Hey, the Oscars do get things right sometimes. Giving Best Picture to movies that took risks or weren’t exactly Oscar bait in recent years (as seen with wins for Parasite, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Anora)? That’s all pretty cool. Everything Everywhere All at Once winning Best Picture and three acting Oscars was especially great, seeing as that movie is a sci-fi one, and Oscar voters don’t often recognize that genre quite as often as they should.
To demonstrate that, here’s a rundown of some incredible performances from a variety of science fiction movies (some new, and some older) that weren’t Oscar-nominated, but probably deserved to be. Some of these movies aren’t 100% sci-fi, but all contain enough by way of science fiction elements to qualify, at least in part, as sci-fi movies. Like, there are some superhero movies with sci-fi elements here, but make like Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston in 2011 and just go with it.
10
Jim Carrey as Joel Barish
‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004)
A dense and ambitious sci-fi/romance/drama film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind had a little by way of Oscar recognition alongside its critical acclaim, the screenplay getting a nomination, as did Kate Winslet (for Best Actress). And those were deserved, sure, but Jim Carrey was just as worthy of getting at least a nod from the Oscars for being the lead actor here, and carrying (or Carreying?) so much of the emotional stuff here.
It wasn’t the first snub, considering Jim Carrey’s performance in The Truman Show also wasn’t nominated, despite him being phenomenal there. Oh well. It feels like the Oscars have it in for him, but both that film and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are rightly recognized as having some of the best work he’s ever done, all the while being the two most noteworthy films that show he’s more than “just” a comedic actor (though he is also a great comedic actor, of course; nothing wrong with “just” being one of them).
9
Hugh Jackman as James Howlett / Logan
‘Logan’ (2017)
Sure, Logan is technically a comic book/superhero movie, but it’s a lot darker than most, and does often feel more like a dystopian sci-fi film with a bit of action thrown in for good measure. The titular character here is aging and losing his powers in a world that seems to have gone to hell, but then he gets a chance to become a hero once more when he comes into contact with a young girl who has mutant powers and needs protection.
Hugh Jackman has always been great as Logan/Wolverine, but he’s especially great here in a movie that technically works as a send-off, even if Jackman did return in Deadpool & Wolverine. But he’s amazing here, having to do so much more than you might expect the lead actor in a superhero movie to do, and he’s a key part of why Logan is something of a modern classic.
8
Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day wasn’t the only time Linda Hamilton portrayed Sarah Connor in a Terminator film, but it is the one that gives her the most to do, and sees her at her best. The character undergoes a massive transformation between the first movie and this one, both physically and psychologically, and Hamilton really sells that here in a performance that’s simultaneously big and nuanced.
It’s admittedly a film people tend to love for its technical qualities, and the quality of the action here is what impresses the most, but Linda Hamilton is also fantastic, giving arguably the best performance in the movie. It’s overall one of the best sequels of all time, improving on what was already a great first film, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day is also an all-timer as far as action movies go, too.
7
Matthew McConaughey as Joseph “Coop” Cooper
‘Interstellar’ (2014)
This is another sci-fi movie where the spectacle shines most of all, but the acting also ends up being surprisingly great. It’s Interstellar, which is about traveling through a wormhole and making new discoveries about distant space, but it’s also a movie about being human, falling out of touch with people, and aging, which makes it about as emotional as it is thrilling and awe-inspiring.
And Matthew McConaughey carries so much of the movie, leading what’s also a remarkable ensemble cast filled with too many people to mention them all (quite a few Christopher Nolan movies are like that). McConaughey had just won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club, admittedly, which maybe prevented this from feeling like too much of a snub, but he’s just as good here as he was in that movie, so if things were a little more objective/neutral… yeah, maybe he should’ve been nominated for this one, too.
6
Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle
‘The Fly’ (1986)
If someone were to argue that Jeff Goldblum didn’t deserve an Oscar nomination for his work in The Fly, they’d probably mention something along the lines of: “All the amazing special effects did the acting for him.” They helped for sure, and those special effects were recognized thanks to The Fly winning an Oscar for Best Makeup, but Goldblum was also instrumental. Plus, other Oscar winners have been helped by makeup or prosthetic work aiding their performance (like when Gary Oldman won an Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour… and that film also won for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, so go figure).
