If you’re the kind of geek who, like me, loves geek movies you know how enjoyable they are (when done right). And we all know they make production companies a crap load of money. But seldom do they get the critical recognition they deserve, especially when awards season comes around.
It’s true that, like movies in general, not all geek films are deserving of high praise. They might be entertaining and have good costumes or special effects, but there’s no substance to them or they just don’t come together well at all (like recent DC or X-Men films). But there are others that have the perfect combination of story, acting, effects, costumes, cinematography – just everything – that they stand out and, sometimes, get props from critics and audiences alike. So why don’t they get nominated for major movie awards?
Industry insiders who make the nominations and then vote on the winners for various annual awards (Golden Globes, Oscars, etc.) are known for being close minded when it comes to what’s considered a great movie or great acting. In most cases, if it’s not a real-world drama, it doesn’t cut it. Which is complete bullshit! Look at Captain America: Civil War – yes, a great comic book movie, but also a great drama with messages about moral quandaries and government control. But what do you want to bet the most it will get nominated for is something costume or effects related?
Amazingly, Deadpool was nominated for a Golden Globe, losing to a musical because of the ridiculous Comedy or Musical category for those awards. As funny as it is, Deadpool is not a comedy! But it seems that they just didn’t want to have to put it in the overall Best Picture category. But Ryan Reynolds and the crew are forcing the hand of the Oscars committee and trying to get a nomination there, producing a “For Your Consideration” video just like the more serious movies do that want to be in contention for the big awards.
Geek films don’t completely get shafted for awards. Ones like Lord of the Rings (based on literature) and some of the dramatic, real-world sci-fi flicks do sometimes get into the big categories. And this year, Arrival is in contention for some awards (being the serious drama it is) and there are a couple other sci-fi flicks that might get through. So we’ll see. It would be nice if critics finally got their noses out of the air and realized that sometimes popular movies are actually good movies worthy of recognition.