At this level within the race for the Academy Awards, the 2025 Oscar nominations are set in stone. With a few of the perceived controversies, snubs and simply plain-old head-scratchers which are current on this newest class, the chagrin of all following just isn’t going away any time quickly.
However that doesn’t imply we will’t rant in regards to the decisions which have been made, and for as a lot as I liked Depraved, there’s one of many movie’s nominations I want to speak out with you, the general public. It’s not out of spite, however reasonably out of my abiding sense for justice and honest play. Okay, perhaps there’s slightly bit of spite, however it’s solely due to these beforehand talked about values.
Depraved’s Greatest Rating Nomination For The 2025 Oscars Feels Mistaken
With apologies to legendary musical maestros John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, I don’t suppose this could have been a nominee for Greatest Unique Rating. I’ll now pause for the rabble risen within the wake of such an announcement, and based mostly on how even a quite simple concern can set off Depraved fan backlash, there’s going to be a few of you on the market.
Acquired that out of your system? Good, as a result of it gave me an opportunity to begin yelling out some outrage myself. I make the case that follows with a wholesome dose of respect for Mr. Powell and Mr. Schwartz, particularly when respectively credited works just like the How one can Practice Your Dragon trilogy scores and Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame have come from their minds. With pleasantries now out of the best way, let’s dive into why that is such a nasty selection.
Depraved Proves Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Half Two Rating Ought to Have Landed A Nomination
My doubtlessly controversial take comes from the truth that the Academy of Movement Image Arts and Sciences truly disqualified Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Half Two rating from this yr’s present. In response to the powers-that-be, there wasn’t sufficient contemporary materials to justify the second half of Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic doorstopper as having a musical rating distinctive from the primary half.
The nuts and bolts of why that’s such an issue are fairly easy due to consulting the AMPAS pointers on “Particular Guidelines For Music Awards.” Per Part 2C, this very particular threshold for a Greatest Unique Rating nomination applies to each Depraved and Dune: Half Two:
In instances comparable to sequels and franchises from any media, the rating should include greater than 80% newly composed music which doesn’t include any pre-existing themes borrowed from earlier scores within the franchise.
Dune: Half Two is clearly a sequel, in order that street will get a bit rocky – particularly since Hans Zimmer was among the many 2022 Academy Award winners for that earlier rating. Nonetheless, “franchises from any media” would in all probability depend “legendary Broadway hits which have run over a long time,” which is the place Depraved ought to have been challenged extra heartily.
I’ll admit, I’m not a Depraved knowledgeable, so I wouldn’t be capable to inform you how a lot new music is added to the movie. However that being mentioned, this results in the subsequent perceived drawback on this complete libretto litigation.
Depraved’s Musical Math Would not Appear To Add Up
There are two alternative ways we will run some fast and soiled math to estimate how a lot of Depraved’s musical package deal suits that “newly composed music” stipulation. However earlier than we press on, we’ve got to make one hypothetical assumption of our personal. Based mostly on the foundations asking for “newly composed music” devoid of “pre-existing themes borrowed from earlier scores,” let’s say that John Powell’s music doesn’t contact Stephen Schwartz’s contributions in any respect.
The primary angle we will take is evaluating the size of the rating album, which clocks in at 78 minutes rounded to the closest minute, to the movie’s 160 minute working time. With 50% of the film coming in at round 80 minutes, that’s a dropping battle as a consequence of that ratio failing to exceed “greater than 80%” of the working time. Nonetheless, although Depraved is a musical, it’s not wall-to-wall music.
Which pivots to the second angle of scrutiny: evaluating the size of that rating to the mixed complete of Depraved’s musical contributions. Once more, we’re utilizing the rounded determine of 79 minutes, which can now be added to the roughly 56 minute size of Depraved: The Soundtrack.
Sure, we’re counting “The Ozdust Duet” bonus observe, and presuming that each sew of music on this Common Image is accounted for within the 135 minutes between these two albums. 80% of that working time would quantity to 108 minutes, which sees Depraved lose but once more. What makes all of this much more irritating is the truth that if the producers had waited one other yr, a Greatest Rating nomination may have been simpler to acquire.
A Rating Nomination For Depraved For Good Might Have Been An Simpler Push
There’s one thing unusual about Depraved, and that’s the truth that not like many different musical diversifications, it has no authentic songs. That’s due to Stephen Schwartz admitting in an interview with The Messenger (by way of Playbill) that Depraved For Good was the logical place to insert the brand-new tunes that await.
Even with out realizing the numbers surrounding that November 2025 sequel, I can inform you that the Greatest Rating nomination would have in all probability been simpler to realize just by ready for these new songs to come back into play. With nonetheless many new tunes are ready within the wings, there is a good variety of new melodic derivations that might be come out of these future treasures.
After all, if Cynthia Erivo’s want to launch Depraved 2 footage was granted, we might have a greater concept of what we’re coping with right here. Nonetheless, I really feel it’s going to be even tougher for John Powell and Stephen Schwartz to nab that repeat nomination. Because the AMPAS rules suggest the necessity to evaluate Depraved For Good’s rating not solely to the unique musical, but additionally the musical rating for Depraved, that burden of proof goes to be a good steeper climb.
I’m not making an attempt to rain on anybody’s parade right here, as I used to be as taken by the majesty of Depraved’s cinematic incarnation as most followers have been. But when we’re going to play by the foundations, there must be just a bit extra transparency in relation to the nomination course of.
In any case, we’ll discover out if this uproar quantities to something on March 2nd, when the 97th annual Academy Awards air on ABC. Nonetheless, if Conan O’Brien and his writing group occur to learn this rant in preparation to craft their jokes for the present, then I’ll positively know the trouble I’ve put forth right here was value it.