Well, here’s what happened: Nothing, really. That nomination for the first “Star Wars” notwithstanding, this is not the kind of movie the Academy responds to. They never have, and they probably never will.
But to reiterate on this sad, sad morning on Jakku, here are some reasons why “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” didn’t get nominated.
1. Because it’s a “Star Wars” movie.
Look, it’s the Academy. Its members are older and more conservative — and to the chagrin of the people who care about ratings for the Oscar show, they’ve never shown much fondness for nominating blockbusters.
After they bypassed Chris Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight,” the Academy even expanded the Best Picture field from five to 10 in an attempt to get them to nominate a few more popular movies. And it didn’t really work: Oh, the odd “The Blind Side” and “District 9” slipped in, but mostly it just gave them more slots to nominate indies and little movies.
It’s just a rule of thumb: The more explosions you have, the less your chance of landing a Best Picture nomination.
2. Because it’s a sequel x7.
Yes, the first “Star Wars” was nominated way back when. That’s because it was fresh and new and startling. If you create a new world, you have a much better chance with the Academy than if you return to a world that was already created — and even the fact that J.J. Abrams returned to that world so lovingly and carefully in his movie doesn’t help him with the Academy.
3. Because it’s good, but not good enough.
When I was considering the possibility of “The Force Awakens” being an Oscar contender in December, I wrote this:
“For that to happen, it would have to be unassailably, inarguably great. If J.J. Abrams‘ film isn’t richly entertaining and grandly satisfying and completely thrilling, and also moving on a whole other level, then it’s just another good-to-great sci-fi movie. And good-to-great sci-fi movies don’t win Best Picture. In fact, most of the time they don’t even get nominated.
“‘The Force Awakens,'” to my mind, is a good-almost-great sci-fi movie, fun and satisfying and pretty much what I want out of a ‘Star Wars’ flick … And to me, that means it’ll probably get a handful of Oscar nominations, but it probably won’t be in play for a Best Picture nod, much less a win.”
4. Because if it couldn’t get a Producers Guild nomination, there was no way it was going to get an Oscar nomination.
This was the final nail in the coffin of the film’s hopes. The Producers Guild of America likes successful movies, and it has a history of nominating big hits that didn’t pass muster with the Academy, including “The Dark Knight” and “Skyfall.”
For “Star Wars” to have any real chance with the Academy, it had to show strength with the PGA. And when the Producers Guild announced its nominations on Jan. 5 and “Star Wars” wasn’t one of them, it effectively closed the book on the possibility that J.J. Abrams‘ space opera was going to make it out of the tech categories.
5. Because “Mad Max” got there first.
While Disney bided its time with “Star Wars,” not screening it early enough for Golden Globes or SAG or critics’ award consideration, another big, beefy action movie came in and grabbed the awards spotlight. George Miller‘s “Mad Max: Fury Road” racked up critics’ honors and became the popcorn movie to reckon with on the awards circuit — and “Star Wars” came along too late to unseat it from that perch.
“Mad Max” was the kind of movie the Academy doesn’t usually recognize, either, and it was a sequel to boot. But it had a credibility-boosting premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and rave reviews that surpassed those for “The Force Awakens,” and months of reminders that it was the year’s freshest, sharpest action flick.
It had become the big, loud and artful movie that Oscar voters had to reckon with long before “The Force Awakens” showed up.
And look, should we even be worrying about this too much? ABC and the producers of the Oscar show were no doubt hoping against hope that “The Force Awakens” would make it, and I’m sure Disney would have loved to get some more attention for its movie on the awards show broadcast by the network it owns.
But “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is in another galaxy from all of this Oscar stuff. It’s making money and impacting the culture and all of that. It doesn’t need any shiny little trophies.
Oscar Nominee Snubs and Surprises: Ridley Scott, Sylvester Stallone and 17 More (Photos)
SURPRISE: Tom Hardy, nominated Best Actor, “The Revenant” Leonardo DiCaprio has dominated conversations surrounding the grueling shoot and high art of "The Revenant," but Hardy suffered right alongside him -- and was rewarded with a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
Fox
SNUB: "Carol," not nominated Best Picture Todd Haynes' dreamy period piece fetched acting, score and cinematography nominations but was shut out of the Best Picture race.
TWC
SURPRISE: "Ex Machina," nominated, Best Visual Effects Alex Garland’s dystopian love story drew a nomination for Best Visual Effects over Colin Trevorrow’s record-setting “Jurassic World,” which is literally filled with screaming, stomping, fighting dinosaurs.
Universal
SNUB: Ridley Scott, not nominated Best Director, "The Martian" The exclusion of Ridley Scott from the Best Director category is enough to make you want to move to Mars. While the longtime movie maestro claimed a Golden Globe award, he was left off of the 2016 list entirely, presumably bumped by surprise nominee Lenny Abrahamson.
