Genre Movies Own Oscar's Best Visual FX Category

While a look at the Golden Globe nominations may suggest to some that this year’s bumper crop of genre and comic book-based movies may be looking at a bleak awards season, rest assured, they are being well represented – in the category that they are best known for.

On Friday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the fifteen movies selected as semifinalists for the Oscar Award for best visual effects. The films are (in alphabetical order):

Australia, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Cloverfield, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Dark Knight, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Hancock, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Iron Man, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Quantum of Solace and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

The list will be narrowed to seven in early January, and then, members of the visual effects branch of the Academy will nominate three for final Oscar consideration on January 15^th, with the nominees being announced on January 22^nd.