Now that the world has finally had a chance to witness the power that is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the first question arises: How much money will it make opening weekend? While financial box office Jedis figure that out, we at Oscar Watch have a more profound question: Does the J.J. Abrams film have a shot at Best Picture?
Given that the film did not screen in time for critics groups or the Golden Globes to vote on the film, and thus it is not at all represented in any of the year-end award nomination pools, it may seem like it’s an uphill battle to achieve a Best Picture nod for the Academy Awards. But, this may be one of the rare cases in Oscar history where none of that normal pre-hype buzz is needed. See, Star Wars has a buzz all its own. The first film was nominated for Best Picture, why shouldn’t the latest?
Critics have turned in their reviews (check out our Star Wars: The Force Awakens review) and it has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, as of this article it stands at 95-percent on the critic aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. Yeah, that. When a film scores that high, it is surely considered one of the best pictures of the year, so why not consider Star Wars: The Force Awakens a front-runner for one of one of those 10 potential Best Picture nomination slots? I’d say, “Absolutely.” All signs are pointing to yes…
Also, the esteemed organization that is the American Film Institute (AFI) waited to see the seventh Star Wars film before it put out its top 10 list of the year and wouldn’t you know it – look what made it on a list that includes sure-fire Oscar Best Picture nominees like The Revenant, The Martian, Carol and The Big Short? Yup, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The AFI honor is a huge shot in the arm to Disney and Lucasfilm’s chances for a Best Picture nomination and we have heard that Academy screenings have been set up by the studio already to push their film for Hollywood’s top honor. And they should… it deserves it. It is that good.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not just a good popcorn movie, it’s a fantastic film that reminds us of all the things that Hollywood can do right. It brings a fantastical story to life with emotion, humor, romance and powerful characters that we care about and something extraordinary happens — magic. It’s what George Lucas achieved with the first film and it is exactly what Abrams and his co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan delivered with their script for the latest Star Wars adventure.
It is also a year that films like Creed, Mad Max: Fury Road and Straight Outta Compton are being considered for Oscar Best Picture glory. In fact, Mad Max: Fury Road scored the top honor at National Board of Review and many other organizations this year as the Best Picture winner. If this is indeed the year where the blockbuster movie also won our hearts and minds, then it seems to be that it is a year that could find The Force strong with Star Wars and Oscar voters.
Oscar Watch feels confident in this statement: Soon “highest grossing film in history” won’t be Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ only iconic moniker –it will also be, “Best Picture nominee.”