When creating a budget for a film production, organizers divide costs into two categories: above-the-line and below-the-line. Looking at a film budget’s top sheet, a literal line typically divides these two distinctions.
Above-the-line costs are generally referred to as a production’s “creative costs,” an imprecise (and, one could argue, exclusionary) way to refer to the cost of producers, directors, writers and actors. Above-the-line positions are associated with more significant costs. Below-the-line costs, in contrast, include the other technical and day-to-day positions: editors, sound engineers, effects artists and more.
Like the categories mentioned in my previous article, the below-the-line Oscar races give the Academy the chance to recognize films that may otherwise miss out on nominations. These categories often recognize superior blockbuster filmmaking, for example. While they may not be as flashy as the above-the-line categories to the average viewer, the below-the-line races still offer plenty of excitement and surprises. “The Zone of Interest” winning Best Sound over “Oppenheimer” last year, for example, strikes me as one of the most significant and exciting Oscar races of the decade.
In this series for Ampersand, I will break down every category for the 2025 Academy Awards. In each category, I will evaluate the individual nominees and predict the eventual winner. Though only Best Picture utilizes a preferential ballot for Oscar voting, I will include what my preferential ballot would be for every category if I were a voter. Finally, I will share what my five alternate nominees would be if I had to create an entirely new lineup.
Best Cinematography
The Nominees: “The Brutalist,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Maria,” “Nosferatu”
Predicted Winner: “The Brutalist”
This year, Best Cinematography features a stellar line-up of several equally deserving nominees. “The Brutalist” stands at the head of the pack, and for good reason. Lol Crawley beautifully captures both the scope and the intimacy of Brady Corbet’s American epic, creating a film that looks like a blockbuster on a relatively shoestring budget of $10 million. As a still image, the shot of the upside-down Statue of Liberty became instantly iconic; in the context of the film, Crawley’s camerawork here is nothing short of masterful.
I am always impressed when the Academy recognizes sole elements of films that otherwise go uncelebrated. In nominating Ed Lachman’s work as director of photography for “Maria,” the voting body identified exemplary work in an uneven film. Lachman — a four-time nominee with a 50-year body of work — captures the life of Maria Callas with rich, portrait-like photography that stuns in every shot. I may not like the movie as a whole, but Lachman cracks my dream line-up for this year’s Cinematography category.
The two fantastical films on this list, “Dune: Part II” and “Nosferatu,” are also strong additions. Greig Fraser quickly rose as one of my favorite working directors of photography when it comes to sci-fi/fantasy. His work on “Dune: Part II” once again makes Arrakis and its universe feel detailed and expansive, with the introduction of Feyd-Rautha as a gladiator on the infrared, monochromatic planet Giedi Prime being particularly breathtaking. Jarin Blaschke’s work on “Nosferatu” marks Crawley’s greatest competition, portraying the dark, nightmarish world of Count Orlok with depth and surrealism. I’ve never been so sucked into a depiction of smoking on screen.
While I knew the film had support across the industry, I am somewhat surprised to see “Emilia Pérez” represented in this category over “Conclave.” While Paul Guilhaume’s work on “Emilia Pérez” is arguably one of the film’s stronger elements, it doesn’t hold a candle to Stéphane Fontaine’s rendering of “Conclave.” Alongside director Edward Berger, Fontaine elevates a sometimes schlocky story into a religious experience, portraying the cardinals’ campaign as portraiture.
I expected the miss to come, but I still don’t understand how Jomo Fray’s exemplary work on “Nickel Boys” failed to earn a nomination this year. It sounds silly to say that one film relies more on its cinematography than another, yet I cannot overstate how important Fray’s use of the camera is to this film. Fray and director RaMell Ross (more on him later) completely shake up audiences’ understanding of how stories like this can be told through an innovative perspective that far surpasses being a simple gimmick. I’d argue “Nickel Boys” should win 2025’s cinematography award, and its total exclusion from the category astounds me.
