And now it’s time for the populist Oscar category, best visual effects. This is the one where you are most likely to see the highest grossing films of the year or, as some people might say, the movies that people actually saw. The Oscars have been doing a better job of including blockbusters in recent years, but the visual effects category is still where most of them live. Let’s discuss.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” despite being an obvious selection in line with previous nominees, is an inspired choice. This installment in the Marvel Universe’s black sheep series focuses largely on Rocket Raccoon, a computer generated character voiced by Bradley Cooper. With all eyes on Rocket, more attention and praise has been paid to how impressive a fully CGI character in a live action environment really is.

“The Creator” was absolutely expected to pop up in this category based on the precursor awards given out by non-Academy groups. Once hailed as a frontrunner, “The Creator” was later deemed dead in the water by those who looked at its unimpressive box office performance. But now we’ve see the Academy’s appreciation for the film extend to the sound category, meaning it will be watched by a larger swath of the voting base. It might have another life.

How about some love for “Napoleon”? I clowned on this movie for a lot of the year, thinking it would be a snoozefest helmed by the insanely gruff Ridley Scott. But it’s on the Oscar nomination list in a category that most people can get behind, and now that I’ve learned more about it, I dig this nomination. The frozen lake sequence, in particular, is so cool. If we’re talking below-the-line accomplishments, “Napoleon” is a nice choice.

“Dead Reckoning” with two nominations?? This is literally unheard of. Yes, the Tom Cruise vehicle “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” scored two nominations this year, including this one for best visual effects. I’m wondering if the love for “Top Gun: Maverick” is carrying over, as the “Mission: Impossible” films have always seemed worthy of praise in this category. It took too long for this recognition to come.

The “cool” nominee this year is “Godzilla Minus One,” a Godzilla movie actually made in Japan. A shocking international hit, the film is a critical and commercial darling. I’m not extremely familiar with Godzilla, other than his nuclear origins and corny film appearances, so I was stunned to hear how beloved this picture is. Here’s a special shout out to Takashi Yamazaki, who directed, wrote and served as the visual effects supervisor for “Godzilla Minus One.”

The magic of the movies is not found in the imagery alone, but the spectacles on display in this group of films pulled off a bit of magic through their visuals. Though I’m only a wannabe prognosticator, I keep a close eye on the Oscar race throughout the year. I can tell you that this is the single most ambiguous category in terms of the eventual winner.