With the Oscars shortlists unveiled in late December, we now know the final 10 films in official contention for the five nomination spots for Best Visual Effects. While all four of this year’s Marvel Cinematic Universe releases made the shortlist, there was no room for the year’s other comic book adaptations, The Suicide Squad and Venom 2: Let There Be Carnage.
It would seem unfathomable that at least one of the MCU titles won’t nab a nomination. When faced with multiple Marvel contenders, the Academy tends to just pick one. The last time they nominated two Marvel films in the same year was in 2014 when both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy scored nods. I think we’ll see a repeat of that and both Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will make it through.
With its staggering box office and critical acclaim, Spider-Man: No Way Home could be the main challenger to an award Dune has essentially had its name on since the film dropped its first trailer way back in 2020. Do I think it actually has a chance to score an upset win? Well, no. This race was really over before it even began, but Spidey is in with a mild chance for an upset.
Any of the films outside of my top five could easily make it in. The Visual Effects Society’s nominations in mid-January may make this race a little clearer. There’s nothing on the shortlist that would ultimately be a surprise nomination similar to Love and Monsters last year. No Time to Die performed extremely well with the shortlists, so that’s probably the likeliest to break into the final five.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS PREDICTIONS:
1. Dune (Warner Bros.)
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Sony Pictures)
3. The Matrix Resurrections (Warner Bros.)
4. Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros.)
5. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Disney)
IN CONTENTION
Black Widow (Disney)
Eternals (Disney)
Free Guy (Disney)
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Sony Pictures)
No Time to Die (MGM)