Summer blockbusters rarely make a huge impression at the Oscars. Usually it’s a Visual Effects nomination, or something for sound, but even those are saved for more Oscar friendly movies. For example, The Avengers became the 3rd highest grossing film last year, however at the Oscars they were delegated a single nomination for Best Visual Effects. Now, we weren’t expecting a Best Picture nomination, but the lack of tech nominations was a little shocking.
Another summer movie Pacific Rim was expected to reap at least 3 nominations, but ended up being completely snubbed. The question is why? These films had the buzz and the acclaim. The Avengers achieved a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Pacific Rim received a 72%. However, it seems that there is a certain bias against big budget sci-fi and fantasy movies in the Academy, although Gravity did perfectly fine.
What makes Godzilla unique is its position as one of the best summer blockbusters in years, as some critics put it. It’s also a clear technical achievement, but it may suffer the same fate as Pacific Rim and The Avengers because it doesn’t look like everything else nominated. Many critics complemented the human drama involved, but in the end it is a clear monster movie. While it may receive a Visual Effects nomination, the sound categories, film editing, cinematography, and production design seem out of the question.
The one time we’ve seen a sort of monster movie succeed at the Oscars is in 2005 with King Kong. It was nominated for Visual Effects, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Production Design, winning all but the last. Could the more unconventional Godzilla achieve this? Maybe. Only time will tell.
At this early stage we could very well see Godzilla do well in the technical fields, but if any clear alternatives emerge, such as Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, then the chances for it to receive more than a Visual Effects nomination become more slim.
Hey, I'm Karl, founder and film critic at Smash Cut. I started Smash Cut in 2014 to share my love of movies and give a perspective I haven't yet seen represented. I'm also an editor at The New York Times, a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, and a member of the Online Film Critics Society.