Why The Oscars Hate Sci-Fi

Ben Franchi ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Photo Credit: Marvel.
Chris Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Photo Credit: Marvel.

In an age where science fiction and superheroes dominate the silver screen, award shows are beginning to show an unpleasant trend in their selections. The concept “Sci-Fi Ghetto,” in which fantasy and sci-fi movies are looked down upon, has taken strength in recent years. More often than not, it is the low-key, angst-ridden pieces that take the stage over the bombastic, fun-for-all flicks that dominate the summer box offices. One of the reasons that Aliens is so renowned in the sci-fi world is due to Sigourney Weaver’s nomination for Best Actress, not even a win. Lord of The Rings is another contender for the Awards, a trilogy of incredible scale, needed such force to get its props. Heath Ledger receives a posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight. Yet this year, movies such as the acclaimed left-field hit Guardians of the Galaxy or the dramatic step-up Captain America: The Winter Soldier will go unnoticed by the elite, the big shots, as such films have many times before.

So, what is the reason for this egregious trend? Well, one of the reasons might lie in the way that the movies present themselves. Summer blockbusters like The Avengers aim to please the audience on an adrenal and visceral level. Cool effects, snappy dialogue, and extreme action scenes are potato chips to the general audience, not to mention the appeal to all ages. More artistic films such as Whiplash and Birdman leave odd tastes in the mouths of their viewers, they take approaches not seen before, make the audience feels things that one wouldn’t normally feel such as sadness, confusion in the character’s stories. They aren’t what is expected, and thus that makes them special. Another reason for the success of more artistic films over popular movies might lie in their experimental approaches, doing things that haven’t been done before. Comic book movies (with viable exceptions) all come with humor and fun, but they also tread down the same visual and narrative paths. Artistic films, be it in their cinematic style or narrative conventions, are usually outside the box, making the audience need to digest what they have been presented with.

At the end of the day, the big question is whether or not these trends are acceptable or appropriate. Should the Academy continue to eschew popular films for artistic ones? Would they create categories for these fun films? Would it be basic pandering for a single group? The answer lies in what the audience wants. The main difference is whether or not the audience wants to be entertained or stimulated. Both have their merits, and both have their detractions, and no single person should be able to tell the difference. If that was the case, then popular opinion on movies would be decided by a man in a room, making decisions for the rest to follow. If the Academy starts putting fun movies into their Award decisions, then that will be the result of what is popular at the time, a decision made by the zeitgeist of the cinematic world, and that is out of people’s control.

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