Oscar 2014 Best Visual Effects Prediction: 'Gravity' Will Win

The Visual Effects race is one of the most predictable races at the Academy Awards this year. For the past five years the award has went to a Best Picture nominee, and this year, out of the five nominees, only one is nominated for Best Picture.

"Gravity" - Alfonso Cuaron's latest science-fiction movie is undoubtedly the front-runner to win the award. The movie is the only film in the category to be nominated for Best Picture, and as noted, the past five winners have all been nominated for the Oscars. These included "Life of Pi," "Hugo," "Inception," "Avatar," and  "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Additionally. "Gravity" scored the most nominations at the Visual Effects Society and has already won six precursor awards including the Broadcast Critics Choice awards.  

'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" - Peter Jackson's Middle Earth saga has a history with this category. The first "Lord of the Rings" trilogy won the award three years in a row, and last year, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," was nominated in the category. However, the fact that "The Desolation of Smaug" wasn't nominated for Best Picture, and that the new "Hobbit" trilogy has not been as popular critically and audience wise, will hurt any chances of a win in this category.

"Iron Man 3" - The "Iron Man" trilogy has a history with the Academy. The first two films were nominated for the Visual Effects award but both failed to win. This year "Iron Man 3" has been absent from the awards race and with only one nomination at the Academy Awards, the film is unlikely to win the award.

"The Lone Ranger" - The Gore Verbinksi film is the big surprise of the category. Most pundits had predicted "Pacific Rim" to get nominated. However, the critically-maligned movie replaced it. "The Lone Ranger" is the latest Johnny Depp movie to get nominated for the award. Recent Depp films shortlisted in the category include "Alice in Wonderland," and the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies. "The Lone Ranger" is unlikely to win the award, but the fact that the movie is also nominated for Makeup could be a sign that the movie was popular with the Academy.

"Star Trek: Into Darkness" - The J.J Abrams film was critically well received but quickly faded as it failed to relive the success of the original 2009 installment. This year "Into Darkness" was nominated for only one Academy Award and has been absent from every single awards organization. As a result, the film is unlikely to win the award.

Prediction: "Gravity" is ahead in the race by a mile and is unlikely to lose. With a Best Picture nomination and the Academy's recent trend, "Gravity" will win.