Oscars 2018: 20 Films announced as contenders for the best VFX

Visual effects have become a primary component in films the world over and, with the advancement of technology, there has been a major progress in the visual effects department. As filmmakers are churning out stories with more fantasy elements, production houses and studios are going out of their way to incorporate VFX to their final products. 

2017 has, thus, seen a substantial amount of visual effects being included in films, and it looks like it will be a tight race for some of these names as the countdown to Oscars 2018 has now begun. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today officially announced 20 contenders that will be looking to earn a spot in the Visual Effects category for the 90^th Academy Awards.

Here's the list of films in alphabetical order: 

Alien: Covenant

Beauty and the Beast

Blade Runner 2049

Dunkirk

Ghost in the Shell

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Justice League

Kong: Skull Island

Life

Logan

Okja

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The Shape of Water

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Thor: Ragnarok

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

War for the Planet of the Apes

Wonder Woman

The preliminary shortlist was decided by the Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee, who will again come together later this month to select 10 films that will advance for nominations voting. 

The final list of nominations for the 90^th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. The main ceremony is scheduledto be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. The 2018 Oscars is expected to be televised live in over 225 countries and territories worldwide.