Oscars 2022: Ranking The Cinematography Nominees, By IMDb

The 94th Academy Awards ceremony is coming up on March 27 and predictions of winners are being made based on the nominations. There have been many great movies nominated for the 2022 Oscars, many receiving more than one nomination. While often overlooked for categories like Best Picture and Best Actor, of the bigger categories is Best Cinematography. There are five movies nominated this year, each receiving at least three nominations in total.

While cinematography isn’t the main focus of an IMDb score, viewer ratings can be a good judge of the movie as a whole and can give better insight into whether or not the movie will perform well at the Oscars. All of the movies nominated in the Cinematography category were well received by audiences and have relatively high ratings by fans, but their scores do differ slightly.

5 The Power Of The Dog – 6.9

The Power Of The Dog is a Western drama adapted from the 1967 novel of the same name written by Thomas Savage. The movie follows Phil Burbank as he torments his brother and his brother’s new wife and son until Phil himself becomes exposed to the prospect of love. The slow-burn romance stars big-name actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, and Jesse Plemons.

Cinematographer Ari Wegner is also known for her work in the 2018 movie In Fabric and the 2016 movie Lady Macbeth. If The Power Of The Dog wins in the cinematography category, Ari Wegner will be the first woman to win in this category. The Power Of The Dog has a total of 12 nominations this year, which makes it the most-nominated movie of the 94th Academy Awards.

4 Nightmare Alley – 7.1

Nightmare Alley is a crime drama that is also adapted from a novel of the same name written by William Lindsay Gresham in 1946. The movie follows a carny named Stanton Carlisle, who has a talent for swindling the rich and famous. He hooks up with a dangerous female psychiatrist, who gives him a run for his money. The engrossing film noir stars actors such as Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Toni Collette.

While Director Guillermo del Toro’s style is very evident in Nightmare Alley, as the style carries over into his other more recent work, cinematographer, Dan Laustsen, who was nominated for an Academy Award previously for his work on the 2017 movie Shape of Water, brought his own style to the movie, as well.

3 The Tragedy Of Macbeth – 7.2

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a historical drama and one of many adaptations based on William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth. The movie follows the Scottish Lord, Macbeth, as he works to seize power with the support of Lady Macbeth after a trio of witches tell him he will soon be King of Scotland. The grisly historical thriller was directed by Joel Coen and stars actors such as Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, and Alex Hassell.

While cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel — who is known for his work on A Very Long Engagement (2004) and Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) —  is often known for his engaging and stylized color palettes, The Tragedy of Macbeth is entirely in black and white, making it the only cinematography nominee in 2022 that is shot not in color.

2 West Side Story – 7.5

West Side Story is a remake of the crime drama musical that is based on the 1957 stage play and book by Arthur Laurents, which was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The movie follows two teenagers from rival gangs of different ethnic backgrounds as they explore their newfound love. Steven Spielberg’s musical stars Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, and Ariana DeBose.

Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who previously won Academy Awards for his work on Schindler’s List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), is inarguably considered one of the world’s best cinematographers and has been working with director Steven Spielberg since 1993. Kaminski is known for his use of fog and intense light that streams in through windows and this is carried over into his work on West Side Story, in which these trademarks can also be seen.

1 Dune – 8.1

The highest-rated nominee in the cinematography category is Dune, an action-adventure drama that is a movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel of the same name. The movie follows Paul Atreides, the gifted son of a noble family, as he travels to a dangerous planet to ensure the future of his family, who are entrusted with the most valuable element in the galaxy. The movie includes a pretty star-studded cast, including Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, and many more well-known actors.

Dune‘s cinematographer, Greig Fraser, is well known for his work in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Zero Dark Thirty (2012), and more recently The Batman (2022). Greig Fraser has been nominated for an Academy Award once before in 2017 for his work on Lion (2016). A notoriously difficult novel to adapt, Dune has a total of 10 Academy Awards nominations, making it the second most-nominated movie of the 2022 Oscars.

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