Seven films remain in the visual effects Oscar race, but can any beat 'Avatar'?

And then there were seven: That's the number of features still in contention for the visual effects award in this year's Oscar race. The group was whittled down from an initial short list of 15, which were announced in early December; the seven that remain in the running are:

"Avatar"

"District 9"

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

"Star Trek"

"Terminator Salvation"

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

"2012"

Gone from the contender list are such critical hits as "Coraline" and "Where the Wild Things Are," and popular favorites like "Watchmen," "Sherlock Holmes," "G-Force" and "Disney's A Christmas Carol." What remains now is for the members of the academy's visual effects branch to view 15-minute clips of the remaining titles on Jan. 21 and vote on three as the official nominees. The question, of course, remains: Can any of these beat "Avatar"? You'll have to wait until Feb. 2 to get the official word on Oscar nominations; the ceremony itself is March 7. 

-- Paul Gaita

Photo: From "Avatar." Credit: 20th Century Fox.

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Comments

[JOEL]

THE OFFICIAL 3 WILL BE:
1. AVATAR
2. DISTRICT 9
3. TRANSFORMERS
If I were to choose, I go for District 9, there are no animated parts of the scenes on it. District 9 is revealing the reality.

[rob]

this is just a joke ? Just give it to Avatar-- nothing out in years has looked this amazing or stirred the imagination .

[Laer Carroll]

Can any other film beat Avatar?

Uh, no.