A Reel Opinion: Oscars v. Superheroes

The nominations for the 90^th Academy Awards were announced this week (read the recap HERE), and one of the most-talked about snubs, or surprises, is the exclusion of Patty Jenkins’ WONDER WOMAN. The superhero flick based on the famed DC Comics character was one of the biggest hits of the year, earning universal praise and pulling in an impressive box office haul; it was the ninth-highest grossing film of the year, and is currently the all-time fifth-highest grossing superhero film domestically. It was a cultural phenomenon; re-inventing a decades old comic character and inspiring young women across the globe, with actress Gal Gadot, who played the lead role, instantly rising into the stratosphere of stardom.

And on Tuesday, the Academy nominated it for nothing.

Almost immediately, calls for the Academy being blind to the accomplishments of women in cinema populated social media, despite some historic nominations happening this year. Greta Gerwig, director of LADY BIRD, became the fifth female recognized in the Best Director category, and Rachel Morrison made history as the first woman nominated for Best Cinematography; nominated for MUDBOUND. Not to mention Meryl Streep’s nomination for THE POST made her the most nominated performer of all-time. Yes, the industry has made great steps forward in recognizing women, but those disappointed in WONDER WOMAN’s shutout say it’s a step backwards.

But history also brings up another point; the Academy is too quick to dismiss superhero movies. There is a snobbery that can be felt every year; superhero films are too cartoony, flashy, noisy, and silly to be taken seriously. In 2008, when Christopher Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT didn’t earn an expected nomination for Best Picture, the point was proven that any film with a cape and mask would not be considered; despite Nolan’s film having the cinematic maturity that Academy voters seem to look for. Although Heath Ledger from DARK KNIGHT won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor that year, superhero films, it seems, would mostly be limited to the technical categories such as visual effects and makeup.

Just as the Academy (and the industry) has slowly been making the turn for women in film, they have slowly (like molasses in January) been making progress in looking at superhero films. This year, James Mangold’s LOGAN became the first superhero adaptation to earn a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, showing that the right approach can work. LOGAN didn’t play out like a superhero film at all, and made the bold and brave moves to take a beloved hero and turn him into a broken old man. It was a move forward for the genre, and the Academy noticed.

WONDER WOMAN was also a step forward for the genre; being the first superhero film with a female lead to be successful critically and financially. But film-wise it stuck close to the standard template that movies of the genre tend to stick to, and while that worked just fine, that’s not enough to impress the Academy. At best, the film could have, and probably should have earned nods for Costume Design, Original Score, and some other technical categories…but Best Picture was always a bit of a stretch. The situation wasn’t quite right for a cape and mask to enter the Best Picture race, but like so many out there who have been overlooked in the past…the day is coming.

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The Oscars will be awarded March 4^th.