This yr, the mission of the Academy Awards was, greater than something, to keep away from disaster. Essentially the most-discussed ceremonies within the final decade have been marked by jaw-dropping viral moments—none of which had a lot to do with the films supposedly being celebrated. The improper Greatest Image was introduced. Will Smith slapped Chris Rock, then gave a rambling acceptance speech for the Greatest Actor award. The primary Oscars after the beginning of COVID-19 gambled on ending with one Greatest Actor win and ended up with one other—somebody who was at house, and already in mattress. Tonight, with a number of large field workplace successes like Oppenheimer and Barbie up for a slew of awards, the Academy for Movement Image Arts and Sciences had a chief alternative to stage an awesome ceremony—and this time, mainly nothing went improper.

After all, that implies that lots of the winners had been unsurprising—a symptom of an extended and ever-growing awards season that anoints favorites months prematurely, and is especially prone to a juggernaut like Oppenheimer. And the evening’s one massive shock was a little bit awkward, with Emma Stone amassing her second Greatest Actress trophy for Poor Issues, spoiling the prospect of a groundbreaking victory for the Native American actress Lily Gladstone in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. However by and enormous, the parents on the Academy shall be cheering an evening that moved at a good clip, ended at an inexpensive hour, and featured loads of recognizable winners whereas managing to highlight a number of the most beloved losers.

As an example, Ryan Gosling’s efficiency of Barbie’s “I’m Simply Ken” might need been the spotlight of the night from a manufacturing standpoint, overflowing with visible humor and constructed across the actor’s excellent peacocking talents. However then it didn’t even win—Greatest Track went to the opposite, slower Barbie quantity, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s “What Was I Made For?” That was Barbie’s solely trophy of the evening, a tune voters clearly determined was critical sufficient to be worthy of an Oscar. That’s typically the way it goes on the Academy Awards, with the large drama often triumphing over the enjoyable comedy, however this yr’s voters had the benefit of having the ability to help a really good “critical” movie in Oppenheimer for Greatest Image.

Christopher Nolan’s wartime biopic ended up with seven Oscars, together with Greatest Image, Director, Actor, and Supporting Actor—a strong take, although not the large haul some anticipated. Lots of the technical classes ended up going to Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Issues, an epic comedy a couple of Frankenstein girl (Emma Stone) occurring a journey of sexual self-discovery and studying some Marxist principle on the best way. Poor Issues is the type of gonzo work that previous Oscar voters might need dismissed as too excessive, however the Academy’s main drive to diversify membership over the previous couple of years has internationalized the voting physique and given it a barely younger edge. Lanthimos additionally neatly gave his film a cheerful ending, sending audiences out of the theater with a bounce of their step.

I don’t know the way else to clarify Stone’s victory. Her efficiency is a formidable comedian feat, particularly from a bodily perspective, however she received the class for 2016’s La La Land, and Oscar voters are often shy about giving actors two wins at a younger age. Stone’s competitors included the veteran Annette Bening (now a five-time loser) for Nyad, and the dazzling Sandra Hüller, who gave glorious performances in two Greatest Image nominees (Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Curiosity, successful her nomination for the previous). Nevertheless it was Gladstone who was seen as the favourite for her gorgeous work in Killers of the Flower Moon—and whose loss felt most conspicuous. Stone appeared genuinely flabbergasted as she took the stage (partly as a result of her gown was malfunctioning), however the win gave the impression to be warmly acquired within the room—no profound weirdness abounded.

Learn: No extra Greatest Supporting Actress curse

Other than that, the evening largely bounced between trophies for Oppenheimer and Poor Issues. For Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. sounded probably the most triumphant word of his decades-long comeback when he received Greatest Supporting Actor; Cillian Murphy was his traditional understated self after taking Greatest Actor over a crowded area. Down the poll, voters typically leaned in direction of the artier alternative, giving Greatest Animated Movie to Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron over Spider-Man: Throughout the Spider-Verse, and Greatest Visible Results to the Japanese movie Godzilla Minus One over 4 Hollywood blockbusters. The Zone of Curiosity bought deserved consideration for its sound, alongside an anticipated Worldwide Movie award. Wes Anderson, an eight-time nominee and titan of the cinematic kind, quietly received his first Oscar for the quick movie The Fantastic Story of Henry Sugar, although he wasn’t there to simply accept it.

Oppenheimer’s success was measured sufficient that different well-liked movies bought to slide in for a win or two, with The Holdovers taking Greatest Supporting Actress, Anatomy of a Fall grabbing Unique Screenplay, and American Fiction scoring Tailored Screenplay. However two of the most important Greatest Image nominees had been mainly ignored: Killers of the Flower Moon scored 10 nominations and 0 wins (the identical goose egg that befell Scorsese’s final movie, The Irishman), and Barbie received just for tune (after host Jimmy Kimmel poked enjoyable at its nomination snubs for Greatest Director and Greatest Actress earlier). The Academy by no means solely succeeds at spreading the wealth round, however given that there have been apparent locations for Flower Moon and Barbie to get extra recognition (Actress and Tailored Screenplay, respectively), the misses shall be better-remembered than some.

In his fourth go-round as host, Kimmel was his dependable self, maintaining the trains on time and sticking to a punchy monologue that was gentle on massive laughs however largely skilled. (The current crash-and-burn work of Jo Koy on the Golden Globes served as a reminder of simply how badly this gig can go). I’m vastly in favor of a seasoned hand corresponding to Kimmel over a number of the horrible internet hosting experiments the Oscars have tried recently, together with having no host in any respect, having three hosts, and letting Seth MacFarlane sing a tune about boobs. With the ceremony feeling on steadier floor (and rankings prone to rise), it’s most likely time to attempt somebody new within the function subsequent yr. The comic John Mulaney, who had enjoyable presenting the award for Greatest Sound tonight, appears the obvious alternative. However there’ll at all times be the concern that the Academy will spoil an excellent factor by making an attempt to repeat it, and pressure Gosling again onstage in a rhinestone jacket to kick off subsequent yr’s present—or worse, a nude John Cena.