“There’s, like, a special vibe in right here.” So remarked host Amy Schumer in direction of the top of the 94th annual Academy Awards, after an emotionally exhausting night time that did ship lots of surprises. Maybe not the sorts of surprises that anybody watching hoped for, as a result of because the present creeped previous the three-and-a-half-hour mark, what was hanging was how the Oscars managed to make the handing out of precise Oscars really feel like an afterthought.
Within the minutes earlier than the Oscars started this yr, the vibes weren’t nice as a result of controversial option to remove eight classes from the stay broadcast (as an alternative handing these awards out an hour earlier than the official ceremony began, after which enhancing the profitable acceptance speeches into the present later). In idea, an thought which could trim some display screen time, however in the long run, led to a state of affairs as properly summarized by Knives Out director Rian Johnson earlier than the present even began:
I knew this was absolute bullshit, however the full metric quantity of bullshittyness is simply touchdown for me now, as I refresh my twitter feed to see what craftspeople are profitable oscars whereas a crimson carpet trend present performs on ABC. https://t.co/ESIttmvlum
— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) March 27, 2022
That is maybe the place the night time went off the rails to start with, as a result of the issue with eliminating points of the present which have at all times been part of the stay ceremony (like, say, eight precise awards) is that it places each. different. half that did make the reduce underneath scrutiny. Resembling, for instance, the Web-determined Fan Favourite and Cheer-Worthy Second awards, which ended up being a farce overrun by excessive pockets of fandom demanding consideration for Zack Snyder and Johnny Depp, and a whole waste of time and vitality.
Ultimately, so most of the concepts and improvements promised over the course of the night time had been well-intended in nature however in the end fell flat, with essentially the most notable second of the night time having no connection to the awarding of an precise award, and the ceremony in the end not managing to do the one rattling factor it was alleged to do: really have a good time the most effective motion pictures of 2021.
Maybe it was the sooner stress over the awards which led to a few of the chaos. Even with out Will Smith punching Chris Rock, the vibes, usually, had been tough, with some jokes that maybe went somewhat too far (what did The Final Duel do to anybody to deserve being known as out like that?) and some bits that felt mired in awkwardness.
The problems with the night time would possibly greatest be encapsulated by the In Memoriam part, historically a somber level in any awards present. For this yr’s ceremony, although, the producers took a daring strategy in enlisting The Samples Choir to carry out a comparatively upbeat melody of songs, interspersed with some private commentary from Tyler Perry, Invoice Murray, Jamie Lee Curtis, and a tiny pet on the precise passings of Sidney Poitier, Ivan Reitman, and Betty White.
On paper, the thought of attempting to maintain the theme of celebration going by this portion of the present wasn’t essentially a foul thought. However it fell aside as a consequence of, if nothing else, the staging: It was fairly onerous to deal with the names and photographs being displayed on the stage’s big display screen, as a result of there have been folks singing and (extra importantly) dancing in entrance of it.
