It seems to me that one of the Oscar categories that is largely responsible for blurring the lines between reality and fantasy is Special Effects. It’s all about making the unrealistic, improbable, impossible, dangerous, or even life-threatening, look real. Living dinosaurs, flying super heroes, twenty-five foot tall gorillas, and exciting lightsaber duels, are all perfect examples of Special Effects in the movies. But there are also more subtle things like a car driving fast down a winding road, a crowd of five hundred thousand people, a violent storm, or someone getting shot. It is a category I have always been fascinated by, and so I plan to watch all the films I can easily find that have been nominated for Best Special Effects, a category that was changed to Best Visual Effects in 1963. My reviews will be shorter, and I will attempt to comment only on the effects, not on the film as a whole. Enjoy!
- 1938 – Spawn of the North (HONORARY AWARD)
- 1939 – Gone With the Wind
- 1939 – Only Angels Have Wings
- 1939 – The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
- 1939 – The Rains Came (WINNER)
- 1939 – Topper Takes a Trip
- 1939 – Union Pacific
- 1939 – The Wizard of Oz
- 1940 – The Blue Bird
- 1940 – Boom Town
- 1940 – The Boys from Syracuse
- 1940 – Dr. Cyclops
- 1940 – Foreign Correspondent
- 1940 – The Invisible Man Returns
- 1940 – The Long Voyage Home
- 1940 – One Million B.C
- 1940 – Rebecca
- 1940 – The Sea Hawk
- 1940 – Swiss Family Robinson
- 1940 – The Thief of Bagdad (WINNER)
- 1940 – Typhoon
- 1940 – Women in War
- 1941 – Aloma of the South Seas
- 1941 – Flight Command
- 1941 – I Wanted Wings (WINNER)
- 1941 – The Invisible Woman
- 1941 – The Sea Wolf
- 1941 – That Hamilton Woman
- 1941 – Topper Returns
- 1941 – A Yank in the R.A.F.
- 1942 – The Black Swan
- 1942 – Desperate Journey
- 1942 – Flying Tigers
- 1942 – Invisible Agent
- 1942 – Jungle Book
- 1942 – Mrs. Miniver
- 1942 – The Navy Comes Through
- 1942 – One of Our Aircraft is Missing
- 1942 – Pride of the Yankees
- 1942 – Reap the Wild Wind (WINNER)
- 1943 – Air Force
- 1943 – Bombardier
- 1943 – Crash Dive (WINNER)
- 1943 – The North Star
- 1943 – So Proudly We Hail
- 1943 – Stand By for Action
- 1944 – The Adventures of Mark Twain
- 1944 – Days of Glory
- 1944 – Secret Command
- 1944 – Since You Went Away
- 1944 – The Story of Dr. Wassell
- 1944 – Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (WINNER)
- 1945 – Captain Eddie
- 1945 – Spellbound
- 1945 – They Were Expendable
- 1945 – A Thousand and One Nights
- 1945 – Wonder Man (WINNER)
- 1946 – Blithe Spirit (WINNER)
- 1946 – A Stolen Life
- 1947 – Green Dolphin Street (WINNER)
- 1947 – Unconquered
- 1948 – Deep Waters
- 1948 – Portrait of Jennie (WINNER)
- 1949 – Mighty Joe Young (WINNER)
- 1949 – Tulsa
- 1950 – Destination Moon (WINNER)
- 1950 – Samson and Delilah
- 1951 – When Worlds Collide (WINNER)
- 1952 – Plymouth Adventure (WINNER)
- 1953 – The War of the Worlds (WINNER)
- 1954 – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (WINNER)
- 1954 – Hell and High Water
- 1954 – Them
- 1955 – The Bridges at Toko-Ri (WINNER)
- 1955 – The Dam Busters
- 1955 – The Rains of Ranchipur
- 1956 – Forbidden Planet
- 1956 – The Ten Commandments (WINNER)
- 1957 – The Enemy Below (WINNER)
- 1957 – The Spirit of St. Louis
- 1958 – Tom Thumb (WINNER)
- 1958 – Torpedo Run
- 1959 – Ben-Hur (WINNER)
- 1959 – Journey to the Center of the Earth
- 1960 – The Last Voyage
- 1960 – The Time Machine (WINNER)
- 1961 – The Absent Minded Professor
- 1961 – The Guns of Navarone (WINNER)
- 1962 – The Longest Day (WINNER)
- 1962 – Mutiny on the Bounty
- 1963 – The Birds
- 1963 – Cleopatra (WINNER)
- 1964 – 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
- 1964 – Mary Poppins (WINNER)
- 1965 – The Greatest Story Ever Told
- 1965 – Thunderball (WINNER)
- 1966 – Fantastic Voyage (WINNER)
- 1966 – Hawaii
- 1967 – Doctor Dolittle (WINNER)
- 1967 – Tobruk
- 1968 – 2001: A Space Odyssey (WINNER)
- 1968 – Ice Station Zebra
- 1969 – Krakatoa East of Java
- 1969 – Marooned (WINNER)
- 1970 – Patton
- 1970 – Tora! Tora! Tora! (WINNER)
- 1971 – Bedknobs and Broomsticks (WINNER)
- 1971 – When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
- 1972 – The Poseidon Adventure (WINNER)
- 1974 – Earthquake (WINNER)
- 1975 – The Hindenburg (WINNER)
- 1976 – King Kong (WINNER)
- 1976 – Logan’s Run (WINNER)
- 1977 – Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- 1977 – Star Wars (WINNER)
- 1978 – Superman (WINNER)
- 1979 – Alien (WINNER)
- 1979 – The Black Hole
- 1979 – Moonraker
- 1979 – 1941
- 1979 – Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- 1980 – The Empire Strikes Back (WINNER)
- 1981 – Dragonslayer
- 1981 – Raiders of the Lost Ark (WINNER)
- 1982 – Blade Runner