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom deserves recognition for having one hell of a year in 2024 — the director of photography shot “Challengers,” “Grand Tour,” “Queer” and “Trap” all for release in the same year. Though I love his work in both of Luca Guadagnino’s pictures, I found Mukdeeprom’s cinematography in “Queer” incredibly moving. It’s one of the elements of the film I connected with most, and I must select it as the DP’s delegate for 2024.
My Preferential Ballot: “Nosferatu,” “The Brutalist,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Maria,” “Emilia Pérez”
My Alternate Nominees: “Conclave,” “The Girl with the Needle,” “I Saw the TV Glow,” “Nickel Boys,” “Queer”
Best Costume Design
The Nominees: “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Gladiator II,” “Nosferatu,” “Wicked”
Predicted Winner: “Wicked”
“Wicked” wins a numbers game in the costumes category, with principal designer Paul Tazewell creating a vast array of intricate looks and outfits worn by citizens throughout Oz. Tazewell and company dress their characters in a variety of styles, ranging from austere to bizarre, that capture the essence of the wonderful wizard’s world well. Best Costume Design will be both a highly likely and well deserved win for “Wicked” this Sunday.
In closest competition with “Wicked,” I admire the work of principal costume designer Linda Muir in “Nosferatu.” Director Robert Eggers prides himself on bringing a level of historical accuracy to his film, and Muir’s intricate costuming helps make the world of “Nosferatu” feel lived-in and real. The pair worked together on all four of Eggers’ features. Like almost every production element in “Nosferatu,” the costumes are highly considered and, at the same time, seamless.
Again, “The Brutalist” must be recognized for doing a lot with a little. Kate Forbes reveals character through costuming throughout the epic, simultaneously delivering a wide array of period-accurate clothing on a tight budget. It astounds me that the Academy skipped on Massimo Cantini Parrini’s work in “Maria,” another period piece with a vast amount of stunning outfits for its titular star.
In the previous category, I spoke about rewarding good work in bad movies. Though Milena Canonero already has nine nominations (and four wins) for costume design, I do believe her work in “Megalopolis” earns another round of recognition. I have many, many issues with the movie, but Canonero’s clothing is not one of them.
My Winner: “Wicked”
My Alternates: “The Brutalist,” “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Maria,” “Megalopolis”
Best Film Editing
The Nominees: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked”
Predicted Winner: “Anora”
Sean Baker has the chance to tie the record for the most Oscar wins in a single night for a single individual. While Walt Disney currently holds the record at four wins in 1953, he achieved this feat with four different films. Bong Joon-ho nearly tied this achievement in 2020 when “Parasite” won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature; however, the International Feature win technically went to the country of South Korea, with Joon-ho simply accepting the statue on their behalf. As such, Baker could break the record for most wins in a single night for a single film by winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editor.
I struggle to believe that Baker will pull all of these off. In several of these categories, his chances seem to be a coin flip at best. Baker will, however, likely need to win in a few places to bring Best Picture home at the end of the night — an award I am confident he will leave Dolby Theater with.
Many pundits believe “Conclave” editor Nick Emerson will take home the prize. Emerson boosted his portfolio when he won Best Editing at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards. With the American Cinema Editors Awards set to take place after the Oscars ceremony (and with “Anora” and “Conclave” competing on that night in separate categories), this BAFTA win marks the strongest precursor we have in this category. However, it should be noted that “Conclave” — a British film — performed well at this ceremony in general, winning both Best Film and Outstanding British Film.
The BAFTA precursor carries some weight in “Conclave’s” favor, as 12 of the past 20 BAFTA winners in the category won Best Editing at the Oscars. However, when you look at the eight times the two ceremonies did not line up, five of them feature BAFTA editing winners that, like “Conclave,” were also nominated for Outstanding British Film. One of the remaining three, “Baby Driver,” was directed by British filmmaker Edgar Wright. This shows that a BAFTA editing win for a British film like “Conclave” may not signal an Oscar editing win quite so accurately.
Both “Anora” and “Conclave” boast strong editing, and either one would make a good winner. I find myself more drawn to “Anora,” in which Baker’s cutting boosts his comedy while also keeping the story moving. In my review of the film, I called attention to a centerpiece sequence in which the title character first meets the gang of men working for her new husband’s parents — Baker’s editing racks the humor and the tension in a truly dynamic sequence.
