Engrossing atomic bomb epic Oppenheimer dominated the 96th Academy Awards. This three-hour account of mankind's darkest hour (or one of them at least) capitalised on its awards momentum to win seven Oscars out of 13 nominations.
In addition to Best Picture (presented by a hesitant Al Pacino), the film's triumphant haul included historic firsts for Director Christopher Nolan (awarded by Steven Spielberg), Actor Cillian Murphy and Supporting Actor Robert Downey Jr. Remarkably, it has taken Nolan nearly 30 years to win gold at the Academy Awards, but the again he hadn't even been nominated in the field before 2017's Dunkirk.
It was also vindication for the oft-underrated Murphy who has regularly stolen the show in a diverse range of movies from 28 Days Later to Anthropoid. This is the sixth time that Nolan and Murphy have worked together and we now get the payoff to their fruitful partnership, one that has encompassed the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk.
As for Robert Downey Jr, he has career longevity on his side. Downey Jr. was nominated for Chaplin back in 1993, only to see his career go on the slide before it was redeemed by the Marvel Cinematic Universe and his new-found union with Christopher Nolan. Oscar voters sure do love to award a redemptive career arc.
The night evidently belonged to Oppenheimer, its cast and crew. The movie also won Best Cinematography for Hoyte van Hoytema, Best Original Score for Ludwig Goransson and Best Film Editing for Jennifer Lame. Here's the full Oscars backstage speech from Nolan and his team.
There was also a strong showing for the delightfully cracked black comedy Poor Things. Emma Stone walked away with her second Oscar for Best Actress, fending off competition from Killers of the Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone.
Stone has been supported by robust awards momentum since Poor Things debuted at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. However, Gladstone's recent Best Actress win at the SAG Awards suggested a leveling up of the field. Ultimately, however, it was Stone that came through, a reward for her intensely physical, humourous and memorable performance as human experiment Bella Baxter.
The acclaimed Yorgos Lanthimos-directed film also won Oscars for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design (presented by a naked John Cena) and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Given that much of the critical acclaim centred on the movie's sumptuous retro-futuristic look, it was perhaps inevitable that it would clean up in these categories, reinforcing how it is a feast for both the senses and the emotions.
The night of firsts continued with The Zone of Interest's win for Best International Feature Film. It's the first Oscar awarded to British director Jonathan Glazer, the noted helmer of films as diverse as Sexy Beast and Under the Skin.
Glazer's disquieting Holocaust drama, a quietly lacerating study of culpability and complacency, also nabbed Best Sound for Johnnie Burn and his team. The movie's layered aural tapestry communicates everything we're not seeing, effectively adding to the film's atmosphere of all-encompassing horror and dread.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph cemented her status as the Best Supporting Actress favourite with her win for The Holdovers. Her pivotal role as the grieving yet warm-hearted cook Mary Lamb is the moral backbone of Alexander Payne's tender comedy-drama and portends great things from Randolph in the future.
In the screenplay categories, there were victories for Anatomy of a Fall and American Fiction. The former won Best Original Screenplay for Justine Triet (also the director) and Arthur Harari. Academy voters were clearly impressed by the film's scrupulous and suspenseful fidelity to legal procedure as it recounts one woman's trial for the mysterious death of her husband.
The latter was awarded to Cord Jefferson, also the director of American Fiction. The movie is the slyly satirical account of a struggling African-American writer who must perpetuate stereotypes in his latest book to achieve a measure of fame. The film presses on a number of hot-button issues in American society, securing both its artistic relevance and entertainment value.
Truth be told, the show was stolen by Anatomy of a Fall's attendant star. We're not talking about Sandra Huller (also the star of The Zone of Interest) but Messi the border collie who rocked up in his dashing bow tie to remind everyone of his pivotal film role as Snoop the dog.
Surprises? This being the Oscars, there were a couple. Hayao Miyazaki's The Boy and the Heron scooped Best Animated Feature over Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, making it the first Studio Ghibli film to win the award since 2003's Spirited Away.
In another win for the Japanese film industry, the acclaimed kaiju thriller Godzilla Minus One stomped away with Best Visual Effects. This was no mean feat given it was up against heavyweight Hollywood competition including The Creator and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One.
And although Barbie only walked away with one Oscar, Best Original Song for What Was I Made For?, awarded to Billie Eilish and Finneas, the movie was arguably the highlight of the evening. We'll end our coverage with Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling's performance of I'm Just Ken, performed alongside Guns and Roses legend Slash.
What are your reactions to this year's Oscars? Did your favourite movies win? Tweet us your responses @Cineworld.
Rewatch this year's Oscars victor Oppenheimer on the big screen at Cineworld between March 12th and March 14th. Click the link below to book your tickets.
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