- 1982 – E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (WINNER)
- 1982 – Poltergeist
- 1983 – Return of the Jedi (WINNER)
- 1984 – 2010 – The Year We Make Contact
- 1984 – Ghostbusters
- 1984 – Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (WINNER)
- 1985 – Cocoon (WINNER)
- 1985 – Return to Oz
- 1985 – Young Sherlock Holmes
- 1986 – Aliens (WINNER)
- 1986 – Little Shop of Horrors
- 1986 – Poltergeist II
- 1987 – Innerspace (WINNER)
- 1987 – Predator
- 1988 – Die Hard
- 1988 – Who Framed Roger Rabbit (WINNER)
- 1988 – Willow
- 1989 – The Abyss (WINNER)
- 1989 – The Adventures of Baron Munchousen
- 1989 – Back to the Future II
- 1990 – Total Recall (WINNER)
- 1991 – Backdraft
- 1991 – Hook
- 1991 – Terminator 2: Judgement Day (WINNER)
- 1992 – Aliens 3
- 1992 – Batman Returns
- 1992 – Death Becomes Her (WINNER)
- 1993 – Cliffhanger
- 1993 – Jurassic Park (WINNER)
- 1993 – The Nightmare Before Christmas
- 1994 – Forrest Gump (WINNER)
- 1994 – The Mask
- 1994 – True Lies
- 1995 – Babe (WINNER)
- 1995 – Apollo 13
- 1996 – Dragonheart
- 1996 – Independence Day (WINNER)
- 1996 – Twister
- 1997 – The Lost World: Jurassic Park
- 1997 – Starship Troopers
- 1997 – Titanic (WINNER)
- 1998 – Armageddon
- 1998 – Mighty Joe Young
- 1998 – What Dreams May Come (WINNER)
- 1999 – The Matrix (WINNER)
- 1999 – Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- 1999 – Stuart Little
- 2000 – Gladiator (WINNER)
- 2000 – Hollow Man
- 2000 – The Perfect Storm
- 2001 – A.I. Artificial Intelligence
- 2001 – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (WINNER)
- 2001 – Pearl Harbor
- 2002 – Spider-Man
- 2002 – Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- 2002 – The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (WINNER)
- 2003 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
- 2003 – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
- 2003 – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (WINNER)
- 2004 – Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- 2004 – I, Robot
- 2004 – Spider-Man 2 (WINNER)
- 2005 – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
- 2005 – King Kong (WINNER)
- 2005 – War of the Worlds
- 2006 – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (WINNER)
- 2006 – Poseidon
- 2006 – Superman Returns
- 2007 – The Golden Compass (WINNER)
- 2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
- 2007 – Transformers
- 2008 – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (WINNER)
- 2008 – The Dark Knight
- 2008 – Iron Man
- 2009 – Avatar (WINNER)
- 2009 – District 9
- 2009 – Star Trek
- 2010 – Alice in Wonderland
- 2010 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1
- 2010 – Hereafter
- 2010 – Inception (WINNER)
- 2010 – Iron Man 2
- 2011 – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
- 2011 – Hugo (WINNER)
- 2011 – Real Steel
- 2011 – Rise of the Planet of the Apes
- 2011 – Transformers: Dark of the Moon
- 2012 – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- 2012 – Life of Pi (WINNER)
- 2012 – Marvel’s The Avengers
- 2012 – Prometheus
- 2012 – Snow White and the Huntsman
- 2013 – Gravity (WINNER)
- 2013 – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- 2013 – Iron Man 3
- 2013 – The Lone Ranger
- 2013 – Star Trek Into Darkness
- 2014 – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- 2014 – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- 2014 – Guardians of the Galaxy
- 2014 – Interstellar (WINNER)
- 2014 – X-Men: Days of Future Past
- 2015 – Ex Machina (WINNER)
- 2015 – Mad Max Fury Road
- 2015 – The Martian
- 2015 – The Revenant
- 2015 – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- 2016 – Deepwater Horizon
- 2016 – Doctor Strange
- 2016 – The Jungle Book (WINNER)
- 2016 – Kubo and the Two Strings
- 2016 – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- 2017 – Blade Runner 2049 (WINNER)
- 2017 – Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2
- 2017 – Kong: Skull Island
- 2017 – Star Wars: The Last Jedi
- 2017 – War for the Planet of the Apes
- 2018 – Avengers: Infinity War
- 2018 – Christopher Robin
- 2018 – First Man (WINNER)
- 2018 – Ready Player One
- 2018 – Solo: A Star Wars Story
- 2019 – 1917 (WINNER)
- 2019 – Avengers: Endgame
- 2019 – The Irishman
- 2019 – The Lion King
- 2019 – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- 2020/21 – Love and Monsters
- 2020/21 – The Midnight Sky
- 2020/21 – Mulan
- 2020/21 – The One and Only Ivan
- 2020/21 – Tenet (WINNER)
- 2021 – Dune (WINNER)
- 2021 – Free Guy
- 2021 – No Time To Die
- 2021 – Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- 2021 – Spider-Man No Way Home
- 2022 – All Quiet on the Western Front
- 2022 – Avatar: The Way of Water (WINNER)
- 2022 – The Batman
- 2022 – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- 2022 – Top Gun: Maverick