Oscars 2023: Ranking the 10 ‘Best Picture’ nominees from worst to best
It’s time to roll out the Hollywood red carpet once again, with the annual Academy Awards almost upon us. Though the ceremony includes 24 awards for everything from ‘Best Makeup and Hairstyling’ to ‘Best Live Action Short Film’, there’s no denying that there’s only really one award that matters to the majority of the general public, the magisterial Oscar for ‘Best Picture’.
Including the biggest, best and most important movies of any given year, the lineup of ‘Best Picture’ nominees is often controversial, and the collection of films for the 2023 ceremony is no different. With glitzy big-budget marvels and small independent gems, the Academy has tried to represent a diverse range of movies this year, though it only found space for one female director in Sarah Polley, much to the dismay of critics.
Rubbing shoulders with Polley is a range of celebrated filmmakers, including James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and Baz Luhrmann, who each enter the awards race with familiar additions to their eclectic filmographies. Elsewhere, Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund continues his contemporary blossoming and the American duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert provide some subversive comedy for the stuffy awards show. It means we have one of the most complete list of nominees in recent years, marauding into all aspects of cinema.
Take a look at how we rank this year’s nominees in our definitive list of the very best (and very worst) ‘Best Picture’ movies below.
Ranking the ‘Best Picture’ nominees in order of greatness
10. Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron)
American filmmaker James Cameron might have confirmed that he’s box office dynamite with the release of the billion-dollar movie Avatar: The Way of Water, but he’s also proved to critics that he may no longer hold the artistic touch he once had. His latest movie in the ever-expanding Avatar series is so painfully meandering that watching the epic becomes a tedious chore, made bearable only through the spectacular lenses of your 3D glasses.
With no strong narrative to pack up its visual power, Avatar: The Way of Water is a husk of a movie with less of a heart than Cameron believes. Sure, there’s a nice message about preserving the environment, but any nuance is lost with the abundant explosions, coral reef explorations and endless flying sequences.
9. Elvis (Baz Luhrmann)
Music biopics have become very formulaic of late, so it was nice to see the celebrated Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann at least try something new with the genre. A cabaret re-telling of the life of Elvis Presley is something audiences never knew they needed, with Luhrmann’s chaotic vision coming through thanks to a visceral cinematic style and solid acting from lead star Austin Butler.
Though, despite the welcome injection of style, you can’t help but think this film could’ve been more memorable and emotional, feeling more like a cruise ship karaoke re-telling of the life of one of music’s biggest names.
8. The Fabelmans (Steven Spielberg)
Steven Spielberg got all nostalgic with the release of his autobiographical movie The Fabelmans, which told the story of the filmmaker’s rise from a plucky young filmmaker to the industry’s greatest commercial name. The film itself is rich with all-too-familiar Spielberg schmaltz, but it is the personal touch that elevates the material, creating something that feels urgent, important and deeply moving.
Performances from Paul Dano, Michelle Williams and Gabriel LaBelle, who plays the young filmmaker, make The Fabelmans a joy to watch, even if the final result is somewhat unremarkable.
7. Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert)
The A24 multiverse movie Everything, Everywhere, All at Once is proving to be the most divisive nominee at this year’s Academy Awards, with critics and audiences split over the way in which it translates its themes. Dealing with hefty subjects and sagacious philosophy alongside equally humongous doses of immature wit, this science fiction family drama throws everything at the wall to see what sticks, with most of the humour and emotional weight landing.
Despite such criticisms, the film is expected to do very well at the Academy Awards, with the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu each tipped for Oscar glory alongside filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
6. All Quiet on the Western Front (Edward Berger)
War movies always tend to do well at the Academy Awards, and it’s no wonder that Edward Berger’s All Quiet on the Western Front gained a ‘Best Picture’ nomination after the 1930 film of the same name won the esteemed Oscar 93 years ago. Based on the iconic anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque and certainly more visually graphic than the original film, Berger’s reimagining is a visceral horror story that makes use of some spectacularly contemporary cinematic techniques.
Framing the battle as if it were a nightmarish hell, Berger bottles a feeling of existential dread, unlike any other war movie of modern cinema, making the whole experience totally terrifying, slotting the viewer effortlessly into the world of its poor protagonist.
5. Top Gun: Maverick (Joseph Kosinski)
Severely delayed thanks to the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, Top Gun: Maverick didn’t disappoint when it finally arrived in cinemas in 2022. Created 36 years after the release of the 1980s Hollywood classic, the long-awaited sequel surprised audiences and critics by not being absolutely terrible. Instead, the film was quite the opposite, transporting cinema back to a time when blockbusters were created with passionate creatives, practical effects and extraordinary attention to cinematic innovation.
Tom Cruise thrives in such an environment, taking on the role of Maverick with as much enthusiasm as he did back in 1986, leading a solid cast that included the likes of Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer and Jon Hamm. Joseph Kosinski’s efforts in the director’s chair shouldn’t go overlooked; this is a rare cinematic triumph.
4. Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)
The jester of contemporary cinema, Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund has enjoyed great success in modern cinema by taking the piss out of the social elite. After picking apart the art world in the Palme d’Or winner, The Square, in 2017, Östlund returned in 2022 to once again claim the prestigious Cannes prize with his vicious comment on modern influencer culture through Triangle of Sadness.
Hilariously deconstructing the absurdity of the modern world, Östlund creates a thoroughly enjoyable drama that lovingly toys with its subjects like ants under a microscope. Savagely satirical and gorgeously shot, Östlund’s film once again marks him as one of cinema’s greatest creative minds.
3. Women Talking (Sarah Polley)
Despite a year of significance for female-led feature films, Sarah Polley’s Women Talking is the only film to be honoured among this year’s ‘Best Picture’ nominees. Still, whilst the lack of other female filmmakers is disappointing, Polley’s movie is highly deserving of its place, telling the story of a religious community that stands up to misogyny with a deft cinematic touch and a strong dose of humanity.
Such creates an enduring parable led by some of the industry’s most exciting actors, including Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Frances McDormand and Claire Foy. Of all the films on this list, Women Talking may be the one going under everyone’s radar.
2. The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh)
Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin was at one point the frontrunner to take home the 95th Academy Awards’ top prize, and whilst it has been taken over in the polls, a win is certainly on the cards. Telling the story of two best friends who fall out and form a spikey relationship, McDonagh’s film is a compelling drama that deals with some tricky themes with a great sense of humour and perspective.
Whilst the story and script are impressive, to say the least, it is the performances from the impressive ensemble cast of Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon and Brendan Gleeson that really bring the film to life. A parable of wartime bitterness that is tinged with melancholy, The Banshees of Inisherin is a timeless film that stands as a beautiful tale of existential dread, regret and the dangers of cynicism.
1. Tár (Todd Field)
This year’s list of ‘Best Picture’ contenders is better than most, but for our money, Todd Field’s Tár is the cream of the crop. A complex character study that breathes with the same cinematic curiosity as the films of Stanley Kubrick, Field’s movie tells the story of the fictional composer Lydia Tár, a musical artist widely considered to be the greatest living conductor, who becomes entangled with a contemporary conversation about cancel culture.
Dealing with a number of different themes at the very same time, Tár is about what you have to sacrifice to make it to the very top of one’s respective art form, but it’s also about an individual’s downfall from artistic icon to an archaic figure of a bygone era. You take from Tár what you bring to it, presenting a narrative that swells with ambiguity and mystery with its hands firmly in the quagmire of cancel culture. It’s timely, haunting and deeply debatable.
