The 25 Best Picture Nominees That Were Badass

We all know what kinds of movies the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences likes to nominate for Best Picture: period pieces, based on a true story, socially relevant and full of frilly costumes. And most of the time that’s true, but every once in a while over the course of the last 88 years the Academy has surprised us by nominating films that are… well, “badass.”

So-called genre entertainments often earn awards for their technical craftspersonship but nominations in the Best Picture category are rare. Not unheard of, but rare. So this year’s awesome nomination for Mad Max: Fury Road reminds us that when the time is right, and with the most is just unbelievably rad, the Oscars sometimes sit up and take notice.

Related: Mad Max and The Revenant Rule the Oscar Nominations

We’ve scoured the Academy’s 88 year history to bring you the 25 kick-ass action movies, scary-ass horror movies, and other hardcore genre films that unexpectedly became Best Picture nominees. There are other films that arguably qualify, like E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, but Spielberg’s beloved family film isn’t so much “badass” as wonderful family entertainment. (That’s our story and we’re sticking to it.)

Take a look at all the Best Picture nominees that put hair on our chests, and always remember to stay shiny and chrome!

 

The 25 Badass Best Picture Nominees:

Top Photo: LucasFilm

William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.

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