The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently released its shortlist picks for ten of the 23 Oscar categories, and fans of sci-fi, horror, and comic book movies can celebrate as two of this year’s biggest crowd-pleasers films – Alien: Romulus and Deadpool & Wolverine – made it on to multiple lists. Alien: Romulus is currently shortlisted for “Original Score,” “Sound,” and “Visual Effects,” while Deadpool & Wolverine made it into the “Sound” and “Visual Effects” categories. This news is sure to give fans hope that these films, as well as other genre films, will be nominated for these and more categories when the final list is announced on January 17, 2025. Even with just Alien: Romulus and Deadpool & Wolverine, has there ever been a bloodier Oscars shortlist?
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Other notable genre entries that made some of the category shortlists include: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (“Makeup and Hairstyling” and “Original Score”), Dune: Part Two (“Makeup and Hairstyling,” “Sound,” and “Visual Effects”), Nosferatu (“Makeup and Hairstyling” and “Original Score”), The Substance (“Makeup and Hairstyling”), and Joker: Folie à Deux (“Sound”).
Marvel fans should perhaps temper their hopes a bit as these shortlisted films are preliminary, as the final voting to determine the official nominees will take place between January 8 and January 12, 2025. These initial nods are promising, but it doesn’t mean that they’ll actually be nominated at the industry’s biggest awards show. Still, with Hugh Jackman’s performance as Wolverine receiving widespread acclaim, some fans are speculating about the potential for recognition in acting categories, as well.
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Since the Academy’s founding, films in the science fiction, horror, fantasy, and superhero genres have rarely been nominated outside of technical categories, with few exceptions. This is understandable to a certain extent, as these genres are often more associated with mass appeal than cinematic artistry. To many, these types of movies are celebrated more for their spectacle than, say, acting or writing or directing. But that doesn’t mean that these films are devoid of visionary merit. With the Academy’s shortlist announcement, here’s hoping they’re finally starting to recognize that movies about aliens, superpowers, and vampires are capable of the same level of brilliance often found in Oscar favorites like dramas, biopics, and historical films.
Below is a partial list of shortlisted films:
Makeup and Hairstyling
- The Apprentice
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- A Different Man
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia PĂ©rez
- Maria
- Nosferatu
- The Substance
- Waltzing with Brando
- Wicked
Original Score
- Alien: Romulus
- Babygirl
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
- Blink Twice
- Blitz
- The Brutalist
- Challengers
- Conclave
- Emilia PĂ©rez
- The Fire Inside
- Gladiator II
- Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
- Inside Out 2
- Nosferatu
- The Room Next Door
- Sing Sing
- The Six Triple Eight
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
- Young Woman and the Sea
Sound
- Alien: Romulus
- Blitz
- A Complete Unknown
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Dune: Part Two
- Emilia PĂ©rez
- Gladiator II
- Joker: Folie Ă Deux
- Wicked
- The Wild Robot
Visual Effects
- Alien: Romulus
- Better Man
- Civil War
- Deadpool & Wolverine
- Dune: Part Two
- Gladiator II
- Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
- Mufasa: The Lion King
- Twisters
- Wicked
