The Oscars, or the Academy Awards, are quite possibly one of the most prestigious international awarding bodies for film and motion pictures in history. They are a highly sought-after, world-renowned commodity for creators of all kinds, as well as actors and directors alike. Historically, the Oscars have been known to favor certain genres over others. Films that win more awards tend to include dramatizations adapted from literary classics, as well as movies incorporating elements of romance, history, and biography. This kind of highbrow mentality towards movies has long-established a precedent to exclude the less realism-focused classifications in the past. Genre fiction, like fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and action-adventures, don’t receive nominations as often.
There have been exceptions to the general rule, including Peter Jackson’sThe Lord of the Rings.His adaptation of Tolkien’s trilogyis to this day among the most critically acclaimed movies ever. The films won 17 Oscars across the trilogy, and in the category of fantasy no less. This astounding victory in such an unusual sub-genre has since paved the way for a host of other formerly less successful movie categories to come into serious contention for the awards. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has slowly gained nominations for Oscars, after the success ofBlack Panther, many fans hope that more of the Marvel films will gain this kind of recognition. And with a recent rise in achievements and nominations in the science fiction world, die-hard fans have high hopes that this special genre may finally be gaining the prestige that it deserves.
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One of the most recent successes in sci-fi film was the 2021 filmDune.The adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel received an incredible 6 Oscars, including Sound, Visual Effects, Cinematography, Production Design, Editing and Musical Score. (It didnot take home Best Director, however.)Duneis a story of politics, war, and a fight for resources, set amid several beautifully designed alien planets and races. This advanced world celebratesall the best tropes of sci-fi that make the genre so popular. The story captivates audiences with futuristic technology, the heir to a prophecy who cannot escape his fate, and a host of terrifying creatures like the sandworms.
After the prestige gained by this unique film at the Oscars, fans are hopeful that Dennis Villenueve willadapt more of the Dune Saga from books to films. Many believe that the success of the movies may continue to popularize the science fiction industry among acclaimed channels. Seeing the oddities dreamed up by author Frank Herbert on the big screen, slowly descending into the madness his narrative often falls into, will be a sight to behold.
There has also been recent hype around thepossibility of an Oscar win forEverything Everywhere All At Once. This comedy-drama is set across a multidimensional backdrop, where one woman must save the world by uniting all of her possible selves across all the alternate lives she could have led. It’s an interesting example what makes sci-fi an incredibly broad genre. This movie doesn’t incorporate any of the typical stereotypes that this category has become known for, like aliens or intergalactic travel, futuristic abstract technology, or time travel. But it does touch upon physics, interdimensional travel, and the molecular fabric that makes up our world.
It’s a different kind of sci-fi, but scientific nonetheless. Sci-fi literally means fictional scientific possibilities originating within real-world scientific theories (no matter how wacky they might be), andEverything Everywhere All At Oncefits the bill. The most obvious view of the genre is films likeStar WarsandStar Trek.The outer-space aspect of science fiction has produced later successful and critically acclaimed space movies likeArrivalandGravity(both also Oscar winners). That opens the genre to include other movies that include a different kind of scientific basis, likeJurassic Parkor even the newerJurassic World,which touch on the science of biology and evolution. With this growing understanding of what science fiction can be, the category has a far greater chance of gaining that prestige that the Oscars so seldom affords to less mainstream creations.
The broadening of scope for the Oscars is an unprecedented but exciting eventuality. It creates hope for future filmmakers everywhere thatless recognized themes like horrorand comedy will gain prestige as well. Such genres are incredibly popular and sought after in terms of fandom, but have never achieved that highbrow recognition that keeps them continually snubbed by the Oscars.
At the end of the day, however, some of the best films in history have been left out by the esteemed golden hands of the Oscar award (or even being well received at the box office). Films such asCitizen Kaneand evenThe Breakfast Club, which today are seen as some of the best examples of filmmaking in history, never received the prestigious award. An Oscar award doesn’t always equal a great film, but it’s nice to see a move towards recognizing greatness in these generally underappreciated genres.
