Oscars 2018: Best visual effects nominees list shortened to 10 contenders

The 90th Oscars ceremony gets closer by the day. As the big night approaches, we’re getting a better sense of what films are up for the coveted awards, and on Monday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released its shortlist for the best visual effects category. Only 10 contenders remain, including Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Blade Runner 2049, and Okja.

There’s a wide spectrum of films on the shortlist this year. Only one superhero movie remains — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 — while the down-to-earth World War II drama Dunkirk sits alongside out-of-this-world fantasias like Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Guillermo del Toro’s acclaimed fairy tale The Shape of Water is also on the list, even though its main effect (the fish-man played by Doug Jones) is an entirely physical costume, with VFX used for his changing expressions.

All members of the academy’s visual effects branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from the shortlisted films on Jan. 6. Check out the full shortlist below, in alphabetical order:

• Alien: Covenant
• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk
• Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
• Kong: Skull Island
• Okja
• The Shape of Water
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
• War for the Planet of the Apes

Official Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday, Jan. 23. The ceremony will take place Sunday, March 4, in Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC starting at 6:30 p.m. ET.