2023was packed with some amazing films. And now that theOscarnominations have been unveiled, it’s become apparent that the Oscars got it right. Every Best Picture nominee deserves it, and that applies to the majority of the other awards as well. But, a given year has a ton of great films, and like any other,2023 had too many to be included in the nominations list.
The Academy tends to have favorite genres, particularly dramas and movies based on true stories. This means that many genre films, those that tend to relate to sci-fi, horror, action, superheroes, and comedy, are often overlooked. This year, in particular, many great genre films were even shut out of technical categories. They are normally a sure bet. These are the films from 2023 that have an argument in their corner. What argument? They should have been nominated for an Academy Award. Note that some of these filmsdidreceive nominations; it’s just that there was either one more they should have received or a different one they received. Either way, at leastThe Color PurpleandGodzilla: Minus Onegot noms.
20Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Yes,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects, but that is a category Marvel movies tend always to get nominated for. Yet there were so many great elements ofGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn’s final film for Marvel, and the concluding chapter for this team incarnation that went underappreciated. Most notably, the film’s makeup.
WhyGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Should Have Been Nominated for Makeup and Hairstyling.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3features some truly impressive makeup. For multiple films, the filmmakers have perfected characters like Drax, Gamora, Nebula, and Mantis, but this third chapter features even more impressive alien creatures brought to life. From Adam Warlock to the Ani-Men of Counter-Earth to the truly impressive work of the High Evolutionary himself, it is shocking thatGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3did not get a Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar nomination whileMaestrodid whenthe films use of a prosthetic nose generated so much controversy.
Stream Guardians of the Galaxy on Disney+
19The Color Purple
The Color Purple
Some have said that, likeMean Girls, the musical remake of Stephen Spielberg’sThe Color Purplewasn’t fully necessary. But, it certainly did well with critics and even made some cash at the box office (especiallyon its opening day: Christmas). And, to be fair, Danielle Brooks did receive a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Why ShouldThe Color PurpleHave Been Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay?
Brooks' nomination was well-deserved, but so too was a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. 2023’sThe Color Purplewas based on the stage musical adaptation, which was based on the 1982 novel. Spielberg’s film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay after all, even if it lost in that category and all others. This nom could have been a bit of redemption for the 1985 classic.
Rent on Prime Video
Related:Oprah Winfrey Responds to Criticisms of The Color Purple Working Conditions
18Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
While James Wan’sAquaman and the Lost Kingdomisn’t quite the effective crowdpleaser the first film was, but it has merit nonetheless. For one, the chemistry between Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson remains sterling. Two, the dynamic between protagonist and antagonist is as strong in the second film as it is in the first, as Black Manta is allowed to become a fully-fleshed, convoluted character.
Why ShouldAquaman and the Lost KingdomBeen Nominated for Best Visual Effects
Box office success can often have a sway on a movie’s potential during awards season. It’s just that the awards are minor like Best Visual Effects, which is somethingAquaman and the Lost Kingdomshould have been nominated for, for expensive and obvious reasons. Whatever faults someone has with the narrative, they have to admit it’s gorgeous, and it was undoubtedly the only 2023 DCEU film to do anything besidesembarrass itself at the box office.
17Renfield
As a whole,Renfieldis fun, but it’s not exactly fueled by the best script. However, it is fueled by a great performance. And, alongside that performance, Awkwafina and Nicholas Hoult aren’t half bad, either. Yet the breakout star of the film is of course, Nicolas Cage who gives one of the best performances of his career and if the movie can be said to work at all, it is all resting on his shoulders.
Why ShouldRenfieldHave Been Nominated for Best Supporting Actor
But, even if he doesn’t have much screen time,Renfieldis very much Nicolas Cage’s movie. It was a notable comeback. Not in terms of the film’s box office receipts or critical reception, but in terms of just how much fun the man blatantly has playing Count Dracula. His Dracula is so great because it works in the comedic world of the film but one could see it working just as well in a more straightforward adaptation.
Stream Renfield on Prime Video
16The Last Voyage of the Demeter
The Last Voyage of The Demeter
Another Dracula movie from Universal Pictures.The Last Voyage of the Demeterwas a notable box office bomb that was delayed multiple times. Despite the intriguing premise and clever spin on adapting one section of the classic novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, audiences just certainly were not interested. Period piece horror has often struggled at the box office, yet they tend to do well at the Academy Awards in technical categories, which makesThe Last Voyage of Demeter’s snub so notable.
