"Deadpool" A Possible Best Picture Nominee? How Warranted Is The Outrage?

Back in 2008, there were cries heard around the world when The Dark Knight was snubbed for Best Picture and Best Director. The snub was so outrageous and anger-inducing that it caused the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to expand their Best Picture lineup from 5 to 10 so that more commercial fare can be recognized. But even with an expanded lineup, they've had difficulty embracing commercial fare like the last Harry Potter movie and Skyfall. 

Now there might be a chance that a comic book film could be nominated for Best Picture with Deadpool. It was nominated at the Golden Globes and it even has support from the guilds: the Writers Guild, the Editors Guild, and even the Producers Guild of America. So if it has support from the industry, it could translate to Oscar love. But as Deadpool does get announced at the different guild nominations, I've noticed a lot of anger and flack that it's caused on Twitter.

The reason I bring this up is because even after audiences accuse the Academy of being snobbish with genre fare, now that a comic book film can break into Best Picture, it causes outrage. I'm not saying that the people that are outraged are silly or wrong. I'm just making a point.

I did enjoy Deadpool for what it was. It's a fun edgy self-aware superhero film. I don't think it's Best Picture material by any means or merits a nomination over the likes of Jackie, The Handmaiden, or Captain Fantastic. I also don't think that this should be the first comic book movie to be nominated for Best Picture. But I don't think it's a bad movie. Personally, I do think that The Dark Knight should've been the first comic book movie to get nominated for Best Picture because it had more of a thematic voice to it. It had a lot more to say about themes of terrorism and cultural anxiety. While Deadpool did attempt to break the mold for the superhero genre with its constant self-awareness, I feel that it didn't really have a thematic voice behind it. 

I do champion them nominating blockbusters. I was riveted when they nominated Mad Max: Fury Road, a summer blockbuster sequel and even The Martian which shows how smart and character driven blockbusters can be. While I'm not necessarily behind them nominating Deadpool, the one and only upside is that it shows that voters are willing to continuously think outside the box. 

I may be as uneasy about the idea of Deadpool being in for Best Picture like many other people. But let's not forget that a lot of us felt the same outrage when The Dark Knight, another comic book movie, was left out of Best Picture. The same thing happens with the comedy genre. We often rag on them for being snobbish with comedies. But when Marisa Tomei won the Oscar for My Cousin Vinny, it inspired a lot of speculation that Jack Palance announced her name as a joke. So people ragged on them for awarding a performance in a genre that they often ignore.

Whether you guys agree or disagree, please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for reading!!