Fox
SURPRISE: Sylvester Stallone, nominated Best Actor in a Supporting Role, "Creed" Conversations on Ryan Coogler’s “Creed” never roared like an audience at a Las Vegas bout, but here we are — Rocky Balboa himself is headed to the Dolby Theater as Sylvester Stallone joins a Best Supporting Actor category that includes Mark Ruffalo and Christian Bale.
Warner Bros.
SNUB: Idris Elba, not nominated Best Actor, “Beasts of No Nation” The excessively likable and highly pedigreed Elba could not earn a spot among the Best Actor crowd for “Beasts of No Nation” despite his edgy positioning with hot director Cary Fukunaga and streaming release platform Netflix.
Netflix
SURPRISE: Lenny Abrahamson, nominated Best Director, "Room" Sure, the director’s “Room” is an emotional marathon and, frankly, a technical feat for creating a universe within those tiny walls -- but it was surely a surprise to hear his name called for Best Director over Ridley Scott’s.
TheWrap
SNUB: “See You Again,” not nominated Best Original Song, "Furious 7" Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “Furious 7” anthem served not only as a radio hit but also a tribute to the late Paul Walker. It was all but guaranteed that the creative eyebrows of Puth and NBA-level tattoos of Khalifa would suit up to claim a Best Original Song Oscar come February. Sorry boys, maybe we’ll see you again.
Universal
SNUB: Amy Schumer, not nominated Best Original Screenplay, "Trainwreck" America’s acidic sweetheart Schumer was a fledgling leading lady in Universal’s “Trainwreck,” but had a serious shot at Best Original Screenplay for her comedy with Bill Hader and Brie Larson.
Universal
SURPRISE: “Inside Out,” nominated Best Original Screenplay Any Pixar film is a presumed nominee if not winner, but it was unexpected to see the Amy Poehler-fronted film nominated for Best Original Screenplay. We imagine all the writers attached are feeling only Joy.
Disney
SNUB: Johnny Depp, not nominated Best Actor, “Black Mass" Forget the Ed Harris makeup — Johnny Depp did an extraordinary job playing Whitey Bulger in Warner Bros. “Black Mass.” Many thought the A-lister would be among peers like Leonardo DiCaprio in the Best Actor category.
Warner Bros.
SURPRISE: Charlotte Rampling, nominated Best Actress, "45 Years" Charlotte Rampling was nominated for her role in "45 years" in the Best Actress category along with Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan. Rampling was a strong contender in October, but no one really talked about the film throughout the rest of award season. For example, she didn't receive a Golden Globe or SAG nomination.
Artificial Eye
SNUB: Will Smith, not nominated Best Actor, "Concussion" He delivered a spectacular performance as Dr. Bennet Omalu in "Concussion," but Will Smith didn't receive a nomination in the Best Actor category despite making everyone's radar following his Golden Globes nom.
Sony/Columbia
SURPRISE: "The 100-Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared," nominated Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling For the Danish film to be nominated at all came as a complete surprise because most hadn't even heard of this film. Released in May in only 76 theaters, it grossed $944,000 dollars. It took the place within the Makeup and Hairstyling category of films like "Cinderella," "The Danish Girl," "Ex Machina," "Black Mass" and "Star Wars," which all received Makeup Guild Awards nominations.
Music Box Films
SNUBS: "Peanuts"/"Minions"/"Good Dinosaur," not nominated Best Animated Feature Those three films were left out of the nominations for Best Animated Feature, replaced by surprises "Boy and the World" and "When Marnie Was There." "Minions" is an especially surprising omission because it made $336 million domestically and broke several box office records for Universal at the time.
Universal/Fox/Pixar
SNUB: Aaron Sorkin, not nominated Best Screenplay, "Steve Jobs" Sorkin is known as one of the best living screenwriters, and his adaptation of Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" was one of this year's most anticipated scripts. Sorkin also received praise for the unique structure he established for the film, receiving a Golden Globe award for Best Screenplay on Jan. 10.
Getty Images
SNUB: Todd Haynes, not nominated Best Director, "Carol" Many who saw the film "Carol," starring lead and supporting actress nominees Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, praised it for how artfully it was put together. That makes Haynes' absence in the Best Director field perplexing.
Getty Images
SNUB: Steven Spielberg, not nominated Best Director, "Bridge of Spies" Spielberg directed "Bridge of Spies," one of the most well-received films of the year, yet, the two-time Oscar winner was left out of the Best Director category by the Academy this year.
Getty Images
SNUB: Tom Hanks, not nominated Best Actor, "Bridge of Spies" The two-time Academy Award winner delivered another stellar performance in "Bridge of Spies," but didn't receive a Best Actor nomination for the film, despite its six total noms. The film's supporting actor, Mark Rylance, was nominated for an Oscar this year.
Disney
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The Academy sprung some last-minute names — and shut out sure things from awards season