MOVIE NEWS – Zack Snyder’s fans have done it again, with Army of the Dead and Justice League taking the new Oscar categories, backed by fan votes.

Zack Snyder’s success surprised many. When the Oscars announced the introduction of two new fan-voted categories, things clearly didn’t go to plan for the Academy, although the categories seemed to reassure those who felt that the Oscars would be the biggest movie of the year for many, such as Spider-Man: No Way Home. After a brief spell when Amazon’s much-criticised Cinderella remake came out on top at the start of the voting, another juggernaut fanbase set its sights on Zack Snyder’s films getting some sort of Oscar nomination this year.

What Snyder fans want, Snyder fans get

When it came down to the two awards voted on social media, Fan Favorite Movie and Oscars Cheers Moment, Zack Snyder’s Netflix horror thriller, The Army of the Dead, took the Fan Favorite award. At the same time, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was not eligible in the former category, scooped the Cheer Moment award for the scene in which The Flash enters the Speed Force and rescues the Justice League so they can defeat DeSaad. After the problems surrounding the original release of Justice League, it was a form of retribution for the director’s fans, and he was quick to respond to their devotion on social media.

“Awesome” “Literally best fans ever!!!”

While fans were celebrating on Twitter, Zack Snyder posted his simple reaction on Vero, writing “Awesome” in a comment about the Cheer Moment win and “Literally best fans ever!!!” in a comment about the Army of the Dead victory.

While some believed that the fan-favourite category was introduced just to appease Disney and Spider-Man: No Way Home fans who were unimpressed that the film had been snubbed in virtually every category, others said it was just a way for the Academy to try to make the awards more accessible to those who thought the selection process was too snobbish, but in the end, both categories became little more than a skirmish between fans eager to prove themselves.

By the time the votes came in, The Army of the Dead had competed with Amazon Prime’s Cinderella, starring Camila Cabello and Idina Menzel, which was thoroughly panned by audiences and critics alike when it debuted on the streaming platform. Both fan groups launched extensive social media campaigns with hashtags and bombarded fan groups to help their cause, and although, at one point, it looked like either group could manage to get the most followers in time to vote.

The online battle meant that the two films eventually beat Johnny Depp’s film Minamata…

…which had launched its own campaign to show support for Depp in his legal battle with Amber Heard, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Tick, Tick… BOOM!, which many felt were more deserving but didn’t go so far as to create hashtags in an attempt to overtake the other films that were getting massive attention.

All in all, the announcement of the winners of the fan-voted categories seemed to come without any fanfare, with many just wondering why these two categories were given time on the live broadcast when other categories were left out. In fact, it was just one of those moments that will make the 94th Academy Awards remembered for bizarre and dubious reasons rather than the big winners they should be celebrating.

Source: Polygon