I’ve Seen Every 2026 Best Picture Nominee And Here’s What I Think Should Win The Oscar – SlashFilm

I love the Oscars. Sue me. I know they’re objectively fairly foolish, that the Academy makes errors in selecting its winners practically each single 12 months in at the least one main class, and that the complete enterprise was created to principally maintain actors compliant, versus celebrating movie. (In the event you actually need to get into the weeds on this, I extremely advocate “Oscar Wars: A Historical past of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears” by Michael Schulman.) Nonetheless, yearly, they are not solely a welcome and temporary distraction from the horrors of the world (of which there are numerous), however they’re additionally a welcome alternative to have fun the perfect motion pictures and performances of a selected 12 months.

I attempt to accomplish this yearly however have too typically come up quick — so, I’m fairly joyful to inform you that I have formally watched each single Oscar nominee for Best Picture within the 2026 race. To recap, in alphabetical order, these movies are: “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “One Battle After One other,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Worth,” “Sinners, and “Prepare Goals.” So, what deserves to win?

It is “Sinners.” Ryan Coogler’s first-ever fully authentic movie, “Sinners” is satisfying, humorous, horny, intestine-wrenching, and genuinely spectacular. Led by Michael B. Jordan in twin roles as twins Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore, “Sinners” tells the story of the Moore twins making an attempt to open a juke joint within the Mississippi Delta within the Thirties, solely to be confronted with dueling horrors: vampires and the lurking risk of white supremacy. The movie is an absolute triumph crammed with unbelievable music, practically impeccable lore, and nice performances throughout the board — together with from Jordan’s fellow nominees Wumni Mosaku and Delroy Lindo, who painting Smoke’s spouse Annie and musician Delta Slim. It ought to win — however what would possibly beat it?

Due to its file-smashing 16 Oscar nominations, “Sinners” does, on many ranges, appear poised to take residence the massive prize in 2026 … however there’s one film that would and really nicely would possibly block its victory. That movie, by the way, is one other main Warner Bros. launch from 2025 crafted by a beloved director: Paul Thomas Anderson’s bravura American masterpiece “One Battle After One other,” which focuses on revolutionaries combating for the downtrodden.

To say “One Battle After One other” is pedigreed — in comparison with “Sinners,” truthfully — is an enormous understatement. Anderson is extensively considered among the finest working administrators, and he is by no means gained an Oscar for his work; the general movie has additionally snagged appearing nominations for its stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, and Sean Penn (and each DiCaprio and Penn are former winners as well). Plus, in early February 2026, Anderson took residence the Director’s Guild of America award for his work, which is an extraordinarily sturdy indicator that he’ll win Best Director on the Oscars — and beat out Ryan Coogler within the course of. 

As satisfying as it could be to see Coogler develop into the primary Black director to win on this class (he is solely the seventh ever nominated, which is extremely embarrassing for the Academy), I have a sense it may be Anderson — that means the perfect hope for “Sinners” to nonetheless win Best Picture at that time within the evening could be to have a uncommon Best Picture and Best Director cut up (which has occurred). It is robust, although. Each of those motion pictures are distinctive and converse to our current-day in particular and pointed methods, and actually, I’ll be excited to look at them duke it out for the evening’s largest prize. 

So what concerning the eight different Best Picture nominees? Are there any potential spoilers right here that would block both “Sinners” or “One Battle After One other?” Actually, no. Barring a fully unhinged upset, “Sinners” and “One Battle After One other” are the clear frontrunners. Now that I’ve gotten out of the way in which, let’s speak about why these eight different motion pictures will possible stay nominees as an alternative of being topped as winners.

Josh Safdie’s “Marty Supreme” might be “in third place” behind the 2 frontrunners, and although /Movie’s chief movie critic Chris Evangelista favored the film (you’ll be able to learn his assessment right here), I do not assume it comes near both of the opposite two. (Actually, I do not know the way a lot I prefer it in any respect, contemplating that its thesis assertion appears to be “What if there was a man who sucked?!” Nonetheless, its star Timothée Chalamet will most likely win Best Actor.) I “Hamnet” has, weirdly, develop into a little bit of an “Oscar villain” (at the least anecdotally) as a result of it is such a tearjerker — and whereas I like Chloé Zhao’s literary adaptation, it ain’t profitable. In the meantime, “F1” is a very lengthy automotive industrial, “Frankenstein” is nice however not Guillermo del Toro’s finest, “Bugonia” is pleasant however far too bizarre to win, and “Prepare Goals” is — I’m sorry! — totally uninteresting and, greater than “Hamnet,” fairly clear Oscar bait.

That leaves us with two worthy candidates, “Sentimental Worth” and “The Secret Agent” — neither of which is able to possible win, however that are each nice. They’re additionally largely in non-English —with “Parasite” remaining the exception to the rule relating to that exact issue — and fewer flashy, but signify unbelievable cinematic achievements. Nonetheless, we’ll all have to attend and see who wins on the Oscars ceremony on March 15, 2026.