Could Captain America: Civil War Actually Win At The Oscars?
Marvel's started the movie's awards campaign last week, but does it actually stand a chance?
The latest bit of superhero news to hit the interwebs is certainly an interesting one on first inspection; as a throwaway line in an article over at HitFix revealed, there's recently been a "For Your Consideration" screening for Captain America: Civil War. So, does this mean Marvel are gearing up for a one-of-a-kind campaign that could see Civil War break the superhero curse (and the one for sci-fi and fantasy in general) and actually take some Oscar gold? Short answer: no.
There's been a fair bit of excitement and breaking down of Civil War's achievements - box office, critical and audience response, position in blockbuster development - but that misses that For Your Consideration campaigns are done for every film. Every. Film. They're not reserved for bait-y movies produced by The Weinstein Company, because studios understand what audiences don't: the Oscars is all politics, and it's as much about how you manage to appeal to the members of the Academy as it is producing a genuinely great film.
It's not even like Marvel are trying to buy Best Picture glory anyway, rather playing a little game to get scant recognition. We see this basic story every year for one big blockbuster or another. My favourite was when it was Transformers: Age Of Extinction getting pushed by Paramount for Best Picture, but the logic with Civil War is the same; Captain America 3 is in a prime position to get a raft of technical recognition (although I'd say it's shaky CGI is it's rare weakness), but to do that Marvel need to over-egg the pudding a little. That's it.
And if you're hoping things may explode beyond that, remember that Mad Max: Fury Road was a big budget success last year, which based on past form doesn't promise a watershed, but insures the Academy's snootiness for the better part of a decade.
Do you think Captain America: Civil War has any serious Oscar chances? Or is it all a sneaky gambit? Share your thoughts down in the comments.