Oscars 2014: 17 Unfair Snubs The Academy Got Completely Wrong

17. Pacific Rim - Best Visual Effects

The Visual Effects category is one of the few areas €“ along with Sound Mixing and Sound Editing €“ that allows blockbuster pictures to shine, and alongside expected nominees Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and Iron Man 3, it seemed fair to expect that the visual majesty of Pacific Rim might show up. Perhaps we were optimistic to expect that a committee consisting primarily of older men would even consider nominating a film so clearly aimed at youngsters, though there was the hope that the Academy might have seen past the subject matter to appreciate the grandeur on display. Not that it really matters, as Gravity has had this one sewn up since the cradle. The unexpected film stealing Rim's spot is Star Trek Into Darkness, the category's surprise nominee, a solid nomination by all means, yet not one that required the same level of complexity as these gigantic monster battles.