Why The Last Voyage of the Demeter Should Have Been Nominated for Best Makeup
The Dracula seen inThe Last Voyage of the Demeter is much more of a monster than audiences are used to. This is not a sexy vampire but instead a true monster, one that looks like a bat with some truly impressive practical makeup. Gothic horror films likeBram Stoker’s DraculaandThe Wolfmanwon Best Makeup Oscars in the past, soThe Last Voyage of the Demeterat least deserved to be there for consideration.
15The Super Mario Bros. Movie
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
A showcase for gorgeous animation as much as it is further proof ofAnya Taylor-Joy’s range,The Super Mario Bros. Movieended up being one of 2023’s biggest financial hits. It also was an example of a cinematic video game adaptation that could soar with not only general audiences but critics as well. And, to the latter point, it’s more than a little surprisingThe Super Mario Bros.didn’t get one nomination in particular (not to mention any at all).
Why ShouldThe Super Mario Bros. MovieHave Been Nominated for Best Animated Feature
It’s hard to say with sincerity that a video game adaptation should have received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. The five entries that are there are solid enough, but could Pixar’s utterly lacklusterElementalnot have been swapped out forMario. One was a bonafide hit, the other wasn’t. DidElementalreceive better reviews? Yes, but not by a margin that even really means anything.
Stream The Super Mario Bros. Movie on Netflix
14Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
2023 was a very rough year for DC films. Certainly, we won’t argue thatThe Flashdeserved a Best Visual Effects Oscar nomination. Yet one film that sadly got overlooked by both audiences and the Academy wasBlue Beetle.Blue Beetlefeatures some very impressive production design, and considering how this almost was going to be a straight-to-streaming Max film, it looks incredible with half of the budget that bigger superhero movies have.
Blue Beetle Should Have Been Nominated for Costume Design
Superhero movies often get overlooked for costume design, often in favor of period pieces or contemporary dramas. Yet, there is something truly special about bringing an image from the page of a comic to life on the big screen. WhileThe Marvelscertainly had some impressive costume design, if any superhero movie of 2023 deserved recognition in the category, it wasBlue Beetle. The entire movie is based on the Blue Beetle suit, and the filmmakers brought it to life wonderfully, making it look both functional and fantastical.
Stream Blue Beetle on Max
13The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
Disney has made afew live-action remakesby now. And while they rarely outright flop critically or commercially (e.g.Dumbo), they never exactly soar either. The same goes forThe Little Mermaid, but there were definitely a few things critics and fans agreed upon. This is especially true of two of the performances.
Why ShouldThe Little MermaidHave Been Nominated for Production Design
Halle Bailey had her star rise significantly due toThe Little Mermaid, and it’s easy to see why. She’s charming and dominates the screen and combined with her role inThe Color Purple, 2023 truly was her breakout year. The most breathtaking part of the movie is the gorgeous production design, both for the underwater kingdom and Eric’s surface kingdom.
Stream The Little Mermaid on Disney+
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Francis Lawrence returned to the IP he’d helmed three times already withThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. As visually engrossing and well-acted as the films that preceded it,Songbirds & Snakesis a worthy addition to theoverarchingHunger Gamescinematic universe. And, somewhat surprisingly, it experienced dips, not drops, weekend after weekend at the box office. Ultimately, it was a hit, but still a minor one.
Again,Songbirds & Snakesis visually alluring, quite possibly the best-looking film of its franchise. It’s also arguably the deepest of the films, and when a film is an all-around solid total package, that makes its Oscar prospects more notable. But that hasn’t been the case for this prequel, which should have, at the very least, received a nom for Best Costume Design. The biggest issue is of course the songs for the movie should have been a lock for Best Original song, but since they originated from the book they do not qualify.
Rent The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on Amazon Video
11Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
ContinuingBumblebee’s path of course correction,Transformers: Rise of the Beastsis a relatively tightly constructed, well-cast blockbuster. It’s not quite up to the level of the Hailee Steinfeld-led film that preceded it, but it’s another step in the right, character-focused direction nonetheless. This was never going to be a traditional Oscar winner in the top categories, but the technical categories seemed like where it could excel.
Why ShouldTransformers: Rise of the BeastsHave Been Nominated for Best Visual Effects
The originalTransformerswas nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects. Of course, that’s because there was a novelty in 2007 that no longer exists after seven live-action films. But,Rise of the Beastsdid feature some truly impressive visuals and sound design that it is odd it went overlooked. Maybe people are just so used to seeing Transformers on screen the novelty is gone.
Stream Transformers: Rise of the Beasts on Amazon Prime Video
