We had one film that released this weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Oblivion

When looking at Joseph Kosinski’s prior outing, would it surprise you that TRON: Legacy only managed an Oscar nomination for Sound Editing? The visually stunning Disney sequel seemed the perfect contender for a Best Visual Effects nomination and could even have competed in Art Direction, Costume Design, Original Score and Sound Mixing had it been a better movie.

While we have come to expect the likes of Michael Bay to feature prominently in the tech categories at the Oscars, mostly only in the sound and visual effects categories, other films have been struggling against a series of Best Picture contenders that have been more reliant on visual effects than ever before. TRON: Legacy didn’t have that level of competition and Oblivion might not either, but Kosinski for all his film’s pomp and circumstance hasn’t proven himself the kind of director the Academy relishes recognizing.

That being said, I could see a strong case being made for the gorgeous effects in Oblivion. It’s a film that’s so pristine and glorious that even the dingy denizens of the Earth’s surface look like they could feature prominently in a Armani magazine ad. That cleanliness will keep the film away from the creative categories of Art Direction, Costume Design and Makeup. Kosinski’s blistering use of M83’s excellent musical score will likely keep them out of serious contention leaving the standard sci-fi/action-adventure standbys of Sound Mixing, Sound Editing and Visual Effects as its last refuge. I think the Summer will produce far better contenders for most of these categories with only Best Visual Effects remaining a dim hope for the film’s Oscar chances.