It is shaping up to be one of the messiest versions of the annual film awards show for a variety of reasons. One of the most significant things about this year's Oscars was if Sony and Marvel Studios would make a movie. That didn't happen, though the film has managed to follow in the footsteps of most MCU movies and earn itself a nomination for best visual effects. The attention grabbing backlash followed. Kevin Smith thought the film deserved a shot at the crown, if only because it would help boost the ceremony's ratings. The movie won best superhero movie at the Critics Choice Super Awards, in addition to Andrew Garfield and Willem Dafoe taking home acting awards. The superhero genre is usually unkind to the Oscars. Most of the nominations and wins that the genre has netted have been for technical awards like effects and makeup, or if the film is in the supposed medium, animation. When these movies have hit the upper tier of awards for acting, they've gone to DC films, and one of the reasons is due to the posthumous Dark Knight win of Heath Ledger. They had a For Your Consideration campaign for the movie, hoping to get one of the actors in the best supporting actor category. Kevin Feige, head of the MCU, made his feelings known late last year, calling out a genre bias that contributed to Black Panther not getting a win for best picture at the Oscars. You can imagine why they picked her up, since she took the best director Oscar last year for Nomadland. It would be great to see superhero movies take home Oscars for categories other than makeup and effects, and if more of them recognized that animation can be more than an avenue to set up future storylines or cater to narrower audiences. The bigger question is what the genre can do to actually earn the big awards.
It feels like the medium will be lacking because they have painted themselves into a corner of being weekly junk food meant to facilitate fancams, social media gifs, and spoiler-filled videos that you will see just before. It's more likely that you've managed to just work around your words. These films bring in actors who play these roles fairly well, but also feel like they are being asked to act against computers for a good amount of production, and in some cases, these actors are actually not. Many of these films have pen and ink characters that are adapted in live action, and characterization is often neglected. What depth and interiority these superheroes have is mostly offered in brief snippets, so devoted fans can later fill in details where they wish, doing a lot with a little.
That's fine! There is something to be said for enjoying films where the aim is to deliver 2.5 hours of reliable fun, decent music, and set pieces that remind you of an early PS4 action game. I am an easy mark for superhero films because I look up to the TV whenever an MCU movie is playing. The movies can prove that they can be so much more if they slow down and let things play out. The Batman is so enjoyable because it is a slower, more deliberate movie than we usually get. The Batman is a noir detective story in a way that feels fairly novel and it is easy to say that it is a spin on kung fu movies or political thrillers. Even Spider-Verse manages to turn its Spider-Man into something special and deeply personal, even though it feels commercial.
Think of Eternals, and ask yourself if this were the first movie without action from the company. At the very least, less of it. After the introductory scene where the characters show off their powers, the film should explore what it means to be around for all of history, to have contributed to humanity's highs and lows. It is a movie that, while still having the potential to fizzle out, could be noteworthy for what it was noticeably missing, for being a movie that didn't clash with the themes it sets up or have to worry about. We won't know because the finished product has to be all set up for whatever happens.
It's holding back the movies from getting the best picture and acting awards. There is a bias against the genre in the Oscars, but the genre is rarely willing to go out of its way to be more enjoyable. They will have to break box office records and capture the attention of the world until they decide to raise their own bar.
The Oscars will air on Sunday, March 27.
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