“Oppenheimer” Dominates the 2024 Oscars with 7 Victories

The much-anticipated “Oppenheimer” emerged victorious at the 2024 Oscars, sweeping a total of 7 awards. The film, depicting the father of the atomic bomb, clinched the coveted Best Picture award and dominated several other categories.

On the morning of March 11th (Hanoi time), the 96th Oscars ceremony took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, USA, attracting stars from around the globe. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted the event for the fourth time.

Celebrities like Emma Stone, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sandra Hüller, among others, graced the red carpet early in stunning outfits before heading inside for the ceremony. According to CNN, Ryan Gosling, Jon Batiste, and Billie Eilish were among the performers at this year’s event.

During the opening monologue, hosts refrained from mentioning the duo of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce to avoid negative media attention from the audience.

The first award of the night went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for Best Supporting Actress. Accepting her award, she tearfully expressed gratitude for the recognition of her role as chef Mary Lamb in “The Holdovers,” which was acclaimed by both critics and audiences alike.

“The Boy and the Heron” won the award for Best Animated Feature, beating out tough competition. Following this, directors Justin Triet and Arthur Harari took the stage to accept the Best Original Screenplay award for “Anatomy of a Fall.” Triet thanked the Academy, stating that winning the Oscar helped her “overcome the midlife crisis.”

Writer and director Cord Jefferson presented the award for Best Adapted Screenplay to “American Fiction,” a satirical drama depicting racial discrimination in the American creative industry through witty storytelling. Following this segment, Billie Eilish delivered a mesmerizing performance of her song “What Was I Made For” alongside her brother Finneas, delivering an emotionally charged rendition of the Barbie movie soundtrack.

Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara reunited after 36 years since starring in “Beetlejuice” to present the awards for Best Hair and Makeup as well as Best Production Design, both of which went to “Poor Things” directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. The hair and makeup team, including Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, and Josh Weston, took to the stage to express their gratitude to the crew.

Viewers were surprised by John Cena’s appearance, who revealed himself shirtless while announcing the award for Best Costume Design, also won by “Poor Things.”

Rapper Bad Bunny and The Rock presented the award for Best International Original Film. Before announcing “The Zone of Interest” as the winner, Bad Bunny’s former flame Kendall Jenner revealed that the Oscars coincided with his birthday. Standing beside her, The Rock extended his congratulations to his younger colleague.

As expected, Robert Downey Jr. won the award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Oppenheimer.” Humorously, he thanked his “horrendous childhood” first, then the Academy, mentioning his wife Susan Downey and children.

Downey Jr. also spoke about how the film had changed him: “I stand here and become a better man.” In the film, he portrayed Lewis Strauss, a politician and founding member of the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1947, who was entrusted by the Princeton Advanced Study Institute to oversee Oppenheimer’s project. His performance was praised as “complex and intense,” helping him shed the superhero image from Marvel. Prior to the Oscars, the actor also won the Best Supporting Actor award for this role at the 2024 Golden Globes.

“Godzilla Minus One” won the award for Outstanding Visual Effects. Immediately after, “Oppenheimer” continued to be honored with the award for Outstanding Editing. Editor Jennifer Lame emotionally accepted the trophy, thanking her family, crew, and director Christopher Nolan.

Several other awards were also handed out, including Best Short Documentary for “The Last Repair Shop” and Best Documentary for “20 Days in Mariupol,” before Zendaya announced that the cinematic masterpiece “Oppenheimer” continued its winning streak with the award for Best Cinematography.

Wes Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. However, the film crew was unable to attend the event. “The Zone of Interest” then won another gold statue in the category of Best Sound. “This is a fitting award for this work,” CNN commented.

Cillian Murphy and Emma Stone were awarded Best Lead Actor and Actress. Murphy beat out competitors like Paul Giamatti, Bradley Cooper, Colman Domingo, and Jeffrey Wright for his role in “Oppenheimer” as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. The Irish actor brought various emotions to the character, portraying youthful enthusiasm for science, hidden pains, and moral torment throughout the legendary figure’s life stages.

Christopher Nolan unsurprisingly won the award for Best Director for his skillful direction in “Oppenheimer.” In his acceptance speech, Nolan thanked the cast and crew, particularly his wife. “Emma Thomas – the producer of all our films and all our children. I love you,” he expressed. This victory solidified Nolan’s position as one of the leading directors in contemporary Hollywood. Previously, he had been nominated for this award for the World War II horror film “Dunkirk,” released in 2017.

“Oppenheimer” then clinched the award for Best Picture. Thomas, the co-producer of “Oppenheimer,” delivered the final speech of the night while accepting the award. She expressed deep respect for the cast, crew, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond, and her husband, director Christopher Nolan. “The reason ‘Oppenheimer’ truly is a film is because of Chris Nolan. He’s unique, he’s outstanding. I’m very grateful and love him,” she said.

With a total of 7 awards, “Oppenheimer” shone the brightest at the 2024 Oscars.

Emma Stone couldn’t hide her emotions as she thanked everyone while accepting the award for Best Lead Actress. For her, the experience of playing the bold, scene-stealing role of Bella Baxter in “Poor Things” was truly unforgettable. Baxter’s character was described as “a light-hearted, outspoken, free-spirited woman and a female Frankenstein.” To escape her dreadful husband, Baxter committed suicide by drowning. However, her body was resurrected with the brain of a child replaced before her death. Prior to the ceremony, film pundits had predicted that this role would secure Emma Stone the award.

This year, “Oppenheimer” led with 13 nominations, including major categories such as Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. Following closely behind were “Poor Things” with 11 nominations, “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10 nominations, and “Barbie” with 8 nominations.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, there was a strong audience reaction when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) omitted Leonardo DiCaprio – the star of “Killers of the Flower Moon” – from the Best Lead Actor category. Director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie also caused surprise by their absence from the list of nominations.

The Oscars, or the Academy Awards, have been held annually in Hollywood since 1929. The awards ceremony aims to honor outstanding achievements in the film industry throughout the year, spanning various categories including directors, actors, screenplays, and many others through a closed voting process by Academy members.

According to Variety, the Oscars are the largest film event in the world, a prestigious award that anyone in the pursuit of the seventh art desires.

However, in recent years, the awards have been controversial due to changes in nomination criteria, organizational issues, and a series of attention-grabbing gimmicks.