Next year marks the 10-year anniversary of Iron Man, the movie that kick-started the massive comic book movie wave that still regularly crashes into your local cinema. Star date 2008 also saw the release of another superhero flick, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, a film many still see as the genre's best.
It was the last DC movie to cause controversy at the Oscars – if you skirt over Suicide Squad winning something last year – with the outcry at its lack of inclusion in 2009's Best Picture category causing huge ramifications in the industry, with the most extreme being the extension from five to ten Best Picture slots at the following year's event.
The move was seen as correlating to The Dark Knight's exclusion – the argument being that, with competition high, there simply wasn't enough room for it in 2009 (though, looking at that year's picks, we're not entirely sure why. Benjamin Button? REALLY?)
Despite the change, astonishingly, there hasn't been a comic book movie nominated for Best Picture since. Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier, not Avengers Assemble, not even critical darling Blue is the Warmest Colour (yep, it counts).
Wonder Woman should be the first – not because we love it, though obviously we do. We're not even saying it should win – in arguably the most competitive year EVER, we'd have to be crazier than the Joker to put money on that one. But it should definitely be in the mix because it just makes so much sense…
1. Warner Bros is behind it BIG TIME
According to industry insiders (via Variety), Warner is putting together a significant Oscar campaign behind Wonder Woman. Basically, they'll glad-hand members, put on some screenings and take out some ads in the trades.
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Sadly, this is as important for the film's chances of being nominated as anything artistic or creative on this list, because industry marketing is as essential to any film's chances of being nominated as its quality.
With Warner's previous Mad Max: Fury Road's Best Picture nomination success (more of that in a minute), we'd say this is a very good sign for Wonder Woman's chances.
2. It's a war movie – and that matters
Despite the fact the script's credited to Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder and Jason Fuchs, it was reportedly Patty Jenkins' idea to set the story during the First World War. It's that decision, perhaps more than any other, that puts Wonder Woman in the frame for Oscar contention. That's because the Academy LOVES war movies.
Whether it's films set during a similar time period (Lawrence of Arabia, All Quiet on the Western Front, Wings), during World War II (Patton, Schindler's List, The English Patient) or more recent conflicts (Platoon, The Deer Hunter, The Hurt Locker), the Oscars really do enjoy handing over the Best Picture trophy to a film with historical killing in it.
This year, the trophy will almost certainly go to Dunkirk – but that doesn't mean Wonder Woman shouldn't be on the frontline alongside it.
3. It's brilliantly directed, which always helps
Women's role in the film industry – and in society in general, actually – has been one of the most important talking points in 2017, partly because of the news that women comprised just 7 per cent of all directors working on the 250 highest-grossing domestic releases in 2016 – a decline of two percentage points from the previous year.
That is a shocking statistic, which will hopefully change in 2018, with several big name women directors returning to cinemas, and with several new faces being handed opportunities.
But the Academy's played its part in the situation, with only Kathryn Bigelow still the only woman to get a Best Picture/Director nomination. This is their chance to double their tally.
And we're not saying they should nominate Jenkins' film out of a sense of tokenism, but because she deserves it. Third-act awkwardness aside – which is as much an issue with the clichés of the genre as it is to do with directorial decisions – Wonder Woman is a glorious film, full of heart, hope and brilliant choices.
If Wonder Woman is nominated, we'd like a Best Director nomination for Jenkins, too. This would be another first: no comic book director, male or female, has ever been nominated for a Best Director Oscar – not even Christopher Nolan (though, as we say, that will change this year).
4. It's diverse at a time of increased Academy diversity
Now, we're certainly not saying the Academy is a market leader in recognising on-screen diversity – in fact, it's pretty terrible at it. But that could be about to change, starting from 2018's ceremony.
The Academy surprised the industry by radically increasing its influx of new recruits earlier this year, with 774 new members – including Gal Gadot – now eligible to vote.
The new crew are notably younger, more diverse and female, too – all of which could mean that they enjoyed Wonder Woman, a film targeted at those specific demographics.
5. It's just so beautifully shot
As previously mentioned, we can't help but compare Wonder Woman's chances at a Best Picture nod to last year's surprise nomination – Mad Max: Fury Road. Like that film, Wonder Woman's led by a strong female character, it's action-packed and it's a Warner Bros film released at a time of year that wouldn't traditionally be considered Oscar eligible. Oh, and one more thing: it's gorgeous.
While Wonder Woman doesn't have as extreme cinematography as Fury Road, it does contain moments of surprising beauty – whether it's the jaw-dropping sequence featuring Diana and Trevor dancing during a fresh snowfall, or Diana's epic journey across the No Man's Land battlefield. Wonder Woman is more than worthy of awards.
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Freelancer writer
Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
He’s interviewed a wide range of film icons, including directors such as David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay and Sam Raimi, as well as actors such as Meryl Streep, Nic Cage, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Anne Hathaway, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, Kermit the Frog, all of the Avengers and many more.
Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
Sam is the co-host, producer and editor of the Arrow Video podcast, which has seen year-on-year growth since its creation in 2017, gaining over half a million listens in that time.
His byline has appeared in outlets such as Yahoo, MTV, Dazed, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Good Housekeeping among others.
In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
Jim Carrey once mistook Sam for Johnny Cash, and John Carpenter told him to ‘Keep up the good work.’ He promises to try his best.