Often, film editing gets misconstrued as an exercise in trimming: short movies are quality, while long movies need another pass. It’s a faulty metric, and I find pacing to be a much better barometer. “The Brutalist” may be 214 minutes long, but Dávid Jancsó’s editorial hand keeps the film moving and coherent. In my own line-up of five, Jancsó would surely be included. While some sequences feature odd edits and sluggish pacing, I think “Wicked” editor Myron Kerstein similarly does a good job at keeping the musical from feeling its length.
I once again struggle with the inclusion of “Emilia Pérez” on this list. This is certainly the most maximalist entry in the category, with Juliette Welfling including some flashy editorial choices that often play well in the Best Editing race; however, I found many of the film’s edits to be distracting and several of its sequences to be poorly paced. There are several nominees I’d love to see in this line-up instead, Marco Costa’s kinetic work on “Challengers” chief among them.
My Preferential Ballot: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Wicked,” “Emilia Pérez”
My Alternate Nominees: “Challengers,” “Civil War,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Nickel Boys”
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Nominees: “A Different Man,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Nosferatu,” “The Substance,” “Wicked”
Predicted Winner: “The Substance”
I wish “A Different Man” got nominated in many other categories, and you will see it appear in several of my lists later on. Still, it feels like a slam dunk for a Makeup and Hairstyling nomination, and I’m glad the nominating body took advantage. Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado’s work is transformative and helps inform Sebastian Stan’s performance throughout the film.
I give both my prediction and my top pick to “The Substance” for the gonzo, disgusting work from Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli. This team holds the distinction of being the only nominated crew to make people walk out of my theater, and at one point I feared a man sitting in front of me was on the verge of vomiting. The eventual creation of Monstro Elisasue demands to be seen in a crowd, and it more than earns a win for this crew.
I appreciate David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton for taking Count Orlok in a completely new direction, portraying the iconic “Nosferatu” villain as a rotting corpse. Like Stan, Bill Skarsgård benefits from the ability to disappear even further behind his makeup, resulting in a wholly unrecognizable performance.
I dislike the movie as a whole, but the makeup and character designs in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” bring Tim Burton closer to recapturing his old magic than he’s been in years. The film’s commitment to practical effects and creature makeup kept me engaged in an unfocused follow-up to a horror/comedy classic. Excellent work from Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener, Neal Scanlan and their team.
“The Count of Monte-Cristo” will feature heavily in my alternate nomination lists. Aside from “Dune: Part Two,” I don’t know that I had a better time watching a 2024 blockbuster in theaters than I did with this swashbuckling epic. I witnessed no makeup and hairstyling have a greater effect on an audience than Pierre Niney’s various disguises had on my crowd. Pierre-Olivier Persin’s makeup had my crowd hooting and hollering in both “The Substance” and “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” so I must give him another shout-out in my alternate lineup.
My Preferential Ballot: “The Substance,” “A Different Man,” “Nosferatu,” “Wicked,” “Emilia Pérez”
My Alternate Nominees: “The Apprentice,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”
Best Music (Original Score)
The Nominees: “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked,” “The Wild Robot”
Predicted Winner: “The Brutalist”
Another category where my predicted winner overlaps with my personal favorite, the Best Music (Original Score) race features the phenomenal work of Daniel Blumberg in “The Brutalist.” From the film’s first moments, Blumberg’s four-note motif (“DA NA-NA NA,” if you will) grabs the audience’s attention to say, “You are seated for a major work.”
Yet this score cannot be distilled to this single bar. “The Brutalist” moves swiftly to its music, with Blumberg’s tracks propelling the story along its lengthy runtime. In my memory, this film and its score are inextricably linked. The evolution of Blumberg’s score, particularly in the finale, is just as thrilling as any performance or technical element in “The Brutalist.”
The third animated film to earn a score nomination this decade (and the first non-Disney nominee following “Soul” and “Encanto”), Kris Bowers’ work on “The Wild Robot” deserves to be recognized. It’s a maximalist score that I found incredibly moving; like many elements of “The Wild Robot,” Bowers’ music toes the line of being too emotionally forward without crossing into manipulation. “The Wild Robot” is a beautiful film from top to bottom, and Bowers’ poignant score is a massive part of that.
