Oscar's Sci-Fi Snubs: Which is the Most Offensive?

Over at MTV Movies main, we posted an article exploring whether the Oscar nominations for “District 9” and “Avatar” could finally snap the Academy’s long-held sci-fi stigma. While writing it, I took a look at the list of the greatest sci-fi films of all time on IMDb -- ranked by hundreds of thousands of votes from moviegoers -– and was floored by some of the titles that earned little or no Oscar recognition.

Below are some particularly egregious crimes against the genre – with the actual Best Picture winner listed in parenthesis. You tell me – all these years later, which film is better remembered?

“Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” (Winner: “Ordinary People”)
In my opinion, it’s the single greatest science fiction movie of all time; the IMDb users seem to agree, as they’ve also ranked it #1. Yet, the film that introduced Yoda, Boba Fett and the phrase “Luke, I am your father!” into the national consciousness was only nominated for a handful of technical awards.

“2001: A Space Odyssey” (Winner: “Oliver!”)
Without much argument, it is often said that Stanley Kubrick’s contemplative science fiction masterpiece invented the modern-day space movie. It is as fresh to watch today as it was forty years ago, and every repeated screening seems to unlock new and awe-inspiring revelations. Meanwhile, when was the last time you heard somebody talking about “Oliver!”?

“The Matrix” (Winner: “American Beauty”)
Forget about the fact that the ’99 Oscars also omitted everything from “Fight Club” to “Being John Malkovich” to “Three Kings” and “The Iron Giant” – on top of it all, they also neglected to honor the film that would single-handedly re-invent action, comic-book and sci-fi movies for the next decade. Dodge this: If the Oscars want to remain relevant, they need to stop overlooking landmark films.

“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (Winner: “The Silence of the Lambs”)
Okay, you’d have a hard time finding someone who wouldn’t argue that “Lambs” was every bit as good as “T2.” But how about “The Prince of Tides,” another nominee from that year? Sadly, it seems like the film that defined “blockbuster” for a generation may have been as much a victim of “Roman Numeral stigma” as anything against science fiction. If “T2” had been “T1,” I wonder if the film would’ve snagged a nomination.

“Blade Runner” (Winner: “Gandhi”)
Harrison Ford’s other science fiction foray is nothing short of a classic, and one that we’ve seen ripped off countless times since. “Gandhi” was a well-meaning feel-good movie of its time that made Oscar voters feel so good that they voted with their hearts, not their heads. Want proof? Let Richard Attenborough release three additional “Director’s Cut” versions of his movie on DVD, and let’s see if anybody keeps buying those.

“Metropolis” (Winner: “Wings”)
Oscar got off on the wrong foot 82 years ago when it snubbed Fritz Lang’s masterpiece. All these decades later, the film is still regularly screened in commercial theaters, and its one-sheet art still sells in stores. It was just two years ago that the Internet went crazy over the news that lost footage from the film had been found and restored. Ask anybody what “Wings” is, and all they’ll remember is the crappy NBC sitcom.

“King Kong” (Winner: “Cavalcade”)
All these decades later, Peter Jackson still gives credit for his entire career to this movie. Unless J.J. Abrams comes out tomorrow and says that everything he knows he learned from 1933’s Winfield Sheehan drama about well-to-do London residents during the Second Boer War, it doesn’t seem like “Cavalcade” comes close.

What do you think is the worst sci-fi snub by the Oscars of all time? In your opinion, does the recognition for “District 9” and “Avatar” show that they’re finally coming around?

Tags 2001: a space odyssey, avatar, blade runner, district 9, fight club, king kong, star wars, terminator, the matrix