With the unveiling of the Academy’s shortlists, we now know the final 10 films in contention for Best Visual Effects. While the news had already leaked before the announcement, we now have official confirmation that Oppenheimer will not be a part of this race. Given the film’s reliance on physical/in-camera effects, I had feared this may occur but still thought the Academy was wise enough to recognise visual effects aren’t just created with CGI. Alas, it was not to be and this race is now wide open without its presumptive frontrunner.
So just who is our new leader? Well, the smart money would be on something as CGI-heavy as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. In its 15-year history, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has earned 14 nominations in this category but never won. Both Guardians films were previously nominated, so could this finally be the year the most successful franchise of all time becomes an Oscar winner for visual effects?
Or maybe it’s Gareth Edwards The Creator that’s now in the lead. The film wasn’t particularly well received by critics or audiences, but it’s hard to deny it didn’t feature glorious visuals. Perhaps it’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, which would join The Nightmare Before Christmas, Kubo and the Two Strings, and The Lion King (the “live-action” one) as the fourth animated film nominated in this category. A win would be a first for animation.
But I think the real dark horse here is Godzilla Minus One. The film became an unexpected box office smash over the holidays and has a stunning Rotten Tomatoes rating of 98%. With Oppenheimer out of the running, this category is ripe for a victory from a little contender that could. That contender might just be this Japanese kaiju film.
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS PREDICTIONS:
1. The Creator (20th Century Studios) – CCA
2. Godzilla Minus One (Toho)
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Walt Disney Studios) – CCA
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures) – CCA
5. Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures) – CCA
IN CONTENTION
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount Pictures) – CCA
Napoleon (Sony Pictures / Apple Original Films)
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire (Netflix)
Society of the Snow (Netflix)
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