The 94th Academy Awards’ Prospects Aren’t Good
Despite being a vocal proponent for film critics and awards organizations like the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, my stance on the Academy Awards has always been neutral. The 94th Academy Awards, set to air on March 27, have received widespread criticism within the entertainment industry for their decision to excise eight categories from their live ceremony. These categories include Animated Short Film, Documentary Short Subject, Film Editing, Live Action Short Film, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, and Sound.
The Oscars aren’t the only and final word on a film’s success and legacy, but it’s the most universally recognized ceremony for the best in cinema yearly, and where many filmmakers are to be celebrated when they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity for their talent to be publically condoned. It’d be understandable not to broadcast one or two categories, but eight is too far. Due to pressure from ABC executives, this move is counterproductive towards filmmakers in their respective categories and possibly towards the ceremony itself, as the Academy Awards have been fighting an uphill battle in ratings and public relations since 2014 when #OscarsSoWhite went viral.
Speaking of public relations, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is bending over backward with its new category, Fan Favorite Film. Not only is this an overcorrection and transparent projection for relevance among audiences who won’t be required to have a membership, but it also sends a wrong message to filmmakers behind blockbuster properties. Why care about making the best film you can when fans on Twitter will vote for you regardless? Spider-Man: No Way Home, the projected winner for this category, doesn’t require the validation of a new class when it’s already one of the most warmly received films of 2021 by audiences, fans, and critics. (The film was featured on 85 top-ten lists by North American critics, and nine critics declared it the best film of the year.)
On February 18, 2022, The Daily Telegraph emailed a newsletter from chief film critic Robbie Collin: The Oscars shouldn’t kowtow to the Twitterati. Some crucial excerpts from it include:
Contemporary franchise films such as No Way Home struggle at the Oscars because they’re primarily visual-effects showcases built on the ongoing manipulation and reconfiguration of a range of well-liked branded objects. If it’s moving to see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield appear in red and blue leotards alongside Tom Holland, it’s because two old beloved things have been secretly united with one new beloved thing, and unveiled with a flourish.
It’s like being irked at the Michelin Guide for snubbing McDonald’s: the Oscars simply aren’t designed to recognise the strengths of this very modern strain of cine-product. “Three extremely popular Spider-Man actors hug” might be a money-spinner and viral eyeball-grabber, but it’s hardly the stuff of Best Adapted Screenplay. If Hollywood wants more popular films to be nominated for Oscars, it’s free to make them.
