It’s often said the loudest film nominated for Best Sound at the Oscars is the one that wins, but that certainly wasn’t the case last year. With its ingenious use of purposely distorted sound design, Sound of Metal proved to be an inspired choice. But we’re likely heading back to a loud, bombastic blockbuster again this year with the film you’re going to hear a lot about in these tech category predictions.
Yes, Best Sound is one of many technical awards where Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is the current frontrunner. And it’s likely where it will remain all season. Its sound design team is led by Mark Mangini, who already has five Oscar nominations and one win in 2016 for Mad Max: Fury Road to his name. Is Mangini practically unbeatable at this point? Perhaps, but let’s try and make this race interesting.
Sound mixing and editing are hugely technical in a big, lavish musical, so the main contender to Dune may just be West Side Story. Best Sound was one of the ten Oscars the 1961 adaptation took home, so history is on its side. That may also bode well for another musical adaptation, Tick, Tick… BOOM!, which is still yet to be seen, so its awards season chances remain unknown.
And, of course, there’s a stack of other blaring blockbusters vying for contention including The Matrix Resurrections, No Time to Die, Eternals, and The Last Duel. There’s also a strong chance A Quiet Place Part II could replicate the 2018 nomination of its predecessor. Paramount is devoid of any awards contenders this year, so it’s the one category they could chase.
BEST SOUND PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune (Warner Bros.)
2. West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
3. No Time to Die (Universal Pictures)
4. Belfast (Focus Features)
5. The Matrix Resurrections (Warner Bros.)
IN CONTENTION
Don’t Look Up (Netflix)
Encanto (Disney)
Eternals (Disney)
The Harder They Fall (Netflix)
King Richard (Warner Bros.)
The Last Duel (20th Century Studios)
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight Pictures)
A Quiet Place Part II (Paramount Pictures)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Tick, Tick… BOOM! (Netflix)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (A24/Apple TV+)