Best Visual Effects: Ranking Every Oscar Nominee
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
We have finally reached the final tech category of this year’s Academy Awards. I’ll cover the two big acting awards early next week, and then it’ll be time to go over all of the awards that award entire films (short or feature), as well as Best Director right before my Best Picture reveal (saved for last: something I wish last year’s Oscars believed in). Let’s get back to business. This year’s visual effects category is stacked. Considering that two Marvel properties made it, that alone has made the competition tough. Toss in a Bond film, a meta action flick, and the year’s biggest blockbuster juggernaut, and you have five nominees that I can’t argue against being here. Here are your nominees.
Biggest Snub: Eternals
While it may be silly to have three Marvel films here, I’m still selecting Eternals as my pick for the biggest snub of the shortlist (otherwise, I’d opt for The Green Knight here, but that film wasn’t even considered here). I feel like the critical backlash of Eternals got in the way of how great some of its effects were, especially the variety of creations we saw. Nonetheless, do I really think any of the five nominees were undeserving? No, but I wanted to have a snub here anyway just to provide additional shoutouts.
5. No Time to Die-Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
When No Time to Die is least in such a category, you know it’s competitive. The reason why I’ve placed the latest Bond film here is because the other four films rely on their CGI much more. In No Time to Die, the CGI mostly compliments the actual stunts and action really nicely, and the big climax is one of the more blatant displays of generated effects (what a bittersweet moment). On the other hand, if it’s tough to pick apart what is practical and what is CGI, then No Time to Die has done a strong enough job to warrant being here (also see my top pick for something similar).
4. Free Guy-Sven Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
Of course Free Guy wound up here. It’s almost exclusively CGI at times, and the myriad of little video game flourishes make this a visual effects exposition. I feel like some of the effects — while intentional — aimed to be a bit fake looking, as to pertain to the fake world we are watching. That’s not a complaint, but when the top three nominations try to feel as real as possible and have gone the extra mile in a different way, then I have to consider this. Free Guy is still fantastically assembled via CGI, and I don’t want its low ranking to make you feel otherwise.
3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings-Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
The one film I was really hoping would be here was Shang-Chi, which was a typical Marvel film in this area for the majority of its run time (so it’s already well made, given Marvel’s track record). Once we enter a new world of mythical creatures and massive storms, Shang-Chi becomes a whole new fantasy style epic I wasn’t even bargaining for, and it was an absolute effects spectacle. I’m so happy that the film is here (you never know with so many Marvel and franchise films popping up).
2. Spider-Man: No Way Home-Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick
As soon as you involve Dr. Strange, you’re a shoo-in to be nominated in this category. While that’s great already, No Way Home also beautifully blends a plethora of Spider-Man baddies (most of whom rely on CGI) into one palette of destruction, and the battle sequences (any and all of them) are quite brilliant. If a certain other film wasn’t released this year, I’d actually say that No Way Home has a chance of winning this thing. It’s an absolute circus act of CGI artistry.
1. Dune-Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
I promise that this is the last of the Dune takeover of all of these rankings, but I’ve ended off on the award that I think Dune deserves to win the most. When you can’t tell what’s practical and what’s CGI (outside of massive sandworms, I suppose, which are impeccably made in their own right), then that’s already a winner in my eyes when it’s on the level of this film. I already think this 2021 version of Dune contains some of the best visual effects I’ve ever seen. Ever. It will be talked about in the same way that the Lord of the Rings trilogy was when it comes to generated and practical effects. I don’t think I have anything else to say.
Who I want to win: Dune. Next.
Who I think will win: Dune. See you all on Monday.
Tune in next Monday for our next Academy Award category! We’re reviewing every single nominee on every weekday.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.