If we told you last year that a movie about a mute woman having a torrid, romantic relationship with a modernised version of the Creature From the Black Lagoon was going to dominate at the Oscars in terms of nominations, you might have chuckled a little to yourself. 2017 was a simpler time. The 2018 Academy Award nominations are in and there’s a lot for genre fans to be happy about.
Image: Fox Searchlight Pictures
During this morning’s announcement of the 2018 Oscar nominees, it quickly became clear that Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water wasn’t just going to be an Academy darling – it’s a straight-up juggernaut. There’s a particular kind of genre film that’s always been able to transcend the boundaries around fantasy or science fiction to capture the hearts and minds of the Academy, and this year was no exception.
In addition to The Shape of Water, genre titles such as Blade Runner 2049, The Last Jedi, Get Out and Logan are all up for an impressive spread of categories that include more than the traditional collection of technical awards that more FX-heavy films tend to be nominated for. Solid as this year’s genre lineup is, the films are all up against stiff competition from a roster of more traditional prestige films that just might shut the science fiction selection out. What didn’t we see nominated this year? Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman.
Here are the nominees for this year’s major Oscar categories:
Best Picture
Call Me By Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Post
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Actor in a Leading Role
Timothee Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Actress in a Leading Role
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Frances McDormand, The Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Saoirse Ronan, Ladybird
Meryl Streep, The Post
Actress in a Supporting Role
Mary J Blige
Allison Janney
Lesley Manville
Laurie Metcalf
Octavia Spencer
Animated Feature Film
The Boss Baby
The Breadwinner
Coco
Ferdinand
Loving Vincent
Image: Universal
Directing
Dunkirk
Get Out
Lady Bird
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Documentary Feature
Abacus
Faces, Places
Icarus
Last Man In Aleppo
Strong Island
Foreign Language Film
A Fantastic Woman
The Insult
Loveless
On Body And Soul
The Square
Original Song
“Mighty River,” Mudbound
“Mystery of Love,” Call Me By Your Name
“Remember Me,” Coco
“Stand Up For Something,” Marshall
“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman
Adapted Screenplay
Call Me By Your Name
The Disaster Artist
Logan
Molly’s Game
Mudbound
Original Screenplay
The Big Sick
Get Out
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Mudbound
The Shape of Water
Image: Disney
Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Victoria & Abdul
Film Editing
Baby Driver
Dunkirk
I, Tonya
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Makeup and Hairstyling
Darkest Hour
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder
Original Score
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Production Design
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Animated Short Film
Dear Basketball
Garden Party
Lou
Negative Space
Revolting Rhymes
Live Action Short Film
Dekalb Elementary
The Eleven O’Clock
My Nephew Emmett
Silent Child
Watu Wote (All Of Us)
Image: Columbia Pictures
Sound Editing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Sound Mixing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Kong: Skull Island
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes
Any glaring omissions for you this year? You can view the complete list of all the nominees on the Oscar website.