Mixed critical response for Gal Gadot starrer ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ has not deterred Warner Bros. from pushing the film for consideration in all categories at the next Academy Awards. The film was praised for its ‘escapist qualities’ but at the same time it was also said to be a bit too clichéd.
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ could not match the expectations that fans had after watching the first part in 2017. Even the graphics, that constitute a very crucial aspect of superhero films, was not upto the mark. Under all these circumstances, is sending ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ for consideration at Oscars, a wise decision?
The categories for which Warner Bros. has asked the Academy members to consider ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ include Best Director for Patty Jenkins; Best Adapted Screenplay for Jenkins, Geoff Johns, and Dave Callaham; Best Actress for Gal Gadot; Best Supporting Actress for Kristen Wiig, Robin Wright, and Connie Nielsen; Best Supporting Actor for Chris Pine; Pedro Pascal; Best Cinematography for Matthew Jensen; Best Film Editing for Richard Pearson; Best Costume Design for Lindy Hemming; and Best Score for Hans Zimmer.
The first question that comes to mind at such a decision by Warner Bros, is whether it was driven by the box office numbers of ‘Wonder Woman 1984’? But we all know that Oscars are one such awards that go for the credibility of the film, the flawless performances in it and the technical prowess that goes into its making and nowhere are the box office numbers the prime criteria to choose a film for the industry’s most prestigious awards.
Previous DC films that have competed for Oscars include ‘Joker’, which got nominated under 11 categories last year and won the award for Best Actor (Joaquin Phoenix) and composer (Hildur Guðnadóttir). Other than this, we have ‘The Dark Knight’ that won Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger and Best Sound Editing; ‘Batman’ (1989) for Best Production Design; and ‘Superman’ (1978) for Special Achievement in Visual Effects. Among the DC extended universe only ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016) has had the honour of receiving an Academy Award and that was for Best Makeup & Hairstyling. Do you think ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ is the right choice to push for Oscar nominations?