For our first Rundown article of the year, we look at one of the categories with no adequate guild precursor. After the jump, you’ll find our winner and runner-up predictions for Best Original Score as well as general commentary about the race. Friday, we’ll cover Best Original Song.

Best Original Score

Winner Predictions

• Da 5 Bloods
• Mank
• Minari (PP O)
• News of the World
• Soul (WL O) (TB O) (TL O)

Runner-Up Predictions

• Mank (WL O)
• News of the World (TB O) (TL O)
• Soul (PP O)

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Wesley Lovell: Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor have been on a streak this season winning either for their jazzy score of Soul or their period score for Mank. Ultimately, the Academy is more likely to recognize them for Soul, one of several Disney and Pixar productions to compete for this prize. Mank could certainly surprise, but I suspect this one will be one of two prizes for Soul this year.
Peter J. Patrick: This could be an easy win for the song score of Soul. On the other hand, it could be one of the year’s major surprises. I’m predicting the latter with the lovely score for Minari taking it.
Tripp Burton: This feels like a year where Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross finally take home a second Oscar, 10 years after their first win and only previous nomination, and Soul feels like the preferred nomination. The music in the Pixar film is so memorable, and essential to the film, that it is probably an obvious winner. If someone else wins, it might be James Newton Howard, who is currently 0-8 at the Oscars and could win some votes for a career award.
Thomas La Tourrette: Soul has won the most precursor awards and should go on to win the Oscar easily. The other nominees are all good, but just will not stand a chance against the jazzy score from Soul. Mank, also by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, though without Jon Batiste, is an old fashioned score that sounds like it came from 1941 to fit with the film. Terence Blanchard’s score for Da 5 Bloods is also an old school style score, very lyrical and symphonic. James Newton Howard is on his ninth nomination for his beautiful work on News of the World. Sadly for him, this will be his ninth time without winning too. Emile Mosseri’s work on Minari is distinctive and low-key, much like the movie. They all worked well in their individual movies, but Soul definitely has the edge to win.

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