OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS

Andrew Whitehurst, Sara Bennett, Richard Clarke & Simon Hughes for Annihilation

Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl  & Daniel Sudick for Avengers: Infinity War

Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles & J.D. Schwalm for First Man

Jody Johnson for Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Matthew Beckwith & Matt Loader for Paddington 2

AND THE WINNER IS:

ANDREW WHITEHURST, SARA BENNETT, RICHARD CLARKE & SIMON HUGHES FOR ANNIHILATION

This is the first win and nomination for Sara Bennett, Richard Clarke & Simon Hughes. This is the first win and third nomination for Andrew Whitehurst, he was previously nominated for Ex Machina (2015) & Paddington (2015). The underappreciation of Alex Garland's Ex Machina follow up Annihilation this year hurts so much because even if slightly flaud there's still enough originality there that the film needs to be talked about more. With a small budget Garland's effects team created beautiful visual effects in Ex Machina and now with some more money they achieved just as good a product with the more inventive world of Annihilation. The special effects work really sell the wonder of the entire picture. The standout visual sequence though is when Portman's Lena comes face to face with the humanoid inside of the Shimmer world. The effects are high value enough that they don't push the limits too much where in decades to come the effects won't age badly like some current over the top effects will.