Oscars: 10 MCU movies that should have been nominated for Best Picture
By Josh Baggins
Spider-Man: No Way Home over Dune (2021)
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune’s technical achievements are undeniable, nevertheless, the entire endeavor (which is only part of its full story) is conspicuously cold and detached. While Timothee Chalamet displays sophisticated introspection in Call Me By Your Name, Beautiful Boy, and Bones and All, Dune does not require Paul Atreides to reach those depths.
Conversely, Tom Holland soars to great heights in Spider-Man: No Way Home. In fact, both epics contain vast ensembles that put most movies to shame, but while Dune’s collective cast certainly serves its plot and societal polarities, the majority of No Way Home’s heroes and villains, from all three Spider-Men to Happy Hogan, from Green Goblin to Electro, are exceptionally well developed.
No Way Home is an unprecedented undertaking that celebrates decades of amazing tales converging in a spectacular spectacle. While Dune’s dour demeanor has its own merits and will likely remain the preferred adaptation of its source material, No Way Home is clearly the best of the eight Spider-Man movies. If you are a die-hard Dunephile, then perhaps consider No Way Home ahead of other good 2021 movies whose nominations were not indisputably justifiable, like Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up or Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.
Avengers: Endgame over Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Ford v Ferrari is a well-made true story that deserves to be appreciated by moviegoers. Along with Girl Interrupted, Walk the Line, and Logan, it is one of James Mangold’s better features (he also helmed several less memorable movies). Alas, Ford v Ferrari is a film that benefitted from the Academy expanding on the number of Best Picture nominees about ten years earlier – you have your clear top four to six contenders, yet after that, the increase in nominees typically rewards less conventional, but often equally as commendable choices, such as the perpetually unnerving Uncut Gems or a mammoth time-traveling superhero heist like Avengers: Endgame.
Instead, we have another safe pick with Ford v Ferrari, which actually won two Oscars for Sound and Editing. And even those could be contested by a sprawling achievement like Endgame. As non-problematic as Ford v Ferrari is, almost every aspect of Endgame surpasses it, including sound design, editing, cinematography, and even the performances. Robert Downey Jr. expresses monumental endurance in his final farewell as Tony Stark and he towers over all actors in Ford; other award-worthy turns in Endgame are claimed by Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, and Karen Gillan.
And for a movie that came out only several years ago, Endgame contains some of the most famous scenes and/or movie moments of the century, particularly one of the best cinematic battles in film history. Even the movie quotes are known by general audiences who may not have a specific affinity to this genre. Maybe these are not applicable reasons for voters to choose Endgame for Best Picture, however, it was a cultural phenomenon as soon as it hit theaters and it will certainly be re-watched countless times throughout future generations; something you would not bet on for Ford v Ferrari.