By: Scott Johnson on September 29, 2012
There has been a lot of talk recently about if The Dark Knight Rises will be the first comic book movie to score a Best Picture nomination at The Academy Awards. In what has been a slow summer for Hollywood outside of the superhero world, The Dark Knight Rises is certainly deserving of the recognition. However, there is another superhero movie that just might deserve it more. We’re talking about The Avengers. Here are five reasons that The Avengers deserves a Best Picture nomination just as much as The Dark Knight Rises.
More Positive Critical Praise – According to RottenTomatoes.com, The Avengers received a 92% positive critical response compared to the 87% positive critical response for The Dark Knight Rises. Among top critics, The Avengers faired even better against The Dark Knight Rises, receiving a 84% positive response compared to a 76% positive response.
More Positive Audience Praise – According to RottenTomatoes.com, 96% of viewers liked The Avengers, giving the film a 4.6 out of 5. The Dark Knight Rises also did well with 92% of viewers liking the movie, giving the film a 4.5 out of 5. Both movies entertained audiences, but The Avengers did just slightly better.
More Box Office Success – We know that box office success doesn’t always seem to be a factor in Academy Award nominations, but it’s very hard to overlook the runaway success of The Avengers. Avatar and Titanic are the only two movies that have made more money at the box office than The Avengers, and guess what? Both Avatar and Titanic were nominated for Best Picture Oscars (with Titanic winning). In fact, it would actually be insulting for the Academy not to acknowledge the only other movie to ever join the $600 million club at the U.S. box office with a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
Great Overall Movie – There have been great acting performances in lousy movies. There have also been awful acting performances in beautifully filmed movies. What makes a film worthy of a Best Picture nomination is when all the elements that make a great movie come together perfectly. Much has been made of The Dark Knight Rises cast (which was stellar), but The Avengers also had an incredible cast, which included established performers and rising stars. All of the cast delivered solid acting performances, which combined with a fast-paced storyline and incredible special effects to deliver one fantastic movie.
Feel Good Movie – It’s been a rough year for the movies in more ways than one: criticism over rising ticket prices, big budget movies falling flat, and a horrible mass shooting at a Colorado theater. The Avengers was one of the few bright sports at the movies this summer. It was a film that the whole family could enjoy. It was a film with plenty of feel good moments that had audiences cheering. It reminded people why it’s fun to go to the movies. And while we understand the need to nominate serious films that are based on real world events, part of going to the movies is feeling a sense of wonder and marveling at bigger than life events unfolding on the screen. The Avengers is a movie that deserves its place among the best movies of the year for the fun and enjoyment it brought to audiences.
