Science Fiction movies for the Oscar award
The real motives aren’t known for sure, maybe because of this they aren’t very well defined into critics minds, but it is well to know that Science Fiction movies have always been ignored in the race for the Oscar award at The Best Movie category. Probably we are talking about a very well buried and rooted pre-conception about those movies labeled pejorative as a “type”. Until recently the Science Fiction movies have been exclusively associated to those cinematographic categories bonded with latest technological innovations. And that’s all. The Oscars refused to make the next step in considering Science Fiction from the simple genre to the next level of perceiving them through a less blurred vision. Fans of this genre know that cinematographic history delivered periodically movies that, although had in essence the Science Fiction, those were more than that, those movies were complex and structured on many significance layers. Not even Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey didn’t get the great award, although both are movies that cross a lot over the simple “type” delimitation.
To maintain the direction opened by the predictions about the long expected cinematographic event, I propose you 5 “genre” movies, movies that could participate with dignity in the race for the grand award. I don’t say that they are better than the rest of movies which will be selected, or that they are the best movies of this year, I only say that they are good enough to pass the limits imposed by the “genre” of which coordinates they were made. Some, like Star Trek, although they don’t propose to be total movies, to absorb all adjacent genres and be reevaluated in function of who knows what brilliant idea, are very well made. Of course that everything depends on the relative option of each person, but, I believe that the moment to quit biases, elitism, and snobbery of the ones that want to give prestigious Oscar only to that dramatic, real, pertinent, human movie.
Here we come with the eligible 5 Science Fiction movies. If there are others, you are welcomed to propose and discus they validity in what concerns an eventual Oscar for The Best Movie.
Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, is one Science Fiction movie that makes you think. (I woun’t mention here the impressive acting of Sam Rockwell, which, unfortunately it certainly will not be named for the Best Actor Oscar award). The Science Fiction component is just a pretext to analyze the thoughts of an individual like any other, which wakes into a really tragic situation. I don’t tell anything more, for those who haven’t seen this movie…
The Road, directed by John Hillcoate, has many more reasons to enter in the famous race for the grand prize. First, it is an excellent movie. From begging to end. Very well structured, with a perfect dosed suspense and with a fundamental dramatic component. Exactly like in the case of Jones, The Road places human drama into a Science Fiction frame, leaving them to unfold for themselves. Secondly, the scenery based on quality literature, is very well articulated. And at last its distribution is simply amazing…
Avatar, directed by James Cameron, is from now on the lips of those who talk about the grands winners of the festival. Certainly, at least at Visual Effects category, it will surpass all other adversaries. Cameron is convinced that this “homeric” movie will establish new standards in visual excellence. We will have to see if the movie’s story can keep up with the alert rhythm of action scenes…
Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, could easily enter the race for Oscars for its “intellectual” quality built-in a fantastic universe. Very few times it happens for a movie to combine so balanced and efficient two vectors so different one of another. Some might say that it was way too “philosophic”, and that it stopped the action to run funny and smooth, that it wasn’t a balance between those two components apparently contradictory. We will see the jury’s opinion…
Star Trek, directed by J.J.Abrams, is a pure Science Fiction. Without proposing big jumps of “sophisticality”, this movie pushes Science Fiction at the limits of professionalism. Using other words as a “genre” it is a very well made movie…