This year saw a bit of controversy with the exclusion of Hans Zimmer’s work on “Dune: Part Two.” Though the film contains a number of significant new compositions (Chani’s theme stands out as a breathtaking addition to the franchise), a 2020 Academy rule change determined that sequels and franchise films “must not use more than 20% of pre-existing themes and music borrowed from previous scores in the franchise.” “Dune: Part Two” does not meet this criteria.
With this notable exclusion, “Wicked” becomes something of a black sheep. John Powell and Stephen Schwartz rework the themes and music from Schwartz’s stage production and the Wizard of Oz franchise in interesting ways, and they had to build a score from scratch to account for the differences between film and theater. Still, the “Wicked” theme relies heavily on pre-existing music in a way that some Oscar pundits (and many “Dune” fans, I’m sure) find contradictory. It’s a solid score, and it technically passes the rules necessary for inclusion, but it’s hard to note feel like that slot could’ve been used for other films.
Once again, this category features a glaring omission of “Challengers.” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross previously won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score, boosting the notion that its nomination was imminent — only four Globe winners in the past 20 years failed to receive an Academy nomination. Reznor and Ross frequently deliver electrifying music, and this case (and their work on 2024’s “Queer”) is no different. Like Bowers’ work in “The Wild Robot,” Reznor and Ross do as much as they possibly can without being distracting; their score propels rallies throughout the film, whether they be in conversation or on a tennis court. This lineup simply feels incomplete without it.
My Preferential Ballot: “The Brutalist,” “The Wild Robot,” “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked”
My Alternate Nominees: “Challengers,” “A Different Man,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Flow,” “Nosferatu”
Best Music (Original Song)
The Nominees: “El Mal” (“Emilia Pérez”), “The Journey” (“The Six Triple Eight”), “Like a Bird” (“Sing Sing”), “Mi Camino” (“Emilia Pérez”), “Never Too Late” (“Elton John: Never Too Late”)
Predicted Winner:
A curse looms over Best Original Song. While every other category receives at least five nominations, this one often gets locked into four. Of course, I don’t mean this literally — look at the list and you will see five songs represented. Yet, year after year, one nominee stands out.
This year, Diane Warren received a nomination for writing “The Journey,” a song performed by Oscar-winner H.E.R. and featured over the credits of Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight.” This marks Warren’s 16th nomination. Aside from an honorary Oscar in 2022, she never got the gold.
Warren’s nominations have become something of a running joke among Oscars faithfuls. In the Oscars Death Race community — a group dedicated to watching every nominee prior to the ceremony each year — the annual Warren watch denotes something of a rite of passage. The last year to go without a Warren nomination was the 89th Academy Awards in 2017.
The story usually goes the same. Warren, a well-respected member of the Academy, has a strong following in the music branch. When nomination time comes along, these friends nominate a song that plays over the credits of some film. Warren’s song then carries the movie to what is often its lone nomination.
I won’t say these songs never work. My first year of doing the Death Race, I advocated for “Io sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead” as one of the category’s stronger entries. More often than not, however, they are unmemorable songs attached to forgettable (and sometimes very bad) films. Warren gets nominated, but her song never seems competitive. Thus, the whole process begins to feel like a formality, one that has surely started to feel old for the songwriter and takes a valuable slot from other artists.
Call me crazy, but I think this may be the year she beats her streak.
2025 marks the weakest year for Best Original Song that I can remember. Elton John received a nomination for a forgettable song in a fairly standard celebrity documentary. “Emilia Pérez” took two slots, a musical from a director who, as the film’s songwriters Clément Ducol and Camille put it, “doesn’t like musicals.” “Like a Bird,” easily the category’s best, still isn’t a song I would call a hit.
