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Transformers: Dark of the Moon

The third film in a series is always tricky, because we've pretty much seen all the tricks they're going to throw at us. Yes, Trannies 3 has some of the most mind blowing visual effects in cinematic history, but when you get down to it, it's a bunch of robots fighting each other. The first film in the series was nominated for this Oscar, but the sequel didn't even get nominated. Perhaps Dark of the Moon will have better luck. It will be a tough road for this one to convince the Academy that its robots are worth nominating again, especially up against the fancy new robots of Real Steel, but it is still a threat.

The Tree of Life

This is easily the strangest film to ever be a contender for Best Visual Effects. In the land of big-budget, big box-office action extravaganzas, this is a dream-like family drama that only cost $32 million and only grossed $13 million. If you were going by the quality of the effects alone, Tree of Life wouldn't stand a chance; the CGI early history of the world sequence is pretty cool, but it seems like something that would show up in a Best Visual Effects category. But if the members of the effects branch are desperate for something independent and artistically-minded than the rest of the dreck they usually nominate, they could rally behind Malick's film. I wouldn't be in the least surprised if The Tree of Life ends up nominated here.

X-Men: First Class

Is anybody else as baffled as I am that none of the X-Men movies have been nominated for any Oscars? It's astonishing, and would lead most people to assume that the latest installment also will be left empty handed. But remember that the expansion of the category is a game changer, leaving us with a wide open field that will allow for First Class to sneak in. The film is also different enough than the rest of the series that it own't suffer from sequel fatigue. Plus, it's gotten very good reviews, which is not crucial, but is definitely helpful. If the voters don't love the other superhero movies, they might fall for this one.

Did you get all that? Good. Here are many rankings of the films with the best chance of being nominated for Best Visual Effects at this years Oscars:

1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
3. Hugo
4. Thor
5. Transformers: Dark of the Moon
6. X-Men: First Class
7. The Tree of Life
8. Real Steel
9. Captain America: The First Avenger
10. Super 8

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