We’re in the midst of awards season and it’s another season in which we are celebrating movies that no one has seen. I’ve yet to understand why this is the case. I realize we are trying to recognize the very best, but does that mean popular movies don’t deserve nominations. Yes, I’m talking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the biggest movie of 2015.

Adam Driver did an excellent job as Kylo Ren and I can’t imagine anyone playing the role as well as he did. Why wasn’t he nominated for an Oscar? Does he deserve any less recognition than the actors nominated for best actor simply because he was in a popular movie?

J.J. Abrams also deserved a nomination. Not only did he direct the biggest movie of 2015, but the critics agreed with fans that it was one of the best movies of 2015. Yet, he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar.

This leads me to the best picture nominees. With the Oscars nominating so many movies for best picture every year, I was certain that Star Wars: The Force Awakens would be nominated. Again, I was disappointed. How many moviegoers raced to the theater to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens as opposed to The Revenant? I’m not saying The Revenant isn’t a good movie, but again I point out that critics also loved Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it was far more entertaining than The Revenant.

As a writer, I play a lot of “what if” and I can’t help but wonder, what if Star Wars: The Force Awakens was nominated for best picture? What if movies people spent their hard earned cash on were nominated? Maybe more people would tune into the Oscars.

Were you surprised that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was snubbed? Would you prefer to see popular movies nominated?

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