I may not have been as high on the film as the general film-lover audience, but Annihilation deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Or at least sound editing, for that bear-monster foley…

Instead we have Ready Player One getting a nomination for Most CGI Effects.

The Nominees:

• Avengers: Infinity War
• Christopher Robin
• First Man
• Ready Player One
• Solo: A Star Wars Story

Will Win: First Man

Could Win: Avengers: Infinity War

Dark Horse: Christopher Robin

This isn’t the most clear-cut race of the night. Most of these films carry a similar level of computer effects. First Man has the most distinct visual work of the five, and it is also perhaps the most subtle.But if it comes down to quantity over quality, as sometimes is the case, then Avengers could take it. The sci-fi CGI visuals of Avengers stands out more than Ready Player One and Solo, both of which are not exactly Oscar-caliber films (not that such a subjective association matters much).

Christopher Robin stands out for its visuals, but there is some uncanny valley action going on with those plush toys come to life.

In truth, this batch of five is somewhat strange. The more obvious blockbuster choices will likely act to cancel each other out. I hate to beat a dead horse, but a film like Annihilation or Black Panther in the mix would make this race a lot different. Alex Garland’s film Ex Machina won the award, and Black Panther is the mix of visual-forward film and award contender that could beat out the competition.

As the race is, though, it is somewhat of a toss-up. First Man does not seem like the likely winner when other films have decidedly more visual effects. But among the five, it stands out.

 

As always, thanks for reading!

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—Alex Brannan (@TheAlexBrannan)