Best Visual Effects
Guaranteed nomination and likely win
1. Gravity (Warner Bros.) - Visually, Gravity is unlike any other film I've seen. The space sequences are dazzling, mystical and beautiful and most importantly, realistic. Gravity is a film where the visual effects helped carried the story and for that it will probably end up winning.
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Warner Bros.) - The Academy loves Peter Jackson's Middle-Earth series with the Lord of the Rings trilogy sweeping the Oscar ceremonies they received nominations at and the first Hobbit film earning 3 nominations at last year's ceremony. While the second Hobbit adventure will likely lose out to Gravity, the visual effects in this franchise have never disappointed and if any film could beat Gravity in this category it would be The Hobbit.
Strong chances at getting nominated
3. Pacific Rim (Warner Bros.) - Pacific Rim is the definition of a fun summer blockbuster and Guillermo del Toro's visionary imagination gave what could have been a generic sci-fi action film an epic scope and unique visual design that serves as a sort of homage to Japanese anime. The robots and the monsters looked fantastic in the film and it is likely Pacific Rim will earn a nomination for its VFX.
4. Man of Steel (Warner Bros.) - While critical reception for the Superman reboot was mixed to positive, most people agreed that visually Man of Steel was a treat. The opening on Krypton looked fantastic and while some argue that the latter half of the film is filled with nearly nonstop CGI action, the CGI looked good. The Transformers series (despite generic and bloated CGI action) has earned nominations for VFX, and Man of Steel had more than just that. There was a sense of realism and awe when Superman displayed his powers of flight and heat vision and the various environments such as Krypton, the liquid-style robots and various spaceships mixed with the usual fights and explosions will likely earn Superman's return to the big screen a VFX nomination.
Not completely sure bets
5. Iron Man 3 (Disney/Marvel) - Usually the highest grossing film of the year ends up with at least one nomination at the Academy Awards and it seems likely Marvel's Iron Man 3 could end up with one for its visual effects. The previous two Iron Man films and Marvel's the Avengers all received nominations in this category and Iron Man 3 features some dazzling visuals including the Extremis villains and Iron Man's robot army along with set-pieces such as attacks on Tony Stark's home and Air Force One. While the visual aren't as unique looking as the other films mentioned, this superhero sequel's status as the biggest film of 2013 could earn it a nod for visual effects.
6. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (Fox) - Ben Stiller's adventure dramedy may not seem like a film filled with too many visual effects, but you are wrong. The dream-sequences included in the film look visually dazzling including an epic fight sequence across a metropolis and other set-pieces around the world.
7. Star Trek Into Darkness (Paramount) - The first Star Trek earned 4 Academy Award nominations, a win for makeup and nomination for visual effects. The second film has a strong chance at earning a nomination for its visual effects, but it may not break out due to the immense competition provided by other films. However, the Academy has shown some love to Trek in the technical categories before, so don't be surprised if Into Darkness earns a nod.
8. Elysium (Sony) - Neill Blomkamp's sci-fi action thriller features some really great visual effects, specifically the various robots, which look very realistic compared to other bots seen in films. District 9 earned a nod for its realistic blend of CGI and special effects and Elysium has a solid chance to do the same.
Dark horses
9. Oblivion (Universal) - Tom Cruise's sci-fi epic rather generic and forgetabble, but if one thing can be said about it, it is that Oblivion had a great sense of visual style. It remains to be seen if this early April release will be remembered when compared to summer epics such as Man of Steel and holiday treats such as The Hobbit.
10. World War Z (Paramount) - Brad Pitt's zombie thriller broke out this year as a critical and commercial success, and despite some strong visual style, it probably won't earn a nomination considering zombies aren't as much of a visual treat compared to dragons, superheroes and giant robots.
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