Best of 2014: Visual Effects

This is never one of the first categories presented at the Oscars, but each year it remains one of the few that I can easily close the books on early-ish in the season, in terms of having to scout viable contenders. So, since it's very doubtful that the likes of Still Alice, Mr. Turner, or A Most Violent Year will be serious threats in this field, then I can safely give you my nominees for Best Visual Effects!

• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Joe Letteri, Dan Letterman, et al.), because each ape is given full-bodied distinction in detail and elegantly inhabits the space of the film; the mo-cap really impresses.

• Godzilla (Jim Rygiel, Darren Poe, Katherine Rodtsbrooks, et al.), because Godzilla, for the most part, is superbly realized, entering each scene with new angles and peculiar textures. Also: the sky-divers!

• Interstellar (Paul J. Franklin, Andrew Lockley, et al.), for finding poetic richness, thematic resonance, boundless possibility in the galaxies and planets; stuns in all technical respects, give or take TARS.

• The LEGO Movie (Damien Gray, et al.), for lending master-builder-y ingenuity to its designs, color schemes, and visual conceits, shuffling its way to the film's childlike energy.

• Under the Skin (Mark Curtis, Tom Debenham, Dominic Parker, et al.), because the film's eeriest, most palm-dampening concepts are largely owed to the slick, queasy execution of the more effects-driven sequences.

Honorable Mentions: During the summer, I just knew that Edge of Tomorrow would be a major threat in this category, if nowhere else. Fortunately it will show up in other categories, but it's still a letdown to have to omit some of the most pristinely presented effects of the year.

I also considered the three Visual Effects Oscar nominees that didn't cross over into my own list: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. What I adore about each: the first's proficiency in practical effects; the second's conjuring of strange, oddball details; the third's mile-a-minute challenge to serve every hero's power. What I find stale about each: the first's bloated aerial battle finale; the second's bloated aerial battle finale; the third's....actually I really love X-Men's visual effects. A close #7! I also admired a lot about Noah's effects, especially the time lapse sequence, but found the animals, boat, rock monsters slightly more rickety.

Missed before list: Lucy, Transformers, Unbroken.