The Academy Awards recently announced their list of 10 nominees for the 2023 Best Picture Oscar. The said list contains movies from a wide selection of genres, but is any movie better than the rest? The list below seeks to find out. The 10 nominees are ranked by taking the average between the critics’ score and the audience score based on Rotten Tomatoes, then these averages are ordered from lowest to highest.
The Best Picture Oscar is considered the biggest award of the night and over the years, the category has seen some notable upsets. As such, it is important to note that the ranking and the scores below are not indicative of which movie will win the Best Picture award. Rather, the list is representation of the public’s pulse about each movie.
10. Triangle of Sadness (71.5%)
Critic Rating: 72%
Audience Rating: 71%
Triangle of Sadness is a satirical, black comedy movie that parodies the elitist ways of the rich. Keeping in line with themes frequent in director Robert Östlund’s classics, the movie tackles societal inequity with biting commentary. Triangle of Sadness follows an influencer couple who are invited onto a luxury cruise ship with wealthy elites. Things begin to go horribly wrong when a storm hits, and sinks the ship, leaving survivors stranded on a beach.
9. Tár (82%)
Critic Rating: 91%
Audience Rating: 73%
Tár explores the concept of power brought upon by fame. In the movie, the titular protagonist, Lydia Tár, receives fame, power, and wealth from her coveted position as a conductor in Berlin Philharmonic. Tár expertly tackles how having that much power can corrupt a person.
Alongside the themes mentioned above, it also portrayed femininity and the battle against patriarchy. All these combined to make Tár a well-received movie by critics, even bagging several awards such as the New York Film Critics Circle and Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Tár may be the second-lowest on this list, but being on the list of Oscar nominees for Best Picture, in whatever position, is still a huge honor.
8. Avatar: The Way of Water (84%)
Critic Rating: 76%
Audience Rating: 92%
Avatar: The Way of Water is the long-awaited sequel to 2009’s Avatar. Over a decade in the making, the movie takes viewers back to Pandora, trading the forests of the first movie for the water tribe in the sequel as it follows Jake Sully, Neytiri, and their family in their fight against humans. A box office success, the movie was a bigger hit with audiences than with critics, explaining significant gap between both scores.
7. Elvis (85.5%)
Critic Rating: 77%
Audience Rating: 94%
Elvis is a biographical movie showcasing the life of the artist Elvis Presley as he rose to fame. The movie also boasts a stellar cast led by Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. However, critics noted the film lacked nuance, saying the movie felt one-sided and only showed the artist in a positive light, when his real life was far more complicated.
6. Women Talking (85.5%)
Critic Rating: 91%
Audience Rating: 80%
Women Talking also tackles serious and sensitive social issues like many of the other nominees for the Best Picture Oscar. The movie follows a group of Mennonite women who are charged with the responsibility of deciding, for the other women in the colony, how to react after they discovered they’ve been repeatedly tranquilized and sexually assaulted by the men in their colony. The quietness and the laconicism of the movie gives the viewers goose bumps and anxiety from anticipating what will happen next.
5. The Banshees of Inisherin (85.5%)
Critic Rating: 96%
Audience Rating: 75%
The Banshees of Inisherin has a relatively simple plot; it finds two lifelong friends at an impasse, when one suddenly decides to end the friendship. Directed by Martin McDonagh who is known for his use of absurdist black humor, The Banshees of Inisherin takes many unexpected turns. This nominated film masterfully tackles the sexist stereotype of men not being in touch with their feelings masterfully, worthy of its nomination.
4. The Fabelmans (87.5%)
Critic Rating: 92%
Audience Rating: 83%
The Fabelmans is a coming of age drama that is loosely based on the life of the film’s director, Steven Spielberg. The film follows Sammy Fabelman as he discovers his love for filmmaking against the backdrop of growing up and complicated family problems. Its personal touch and Spielberg’s influence helped The Fabelmans leave a lasting impression on both the audience and the critics alike, making it one of the highest ranked nominees of the Best Picture Oscar in 2023.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front (90.5%)
Critic Rating: 91%
Audience Rating: 90%
All Quiet on the Western Front is a striking movie that managed to appeal to the minds of audience and critics in near equal measure. This movie takes viewers into the Western Front of the first World War like in 1917. This immersive and captivating experience merited it one of the highest spots among the nominees’ ranks.
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once (91.5%)
Critic Rating: 95%
Audience Rating: 88%
For those watching all 10 nominees, Everything Everywhere All at Once can be a good comic relief from all the heavy-themed movies. It was highly praised upon release thanks to its novel portrayal of a multiverse. The movie is also action-filled and exciting, offering a fun experience for viewers.
1. Top Gun: Maverick (97.5%)
Critic Rating: 96%
Audience Rating: 99%
A movie that stayed true to its predecessor, Top Gun: Maverick retained the spark from the 1986 Top Gun. The movie sees the return of Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell as he trains a group of Top Gun students for a special mission while facing his deepest fears and confronting his past. This is a highly-recommended movie to watch for those who want to witness action, nostalgia, or an interesting new story.
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