven’t decided the criteria regarding who will be the nominees and the general winning benchmark.

For example, who will get the award? Will it be the stunt director or the stunt double who performed the stunt? Or will it be the whole movie and everyone involved in the picture will get the Oscar award? It is quite unclear and will require time to decide.

Though it is sad to hear that the Best Stunt Design award will be introduced in 2028, it is good to know that the movie industry is finally going in the right direction. It was a much-awaited and long-due step that must have been taken long ago. Stunt performers in Hollywood movies are a great asset. Without them, our movies will not look as good and real as they do.