Many pundits predict “El Mal” to win — it’s certainly one of “Emilia Pérez’s” stronger songs, and it notably won at both Critics’ Choice and the Golden Globes. However, it cannot be overstated how strange this year’s line-up is. Though voting for the Oscars had already closed, I find it notable that H.E.R. performed “The Journey” at the SAG Awards during the show’s “In Memoriam” remembrance. With a frontrunner mired in controversy and a lack of live performances altogether (The Academy announced this year’s show will forgo them), perhaps this will be the year that voters finally throw Warren more than just a nomination.
Making a line-up from scratch in this category provided a wealth of options, as I probably would not have nominated any of these songs to begin with. In general, I attempt to seek out songs that factor into the films for which they are nominated; though credits music can be effective, I often find them to be less memorable.
“I Saw the TV Glow” deserves credit for its entirely original soundtrack, weaving in new works from various artists throughout the film. Though Caroline Polacheck’s “Starburned and Unkissed” helps build a memorable scene, Sloppy Jane’s “Claw Machine (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)” stands out as my clear favorite. The movie stops in its tracks during one of its most significant stretches to feature a live performance, and it completely works. Bonus points for featuring the film’s title in the song.
Speaking of stopping for a performance, movies featuring musicians live and die by their central songs. It’s hard for audiences to rally behind a pop star protagonist if their music sucks. In “Smile 2,” Skye Riley’s “New Brain” (performed by Naomi Scott and written by Alexis Kesselman, Paul Bogum and Keven Wolfsohn) avoids this pitfall by being a genuine bop.
In a similar vein, the documentary “Will & Harper” features a recurring gag where Will Ferrell and Harper Steele ask Kristen Wiig to write them a theme song for their road trip; when Wiig’s “Harper and Will Go West” finally arrives at the film’s conclusion, it’s touching, funny and worth the wait.
Possibly the strangest nominee I will suggest across these articles, I now must give credit to “Rap World.” The mockumentary, directed by Conner O’Malley and Danny Scharar, follows a group of friends filming a documentary for posterity as they attempt to write a rap album in a single night. They rarely work on the music, choosing instead to stumble their way through aimless hangouts and McDonald’s orders. O’Malley said they chose to set the film in 2009 so the characters would have seen “The Dark Knight,” a film which is never referenced in “Rap World.”
Available for free on O’Malley’s YouTube channel, “Rap World” is a punishing exercise in the comedian’s uniquely awkward brand of humor. Never once do any of the characters demonstrate any ability in song creation; they simply want to become rappers overnight. O’Malley and Scharar’s commitment to overly naturalistic dudebro dialogue yields an impressively excruciating act of comedy filmmaking. When the group’s song, “Tobyhanna Anthem,” finally arrives, it comes as a perfect punchline earned in pain. Warning: This song contains spoilers for “Rap World.”
My Preferential Ballot: “Like a Bird” (“Sing Sing”), the other four
My Alternate Nominees: “Claw Machine” (“I Saw the TV Glow”), “New Brain” (“Smile 2”), “Tobyhanna Anthem” (“Rap World”), “Touch the Sky” (“The Wild Robot”), “Will and Harper Go West” (“Will & Harper”)
Best Production Design
The Nominees: “The Brutalist,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Nosferatu,” “Wicked”
Predicted Winner: “Wicked”
As a predictor, I easily know my choice in this category; as a fan, I’m at a loss. I trust production designer Nathan Crowley and set decorator Lee Sandales will emerge victorious at the Oscars for their work on “Wicked.” I have spoken before about my problems with the overall look of “Wicked,” muted colors chief among them; this has nothing to do with the set design and everything to do with the way it was captured.
“Wicked” employs a number of practical sets to give the production the larger-than-life feeling it deserves. Paradoxically, the movie’s environments often lend it the feeling of a stage show while simultaneously portraying something distinctly cinematic. It’s a brilliant blend of old-school movie magic and Broadway theatricality that entirely elevates the film.
Yet every other nominee in this category feels equally deserving in some way. Once again, “The Brutalist” accomplishes massive feats on a microscopic budget — a $10 million independently financed feature that must also be an American epic centered around sweeping architecture. Brady Corbet’s vision relies heavily on the work of production designer Judy Becker and set decorator Patricia Cuccia, and it never appears compromised or constrained by monetary limitations.
