A few months ago, the Academy made a lot of cinephiles angry when they announced they were potentially adding a new category to the Academy Awards lineup. This category was created in order to honor films that may not have been as prestigious as the Best Picture nominees but was incredibly popular at the box office, such as Marvel's 2018 smash hit "Black Panther." While some thought a new category was a good idea, others were outraged at the thought. They were concerned that this new category would remove the prestige of film from the Oscars and insisted that popular films only belonged on awards shows the featured categories such as "hottest onscreen kiss". It would surely taint the highbrow nature of the Academy Awards!
However, I believe the Academy may have been onto something.
The popular films category didn't make it into the official Oscar lineup, but that doesn't mean these films shouldn't be recognized. I have yet to meet a single person who has seen every film nominated for "Best Picture". Most of the time, almost every person I know has never heard of the film that wins "Best Picture".
I completely and totally understand that films are an art form. So many people put great effort into them, and if it turns out to be a good movie, that needs to be recognized as an achievement. Awards for the arts are definitely necessary so that people can be properly recognized for their hard work.
However, no one should ever let prestige cloud their judgment of what makes a good movie. Yes, some films are going to be more sophisticated than others. Those need to be recognized for the art forms that they are. However, there are other films out there that are not as sophisticated but are just as good.
Take a look at The Greatest Showman, for instance. It's not like La La Land or Singin' in the Rain as far as prestige goes. In fact, the story doesn't flow well in places, it's insanely over-the-top, and the film wasn't nominated for any major Academy Awards. It was only nominated for Best Song. However, despite the fact that it wasn't a sophisticated film, it was very popular and made a lot of people happy. Sometimes, that's all a movie needs to be. Yes, film is an art form and should be respected as such.
However, like any other form of art, movies should first and foremost be made for the enjoyment of others. They shouldn't be used simply for filmmakers to show off. The audience is what makes a movie, so the Academy really should take into consideration the films that make audiences happiest. After all, the people are the ones who make movies popular. If it weren't for people recommending movies to their friends, posting about them on social media, and going to see them a second time, movies would not have nearly the same popularity they have today.
I really hope that for every art house film the Academy considers, they'll consider a superhero movie, a larger-than-life musical, or even an animated film. Movies that do nothing but bring people joy deserve just as many accolades as the prestigious films the Academy already recognizes.
