Each year, there are plenty of people and films that are snubbed at the Oscars. This year, there are a lot of surprising names that have been left off the list of nominees. Despite receiving 10 Academy Award nominations, Dune director Denis Villeneuve was not nominated in the category for Best Director. Yet, Dune isn’t the only science fiction film that’s been snubbed in some fashion at the Oscars this year.

It’s no secret that superhero films have often been absent from the Academy Awards. Except for Black Panther, superhero films have largely gone unrecognized at prestigious award ceremonies, despite the success they experience around the world. In 2021, Marvel released 4 films: Black Widow, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Eternals, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. At this year’s Academy Awards, two Marvel films have earned nominations for Best Visual Effects, but surprisingly, Eternals was not one of them.

This year, Dune, Free Guy, No Time to Die, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man: No Way Home are the nominees for Best Visual Effects. As exciting as it is to see two Marvel films on the list, Eternals is notably absent. The film was subjected to incredibly harsh reviews prior to its November 2021 release but since debuting on Disney Plus, has found a large fanbase. Even though Eternals was on the receiving end of harsh criticism, critics of the film did find that its visuals were among its most redeemable qualities. Many critics cited the visuals as one of the few positive qualities that Eternals had to offer.

With Chloé Zhao’s reputation as a prestigious director and the stacked members of the cast, Eternals appeared to have all the makings to be a stellar addition to the Marvel film roster. Its rather lackluster reception from critics led Eternals to become the lowest-rated Marvel film to date. It was heavily criticized for its attempts to alter the superhero film formula, as many regarded it as dull and incomplete. Others disagreed and remarked that Eternals was a successful attempt at altering the Marvel formula and that the film accomplished a lot in its near three-hour runtime. Eternals managed to establish 10 unique Celestials, their history, and a handful of other characters that may return to the MCU in the future.

Within the criticism Eternals received, the film was always highly praised for its visual effects. Dating back to 5000 BC, the multiple landscapes and historical eras found within Eternals, lent themselves to several scenic shots. Between their lives on Earth and the spatial terrains that are visible thanks to Arishem, it is impossible to find a scene in Eternals that isn’t accompanied by a stunning background visual. Tiamut, the unborn Celestial that Sersi and most of the other Eternals kill, also receives a gorgeous shot, as he peaks well above the ocean’s surface. Tiamut’s head and hand are the only parts of him that are visible, but the immense size of him was crated incredibly well by the VFX team. Tiamut’s size and the threat he poses to Earth are one and the same: huge.

Shang-Chi and No Way Home are the first Marvel nominations at the Academy Awards since Avengers: Endgame’s nomination in 2020. Of its 21 Oscar nominations, Marvel has only won 3, which were all earned by Black Panther at the 2019 ceremony. Nothing should be taken away from Marvel’s nominees, as Shang-Chi included more than its fair share of breathtaking visuals. From Xu Wenwu and Ying Li’s origin and their initial battle in the woods to the intense bus fight, and of course, the film’s final battle (that involves the Ten Rings and dragons), the VFX team did an incredible job.

No Way Home has its own set of noteworthy visuals, especially in creating the looks for some villains in the film. Electro and Sandman are two of the villains that benefit from the VFX team most. Each of these villains requires not only the physical execution of their roles on set but the later addition of the full extent of their powers that makes them appear insanely intimidating. As impressive as these effects are, there are few shots of No Way Home that have the same visual depth as any scene in Eternals. Even though these Marvel films set out to accomplish two very different forms of storytelling, Eternals is arguably a more viable candidate for the Academy Award nomination than No Way Home.

Eternals’ visual effects team includes Matt Aitken, Daniele Bigi, Stephane Ceretti, and Neil Corbould. This group has received nominations for their effects at the Satellite Awards and the Hollywood Critics Association Film Awards. At both ceremonies, they face Academy Award nominees Dune and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. The visual effects in addition to the cinematography within Eternals are what makes it such a visually stunning film, even for those that didn’t care for the story. There is no doubt that all three of these Marvel films had wonderful VFX work, but Eternals certainly contains some of Marvel’s best VFX work.

Eternals is now streaming on Disney Plus.