Like “Wicked, “Nosferatu” (production designer: Craig Lathrop; set decorator: Beatrice Brentnerová) and “Dune: Part Two” (production designer: Patrice Vermette; set decorator: Shane Vieau) must transport audiences to realms of otherworldly fantasy. “Conclave,” meanwhile, places viewers in a recreation of the Sistine Chapel, enhanced by production designer Suzie Davies and set decorator Cynthia Sleiter to fit with the pulpy narrative. All three crews are immensely successful, adding to what is perhaps the most perfect category lineup of the year. My preferential ballot is essentially meaningless in this category, and I doubt I’ll be able to replicate it if you asked me a week from now.
My Preferential Ballot: “Wicked,” “Nosferatu,” “The Brutalist,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Conclave”
My Alternate Nominees: “The Apprentice,” “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” “Queer,” “The Room Next Door,” “The Substance”
Best Sound
The Nominees: “A Complete Unknown,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked,” “The Wild Robot”
Predicted Winner: “Dune: Part Two”
At the top of this article, I mentioned “The Zone of Interest” as an example of the Academy recognizing exemplary soundscapes outside of the typical blockbusters and technically showy films that often dominate this category. While I do not find big-budget films any less deserving in Best Sound, I find it cool when the nomination body — and, in last year’s case, the Academy as a whole — branches out to include nominees off the beaten path.
This year lacks a nomination like “The Zone of Interest.” Musicals and movies with significant budgets fill the Best Sound category, yielding a more traditional lineup than last year. Still, several of these films are worth celebrating.
Though it’s certainly not a small-budget picture, “The Wild Robot” marks an interesting nomination for the Best Sound body. Only one film has been nominated in the category since Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing were merged in 2020 — even then, “Soul” is a music-based film, which gives it an edge “The Wild Robot” doesn’t have. Before “Soul,” the most recent animated nominee in either sound category was “Toy Story 3,” which received a Best Sound Editing nomination in 2010. Even this is somewhat of an outlier, as “Toy Story 3” is one of three animated films in history to earn a Best Picture nomination.
“Dune: Part Two” stands out as a frontrunner. The film has earned a number of precursor awards, most notably the BAFTA, and is an effects-heavy blockbuster with sweeping critical acclaim. “Dune: Part Two” carries name recognition in the category, as “Dune” previously won the same award in 2022. Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill are the favorites in this category for their work on Denis Villeneuve’s latest sci-fi epic — Bartlett and Hemphill both received statues in 2022 as part of the “Dune” team.
Were any film to spoil “Dune: Part Two’s” luck, “A Complete Unknown” would be a likely culprit. The film relies heavily on its performances, even to a point that musicals “Wicked” and “Emilia Pérez” do not. Nearly every scene feels like prelude to another stage performance by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash or another legend of the 60s folk scene. These performances are the highlight of the film, which received a surprising amount of support across the industry on nomination morning. There’s clear support in the Academy for “A Complete Unknown” to an extent that “Dune: Part Two” seemingly lacks.
“Wicked” had an interesting sound snafu last year, as director and USC alum Jon M. Chu took to X to request that theaters increase the volume in their screenings. I watched the film in both a Kansas City AMC and a USC screening with Chu in attendance — the sound mix on both occasions, though wildly different volumes, seemed slightly off to me. The film accomplishes a lot in the way it captures vocals for the musical numbers, but I can’t say it’s my favorite in the category. I don’t feel like I ever got to hear “Wicked” in its optimal form.
“Nickel Boys” is the clear addition this category is missing. Like “The Zone of Interest,” it’s an intimate film that utilizes sound in interesting ways to tell a more emotionally profound story. “In a Violent Nature” likewise surprised me with the rich, disturbing soundscapes it portrayed on a small budget. With even tighter monetary constraints, the sound design of “Hundreds of Beavers” plays heavily into its comedy, and it’s a major part of what makes the dialogue-free slapstick adventure work.
The exclusion of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” on Academy shortlists shocked me across several categories, none more than the Best Sound lineup. George Miller immediately sucked me into the world of this blockbuster with the sound design featured in the movie’s prologue. From there, the assaulting audio only continues. After “Mad Max: Fury Road” won both sound categories in 2015, I expected “Furiosa” to be a bigger player here.
