Oscars 2018 Nominations: 18 Shocks & Snubs

18. Shock: Kong: Skull Island (Best Visual Effects)

Kong Skull Island Kong
Warner Bros.

Kong: Skull Island scooped a surprising Best Visual Effects nomination despite featuring, well, largely mediocre and forgettable VFX work.

Sure, Kong looked fine when stood still, but much of the digital action was blurry and aesthetically unpleasant, making this nod extremely suspect.

It's all the more bizarre as Kong beat out widely-expected nominee Dunkirk, which presumably suffered due to the movie's focus on practical effects and more subtle, subdued use of CGI.

Kong hasn't got a hope in hell of winning up against heavyweight nominees like Blade Runner 2049 and War for the Planet of the Apes, but it's still a travesty that the Academy even considers it in the same league.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.