Goldblum is brilliant here; that’s the main thing. His performance is also surprising, since he’s the lead here, rather than showing up for a couple of scenes, or a memorable supporting performance. He’s another actor mentioned in this ranking who really does have to carry what would’ve been a difficult film to carry, and he’s instrumental in making this one of the best things David Cronenberg has ever directed.
5
Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
At the risk of sounding a bit repetitive, here’s Mad Max: Fury Road, which is a spectacular action/sci-fi movie most dazzling because of its technical qualities, though not without some surprisingly good acting, too. Tom Hardy is the titular character, and does quite a lot with very little dialogue, but the standout cast member here is Charlize Theron, who does ultimately have the more emotion-heavy role to play here.
She’s also not given a ton of dialogue, but no one here is; the film isn’t too concerned with long scenes of people talking, after all, since it’s too fast-paced for too much of that. But doing a lot with a little, and pulling off a physically demanding performance? Those things also take a ton of skill, and when done as well as Theron does in Mad Max: Fury Road, such performances are worthy of more awards recognition.
4
Michael B. Jordan as Erik “Killmonger” Stevens
‘Black Panther’ (2018)
Like Logan, Black Panther is considered a top-tier superhero movie, and it’s also one with science fiction elements, so it’s being included here. Here, it’s probably the central villain who ends up being the most interesting and complex character, and he’s played by Michael B. Jordan at his absolute best, and he’s a standout part of a superhero movie that got a surprising amount of recognition at the Academy Awards.
Nothing for acting, though. You could also argue Chadwick Boseman might’ve been worthy of an Oscar nomination, as he’s also pretty great here. But maybe the other nominations – including one for Best Picture – were enough, especially because superhero movies getting that kind of awards recognition are rare. Still… Jordan was right there, and you can’t deny he’s amazing here.
3
Scarlett Johansson as the Female
‘Under the Skin’ (2013)
Under the Skin is a strange one, however you want to slice it, but it’s also striking, memorable, and largely impressive. It’s about an alien taking on the appearance of a woman who looks like Scarlett Johansson, and then going around targeting and harvesting(?) men for some reason, with the vagueness of it all making things more alien and effectively unsettling.
Johansson is remarkable here, too, giving a performance unlike any other that she’s given either before or since this movie. It’s another challenging role, but slipping into it so comfortably and understanding the baffling assignment at hand, so to speak, can’t have been easy. Under the Skin is absolutely one of the most interesting movies she’s ever appeared in, and deserves to be recognized as one of her best performances alongside those she gave in better-known films like Lost in Translation and Marriage Story.
2
Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge
‘A Clockwork Orange’ (1971)
When it came to A Clockwork Orange and Oscar nominations, Stanley Kubrick did pretty well, earning three (for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay), and so did the film’s editor, Bill Butler. But no actor received any recognition, yet Malcolm McDowell deserved to. It’s hard to say anyone else left quite enough of an impression to also be nominated, but McDowell is in almost every shot of the movie, excels in a challenging role, and also has to narrate the whole thing, too.
He brings to life a terrifying central character, and succeeds in making him feel like a victim when the film’s story takes a turn, and the victimizer becomes a victim himself. It’s all undeniably bleak stuff, but in an effectively disturbing way, and McDowell was close to as instrumental to A Clockwork Orange’s success as Kubrick was.
1
Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty
‘Blade Runner’ (1982)
Of all the great movies that came out in 1982, Blade Runner was one of the absolute greatest. It’s more than stood the test of time, and has indeed become more well-recognized as a classic as time has marched on. It mixes science fiction and film noir tropes together into one thought-provoking, moving, and visually bold movie, which is essentially about lots of things thematically, but a pretty simple series of events narratively.
There’s a man who’s tasked with tracking down replicants who’ve gone rogue and are being led by Roy Batty, who’s played by Rutger Hauer. And, like, Harrison Ford is great here, but Hauer steals the show whenever he’s on-screen, with his character being the heart of the film, despite himself not having a heart in the traditional sense. It’s through Batty that Blade Runner becomes philosophical and thought-provoking, and the fact that Hauer didn’t get a Best Supporting Actor win (let alone just a nomination) for his performance here is pretty wild.
