“Interstellar,” “Apes” Hopeful for Best Visual Effects Nods
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today the films eligible for this year’s Best Visual Effects category. The 10 films left in contention are listed down below alphabetically.
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Godzilla
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Interstellar
- Maleficent
- Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
- Transformers: Age of Extinction
- X-Men: Days of Future Past
Only five films out of the ten will be nominated for the category. Out to the 10 contenders, Interstellar and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are the two locks for nomination. The category winner for the past six years has also been nominated for Best Picture. Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is the only film here in contention for the top prize. Granted, Interstellar hasn’t received the strong reviews Inception (also from Nolan) had back in 2010.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes also received praise earlier this year for its advancement in motion capture. A nomination here would be a second for the rebooted franchise. Rise of the Planet of the Apes received a nomination three years ago, only to lose to Hugo.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies could see itself score a nomination as well. So far, every Peter Jackson Middle-earth film has been nominated. All three Lord of the Rings films took home the awards in consecutive years. An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug garnered nominations only to fall short to Life of Pi and Gravity respectively.
The last two slots are anyone’s guess. Transformers has been nominated twice before (Revenge of the Fallen being the exception). Audience favorite, Guardians of the Galaxy shouldn’t be underestimated either. The Marvel film has become an overnight sensation, now as the top domestic film of 2014. Surprisingly absent from the list are Edge of Tomorrow, Exodus: Gods and Kings and Snowpiercer.
The five nominations will be announced Thursday, January 15, 2015. The 87th Academy Awards is set for February 22, 2015.
Sound off down below which films should be nominated next month. Which films should have made the shortlist?
