Marvel had a great first day in the awards season race. The Golden Globes nominees have been announced and bothBlack PantherandSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Versecame up big. Starting withBlack Panther, Marvel’s massive blockbuster has officially been nominated for three Golden Globe awards. Most importantly, in the Best Motion Picture - Drama category, which is something no other superhero movie has accomplished before. The studio has been campaigning hard to get Ryan Coogler’s comic book adaptation a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards and now, it would appear that is one step closer to becoming a reality.
In the category,Black Pantherwill be going up against director Spike Lee’sBlacKkKlansman, the Queen biopicBohemian Rhapsody, Barry Jenkins’Moonlightfollow-upIf Beale Street Could Talk, and Bradley Cooper’s hit directorial debutA Star Is Born. It is rather interesting that theGolden Globeshave a separate Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category and yet, bothBohemian RhapsodyandA Star Is Bornmade it into the dramatic category. Granted, they’re not straight-up musicals, butThe Martianwasn’t exactly a comedy, now was it? In any case, thatGolden Globes Nominations 2019category consists ofCrazy Rich Asians,The Favourite,Green Book,Mary Poppins ReturnsandVice.
It’s important to look at both categories. Even thoughBlack Pantherwon’t be going up against those musical or comedy movies directly, those are some of the movies that are likely to make into the Oscars Best Picture list this year. Another thing worth pointing out is that Marvel also garnered two other nominations for the movie in the Best Original Song category forAll The Stars(Kendrick Lamar and SZA) and for Best Original Score (Ludwig Goransson). That’s also particularly important as it’s very rare that a movie can go on to win Best Picture if it wasn’t also nominated in other major categories, such as directing, screenplay or the acting categories. Though, it does happen from time to time.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which has yet to be released but has been praised by critics thus far, currently boasting a 100 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, also came up big. The movie earned a nomination in the Best Motion Picture - Animated category, alongsideIsle of Dogs,Mirai,Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2andIncredibles 2. While this was made by Sony and not Marvel Studios, it’s still great for the brand. And since Miles Morales is front-and-center in the animated feature, it’s a great moment for fans of the character.
This all shows that Hollywood is indeedtaking comic book movies much more seriouslythese days. WhileBlack Panthercertainly seems deserving, given that it was critically heralded, grossed $1.3 billion at the box office, had a deeper message than good vs evil and was a major showcase for diversity, there are other comic book adaptations that have felt equally deserving. The most prominent example being Christopher Nolan’sThe Dark Knight, which didn’t wind up scoring a Best Picture nomination that year.LoganandWonder Womanwere also viewed as major snubs last year.
It’s worth mentioning thatDeadpoolactually scored a Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy nomination, but this is the first time a movie has made it into the drama field. It’s also important to remember as the Oscars approach that the Golden Globes and Academy Awards are voted on in entirely different ways. But this is a good indicator ofBlack Panther’s chances come time for theOscar nominations. And maybe Spidey will finally get some awards season recognition. The 2019Golden Globesceremony, which will be hosted by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh, is set to take place on Sunday, January 6.
