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Star Wars: Contender or Pretender?

Finally, the elephant in the room. The Force Awakens obliterated the box office and captured the imagination of an entire new generation of Star Wars fans. If Avatar, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings found Oscar glory, why can’t Star Wars, the argument goes. Indeed, the original movie won a handful of technical Oscars and scored several above-the-line nominations in 1977, including Picture and Director.

As big as fan of the movie as I am, I just do not see the Academy going for it in any significant way (although, if they care about ratings - and they do - they’d do well to nominate it for Best Picture, of course). The biggest problem with the movie, and the main difference with the other movies people try to compare them to, is that Star Wars does not give the sense that it is breaking any new ground. Spoilers: The movie is basically A New Hope, almost to a tee, told all over again. It is told well, it is acted well, and it is refreshing to see a female lead in a sci-fi space soap opera. But the lack of that oomph that Titanic had (the movie that was supposed to be a failure but enthralled a generation) or that Avatar brought to the table (the new and dazzling effects) are what will doom it. It simply does not have, as the saying goes, an “Oscar story.” The gazillions of dollars it will make are its reward, and both the Academy and the people behind the movie are okay with that, even if fans would like to see it take more crowns.

Again, the movie may find a way in if the Academy awakens to the ratings boon it could be, but I would not count on it and, as big a fan as I am, I doubt it is a deserving picture, particularly in a year so crowded with otherwise innovative, important, or new ideas. The Star Wars franchise will be alive and well, as it should be, without the Oscars.

Oscar hopes: Maybe Picture, Sound Effects, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects

Next week: We look to the Producers and Directors Guilds nominations to sharpen the race.

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