Oscars Predictions 2017: Best Visual Effects

“Special effects are characters. Special effects are essential elements. Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.” – Laurence Fishburne. Still relevant and even more so now in the modern era of filmmaking where visual delight is necessary to captivate the audience. In this post we predict who will win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Nominees:

Caryn

Doctor Strange

I had to throw my Marvel love in somewhere, but I truly enjoyed the visual effects in Doctor Strange.  The first time I saw it was in 2D at a screening and I immediately knew that I wanted to go back again and watch it at the IMAX because the effects were so transcendent. It set the standard, not only for that type of film but for visual effects going forward.

Dean

The Jungle Book

This bit of IMDb trivia alone: “The talking animals in this film were created using animal behavior, then having the actors copy those movements in motion-capture VFX.”

Good job Favreau. Just don’t fuck up The Lion King.

Jeslyn

The Jungle Book

I thought this movie was going to be horrendous. I hate reboots, I’m against them in principle and didn’t understand why they would need to make a ‘new’ Jungle Book but I have to admit that it was really well done and I was pleasantly surprised. I should have trusted Jon Favreau. Also, I kept imagining Neel Sethi (who plays Mowgli) walking around talking to himself and props and he should actually get a best actor award.

Stephen

The Jungle Book

I’m going to back The Jungle Book here. It was some of the best motion capture and rendering I’ve seen in terms of building environment in long time.

Doctor Strange was a mind fuck, and Kubo and the Two Strings was such great stop motion that I sometimes forgot that it was stop motion at all. But I still think The Jungle Book is going to take it. Rogue One can simply go and sleep with those terrible CG characters; sorry not sorry.

Tendai

Star Wars: Rogue One

This was outstanding work by the team. Like Episodes IV to VI, we were privileged to see the seamless world of an intergalactic setting. The part that got my vote was Forest Whittaker’s suit. He reminded me of Captain Barbosa in the first Pirates of the Caribbean. Not to forget the lasers going pew-pew. In its entirety, Star Wars graced us with the power of technology. You may have “seen it all” but the attention to detail was mind blowing.

Vernon

Kubo and the Two Strings

INCREDIBLE – I do not agree with Rogue One getting a nomination as it was “supposedly” outside the nomination window. The Jungle Book was great and stand a great chance in the category – but I believe Kubo will be the animated feature to fly away with awards this year.

 

What is your prediction for Best visual effects?

For more film ramblings, you can follow us on Twitter:

Caryn @carrieanne07

Dean @deeno15

Jeslyn @jeslynczee

Stephen @thesnagel

Tendai @TendaiSibindi

Vernon @VernonKallis

You can follow BTG Lifestyle on Twitter @btglifestyle and click here and LIKE us on Facebook. Subscribe to theBTG Lifestyle blog for updates, and email us at [email protected] if you have feedback, or would like to collaborate with us.