Every so often the Academy will embrace their inner geek with Oscar nominations and winners. Here is a look back at when they have.
At this point, it doesn’t take a film scholar to see that the Oscars very much have a type. Like someone with a very specific kink, the Academy finds itself attracted to the same dramas-based movie over and over again, constantly leaving genres like fantasy, horror, and science fiction looking on forlornly from the side-lines.
That said, there have certainly been occasions where films from the nerdier end of the spectrum have found their way through, and with the Academy’s recent push to diversify itself, the barriers that once stood between genre films and awards success appear lower now than they’ve ever been.
Indeed, while it may have fallen short of a nomination this year, just the fact that a big, shiny superhero movie like Spider-Man: No Way Home was even in the Best Picture conversation at all is testament to how far things have come.
Given that the Academy Awards is now in its 94th year, it’s astonishing that it’s taken this long to get here. It’s been a long road for sure, yet, despite nearly a century of giving genre films the cold shoulder, there have certainly been moments along the way where the Academy has embraced its inner geek.
THE EXORCIST (1973)
Arguably the first genre feature to hit it big with the Academy, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist would be the first full-blown horror to bag a Best Picture nomination. An adaption of William Peter Blatty’s best-selling novel, the film built on its unprecedented critical and commercial success by scooping ten Oscar nominations and winning two.
Universally considered one of the finest horrors ever, it’s little surprise that The Exorcist landed with the Academy, yet that shouldn’t overshadow how big of an achievement this was and just how much the film’s success opened doors for a much-maligned genre.
STAR WARS (1977)
Given the Academy’s historical indifference to franchise cinema, it’s unsurprising that Star Wars has been so sorely underappreciated by them through the years, yet not even the Oscars could ignore the first film’s monumental impact.
Despite its aversion to both fantasy and sci-fi, the Oscars would shower Star Wars with honours, awarding it seven statuettes in total – the most won by any movie that year – while handing out big nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Alec Guinness), Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
From this point on, it was very much downhill for the franchise, with the sequels and prequels failing to make much of a dent at subsequent Oscar ceremonies, however, that moment back in 1977 will go down as the one where the Academy first found a place in its heart for fantasy.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)
As the film that introduced wuxia to Hollywood, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a sweeping martial arts epic that really opened the Academy’s eyes to the genre.
Going on to pick up ten nominations – and winning four of them – Ang Lee’s movie was an unprecedented success, and despite carrying a bit more arthouse prestige than your average martial arts actioner, marked a huge achievement for an otherwise criminally dismissed genre.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
Sweeping its way through the early-2000s, Peter Jackson’s unapologetic fantasy saga did huge box office numbers, as his three-part Tolkien adaptation would take the fantasy genre to new heights.
The first two instalments of The Lord of the Rings both picked up Best Picture nominations without finding success, however, The Return of the King would close the trilogy out in style, claiming all eleven awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, as – for a brief period at least – fantasy would become the one genre to rule them all.
THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)
With the posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor nod for the late, great Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan’s second Batman outing became the first comic book adaptation to earn an Oscar in an above-the-line category.
Also winning for Best Sound, as well as being nominated for six other awards, The Dark Knight undoubtedly made an impact with the Academy, however, one of its biggest moments came with its absence from the Best Picture category. Despite receiving love from many other awards ceremonies, the Oscars blanked the film for the top prize, causing a backlash that would force the Academy to double the number of Best Picture nominees going forward.
THE SHAPE OF WATER (2017)
If you thought horror had had a bad rub of it with the Academy through the years, that’s nothing compared to monster movies. The surprise was therefore a pleasant one when a creature-feature romance between a deaf janitor and a merman took the Oscars by storm, picking up thirteen nominations and four wins as it went.
Throw in the fact that it was directed by the king of the nerds, Guillermo del Toro, and you’ve got yourself a true geeky Oscar success story.
BLACK PANTHER (2018)
Since its debut with 2008’s Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the global box office, yet it wasn’t until the arrival of Black Panther a decade later that the Academy finally took notice.
For many reasons, Black Panther was an absolute game-changer, and ranking somewhere at the top of its achievements was its three Oscar wins, as well as its nomination for the coveted Best Picture prize – a true watershed moment for comic book movies.
JOKER (2019)
Yes, it may have positioned itself as a lofty crime thriller, yet Joker is every inch a comic book movie, and whatever your feelings are on the film itself, there’s no doubt that its haul of eleven nominations and two wins were a truly immense achievement.
While it’d fall short of nabbing that illusive Best Picture statuette, Joker is probably as close as any comic book adaptation has come to the top prize, suggesting that it’s only a matter of time before the genre finally wins big and the Academy fully embraces its geeky side.
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