The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science has tightened the race to ten finalists for the Outstanding Visual Effects category in the 2018 race, including last-minute entryStar Wars: The Last Jedi. Among the films making the cut are visual feasts likeBlade Runner 2049,Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, andGuardians of the Galaxy, as well as less fantastical films likeOkjaandDunkirk.
War for the Planet of the Apes, which has some of the most stunning, emotional and photo-real motion capture work of all time, may seem like a shoo-in, but the Apes films have historically been shut out at the Oscars and though both of the last two installments were nominated, neither took home the prize. Likewise for Marvel, which has yet to win an Academy Award in any category, despite multiple nominations in the VFX race. The last superhero movie to win the effects prize wasSpider-Man 2in 2005.
In the years since, the award has trended toward best picture nominees likeThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button,Hugo, andGravity. However, the last two winners have bucked that trend.Ex Machinatook home the prize in 2016 andThe Jungle Bookwon earlier this year, so perhaps the 2018 prize will offer up another surprise.
Here’s the full list of films advancing in the 2018 visual effects category:
Alien: Covenant
Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
War for the Planet of the Apes
The Academy previously announced 20 films that were under consideration earlier this month. That list includedBeauty and the Beast,Ghost in the Shell,Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,Justice League,Life,Logan,Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,Spider-Man Homecoming,Thor: RagnarokandWonder Woman.
For more on the 2018 Oscar race, click through the links below.