My Preferential Ballot: “Dune: Part Two,” “A Complete Unknown,” “The Wild Robot,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked”
My Alternate Nominees: “Civil War,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Hundreds of Beavers,” “In a Violent Nature,” “Nickel Boys”
Best Visual Effects
The Nominees: “Alien: Romulus,” “Better Man,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “Wicked”
Predicted Winner: “Dune: Part Two”
Once a technical juggernaut, the Dune franchise finds itself in a more compromised position this year as it failed to gain the sweeping support it received in 2022. “Dune: Part Two” earned half the nods of its predecessor, with “Dune” winning six Oscars in 2022 compared to its sequel’s five nominations. Best Visual Effects seems like a likely category for it to pick up an award, this franchise cannot be counted as the technical juggernaut it once was.
Were “Dune: Part Two” to lose, perhaps this ceremony would finally break the curse looming over the Planet of the Apes franchise. Despite exemplary visual effects work in the trilogy featuring Andy Serkis as Caesar, all three films lost out on VFX Oscars — to “Hugo,” “Interstellar” and “Blade Runner 2049” respectively. In this year’s race, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” will either break the curse or see the franchise lose to a Denis Villenueve film for the second time in a row.
“Dune: Part Two” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” both feature stellar effects that render their sci-fi characters and environments with weight and realism. The team behind “Kingdom” made the brilliant decision of releasing a Blu-Ray featurette that allows audiences to watch the film in two versions side-by-side — one with digital effects and one without. This creative bonus feature further underscores the intricacy of this franchise’s effects, where performance is never lost in the CGI.
Despite the sheer volume of quality VFX in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “Dune: Part Two” still gains an edge by being a critical and audience favorite of 2024. Though “Kingdom” earned positive reviews, they didn’t reach the heights of the previous Apes trilogy. Its visual effects may be undeniable, but it’s possible the Academy will wait to award this franchise when an entry once again reaches the same quality as its visuals.
CGI monkeys and chimpanzees factored heavily into this year’s visual effects race, with “Better Man” and “Wicked” both joining “Kingdom” in the fight for best digital primate. Though “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” wins a numbers game, “Better Man” deserves credit for its rendering of British pop star Robbie Williams as a digital chimp. Audiences may have mocked the strange choice for the musical biopic at first, but the Robbie Williams of “Better Man” integrates perfectly into the world around him. Jonno Davies’ emotive performance shines through the effects, and you quickly forget you’re not watching an actual primate who learned how to sing and dance.
While some VFX in “Wicked” look a bit wonky, I must give credit where it’s due: the animatronic head used by The Wizard in Emerald City is one of the coolest effects I saw last year. It’s a wonderful translation of the Broadway stage model in a bigger — and more expensive — format.
I wish I wasn’t so divided on “Alien: Romulus” in this category. Fede Álverez’s reboot of the horror franchise features stellar VFX throughout, relying heavily on practical effects to bring its many monsters to life. The Facehuggers and Xenomorphs feel natural to their environments, and the eventual final monster — a new creation known as “The Offspring” — is one of the most terrifying creatures put to film in 2024.
Yet another of 2024’s scariest creatures comes earlier in the film. At the beginning of the second act, AI deepfake technology helps recreate deceased actor Ian Holm’s likeness for Rook, a new android based on Holm’s Ash from the original “Alien” film. Despite a blend of practical and digital effects, as well as permission from Holms’ estate, Rook’s appearance is one of the most visually unpleasant things I witnessed in a movie this decade. AI recreations of dead actors always turn me off, and “Romulus” would be a stronger film without it.
I always like to see horror films represented in the visual effects categories, and “The Substance” and “Smile 2” would both stand up well alongside Alien: Romulus. I also give “Hundreds of Beavers” credit for what it achieves on a minimal budget.
My Preferential Ballot: “Dune: Part Two,” “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” “Better Man,” “Wicked,” “Alien: Romulus”
My Alternate Nominees: “Civil War,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Hundreds of Beavers,” “Smile 2,” “The Substance”