With the amount of big blockbusters there were this year – films full of explosions, magic spells and other worlds meticulously rendered onscreen – I’ve been looking forward to seeing which of those films will get recognition at the Oscars. And, in the only category you’re likely to see many of the summer ’09 films in is undoubtedly the Best Visual Effects category, which in the past few years has included Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Superman Returns.
The Academy of Motion Picture Art And Sciences has today announced the shortlist for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. The list has seven films on it, which will then be whittled down to three and those will be announced along with the rest of the nominees on February 2nd. Here are the seven films:
- Avatar
- District 9
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Star Trek
- Terminator Salvation
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- 2012
Take away your opinion of the films overall, and that’s a pretty darn impressive list when it comes to special effects, I think you’ll agree. 2009 was certainly a great year for visual effects, from the low-budget to mega-budget movies. It’s really tough to narrow the list down, but if I had to choose three to be nominated, I would pick District 9 (astonishing effects for the fairly low $30 million budget), 2012 (messy destruction flawlessly visualized) and Avatar (the technology employed to achieve the effects makes it an absolute no-brainer).
As for what I think will actually get nominated, I think my personal picks will stand except for 2012 – I think Transformers 2 might get nominated in place of it.
In your opinion which of those seven movies should be nominated for their visual effects?
As stated, all the nominees for the Oscars this year will be announced on February 2nd.
