Film Awards Show SF/F a Little Bit of Love (But Not Nearly Enough)
It’s been almost 12 years since a science fiction or fantasy film got any major love at Oscar time (and prior to that, it had been…uhm, basically never). Peter Jackson’s butt-busting adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s equally epic The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King went home with the Best Picture prize, and grabbed 10 others on the way out the door. It opened the door for other fantasy films, and proved that movies with geek cred would be forevermore taken seriously during Academy Awards season.
So, that’s a thing that hasn’t actually happened yet, and cries of “I AM GROOOOOT!” went up around the land this morning when the 2014 Oscar nominations were announced and Guardians of the Galaxy failed to earn a best picture nod, despite being one of the best-reviewed movies of the year. But who needs major awards, right? Genre movies are cleaning up at the box office these days.
While waiting on the fulfillment of that promise of respectability, we can take some small consolation in the fact that this year’s Oscar nominations didn’t entirely ignore the big sci-fi films of 2014. As usual, we must content ourselves with below-the-line tech nominations, which this year are totally dominated by films based on Marvel comics, along with the occasional disreputable hobbit and/or vengeful ape.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Visual Companion
Hardcover
$17.96
$19.95
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Visual Companion
By Jude Fisher
Hardcover
$17.96
$19.95
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
This series hasn’t had quite the cultural impact of Jackson’s earlier Lord of the Rings adaptations. Tolkien’s light and poignant fantasy The Hobbit has been re-worked into a series of three action-heavy, epic prequels, with results that pleased plenty but left others wishing they had stayed in the Shire with a nice cup of tea and a pipe. If there’s any disappointment behind the scenes, there’s probably solace to be had in this last film’s Best Sound Editing nomination, as well as box office returns in the zillions.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
This series hasn’t had quite the cultural impact of Jackson’s earlier Lord of the Rings adaptations. Tolkien’s light and poignant fantasy The Hobbit has been re-worked into a series of three action-heavy, epic prequels, with results that pleased plenty but left others wishing they had stayed in the Shire with a nice cup of tea and a pipe. If there’s any disappointment behind the scenes, there’s probably solace to be had in this last film’s Best Sound Editing nomination, as well as box office returns in the zillions.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
French writer Pierre Boulle was surprised when Hollywood called about his dry 1963 satire Monkey Planet. Rod Serling took Boulle’s parable about evolution and animal rights, added action and a Twilight Zone-esque twist ending, and inspired a franchise that’s still going (in movies, TV shows, comics, toys…). Boulle would likely be stunned to learn that the eighth (and not the last) film from that one book is made loads of money and snagged one of just two Best Visual Effects nominations that isn’t for a comic book movie.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
French writer Pierre Boulle was surprised when Hollywood called about his dry 1963 satire Monkey Planet. Rod Serling took Boulle’s parable about evolution and animal rights, added action and a Twilight Zone-esque twist ending, and inspired a franchise that’s still going (in movies, TV shows, comics, toys…). Boulle would likely be stunned to learn that the eighth (and not the last) film from that one book is made loads of money and snagged one of just two Best Visual Effects nominations that isn’t for a comic book movie.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
It’s a twisty-turny sci-fi conspiracy film, and one of the better movies of any type that came out this year. Perhaps Marvel was making a play for respectability by pulling in Robert Redford, but it’s Scarlett Johansson who owns this one. The tone, if not the precise plot, is borrowed from Ed Brubaker’s awesome and similarly genre-defying run on the comic book series.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
It’s a twisty-turny sci-fi conspiracy film, and one of the better movies of any type that came out this year. Perhaps Marvel was making a play for respectability by pulling in Robert Redford, but it’s Scarlett Johansson who owns this one. The tone, if not the precise plot, is borrowed from Ed Brubaker’s awesome and similarly genre-defying run on the comic book series.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios picked up a second Visual Effects nomination for Guardians, which could also go home with a Best Makeup and Hairstyling award. In a perfect world, a movie headlined by a surly raccoon and a tree that dances to Michael Jackson’s “I Want You Back” would be a lock for Best Picture, but our world is sadly not perfect. The Guardians have a long, venerable, and highly convoluted comic book history that goes back almost fifty years, and there isn’t really one single story or run that captures the feel of the movie. Prolific Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis has an accessible and new-ish series that offers some of the flavor.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios picked up a second Visual Effects nomination for Guardians, which could also go home with a Best Makeup and Hairstyling award. In a perfect world, a movie headlined by a surly raccoon and a tree that dances to Michael Jackson’s “I Want You Back” would be a lock for Best Picture, but our world is sadly not perfect. The Guardians have a long, venerable, and highly convoluted comic book history that goes back almost fifty years, and there isn’t really one single story or run that captures the feel of the movie. Prolific Marvel writer Brian Michael Bendis has an accessible and new-ish series that offers some of the flavor.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The seventh (and counting!) X-movie from 20th Century Fox is in for another effects nod. If it wins, it’ll probably be for that scene set to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” where Quicksilver (Even Peters) uses his super-speed to break Magneto, Professor X, and Wolverine out of the Pentagon. That scene is not in Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s comic story from 1981, but it’s still worth reading. It’s set in the unimaginably distant future world of 2013, while the movie zips around from 1973, to the present, to an unspecified but appropriately apocalyptic future.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
The seventh (and counting!) X-movie from 20th Century Fox is in for another effects nod. If it wins, it’ll probably be for that scene set to Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” where Quicksilver (Even Peters) uses his super-speed to break Magneto, Professor X, and Wolverine out of the Pentagon. That scene is not in Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s comic story from 1981, but it’s still worth reading. It’s set in the unimaginably distant future world of 2013, while the movie zips around from 1973, to the present, to an unspecified but appropriately apocalyptic future.
Big Hero 6
This kid-friendly hit is up for Best Animated Feature, and you might be surprised (as I was) to learn that this one’s based on a comic series from the late 1990s. Marvel didn’t seem very keen on pushing that connection when this one came out. It could be that, like many mainstream comics from the ’90s, they just weren’t very good…but as there are no collections print, that’s only conjecture.
Big Hero 6
This kid-friendly hit is up for Best Animated Feature, and you might be surprised (as I was) to learn that this one’s based on a comic series from the late 1990s. Marvel didn’t seem very keen on pushing that connection when this one came out. It could be that, like many mainstream comics from the ’90s, they just weren’t very good…but as there are no collections print, that’s only conjecture.
Snowpiercer
Finally, this US/South Korean production, based on a two-volume French graphic novel, received a nomination in the coveted Criminally Under-Appreciated category. Which is a category that I made up just now. Because the movie and the book are both really good.
Which geek film deserved a Best Picture nod?
Snowpiercer
Finally, this US/South Korean production, based on a two-volume French graphic novel, received a nomination in the coveted Criminally Under-Appreciated category. Which is a category that I made up just now. Because the movie and the book are both really good.
Which geek film deserved a Best Picture nod?