The 2021 Oscars has shown that a change is needed

Did you watch the Oscars this year? That’s a silly question because of course you didn’t! Though it has been argued that the annual Academy Awards has dropped in quality in recent years, many can argue that 2021’s show might have been the worst of all time. If this awards ceremony truly is the Super Bowl for film, then we need to come to the realization that the Oscars need a change, as evidenced from this year’s show.

Yes, the pandemic affected the structure of the ceremony, but if we’ve seen other awards shows and big events and how they’ve handled the situation, that’s not an excuse anymore. The Oscars should be what movie fans have waited for all year. However, that just wasn’t the case. This year, the 2021 Oscars recorded the lowest amount of viewers the show has ever gotten.

I can’t say that I’m surprised. The special feel wasn’t there this year. Gone were the big-time movie stars that we love to see cameo, as they pop up on the big screen as a presenter talks about them, and gone was the feeling that anything could happen. That movie “magic” seemed non-existent in all honesty. One big issue was the presentation of everything.

Having the show not entirely at the Dolby Theatre was a noticeably bad idea. At the Union Station, the windows weren’t covered, so instead of having that night time feeling like you’re about to watch a sold-out Broadway show, it felt more like everyone was at an upscale restaurant in downtown Los Angeles.

Very few big-name stars were present at the event too. This felt more like the Independent Spirit Awards rather than the legendary Oscars. Half of the presentation is getting adulation from your peers, some of the most respected names in the business. However, if the biggest star in the room is Frances McDormand, then you’re not going to attract many casual viewers.

The Oscars are about the exciting world of movies, but lately it’s been boring

One trend that has continued for another year, and is something that I still consider an absolutely abhorrent decision, is the fact that again there is still no host. The reason for this is due to the fact that many are worried about the controversy that surrounds certain jokes that are told by the host, or someone finding a bad Tweet from years ago once a performer gets the job.

The thing is, that shouldn’t stop the “powers that be” from finding someone that can entertain on a grand scale. It would’ve especially helped this year because of the blank canvas that the pandemic awarded the Oscars this year. With the lack of star power, giving a comedian free reign to get laughs could’ve been huge for the show.

Lil Rel Howery, for instance, stole the show when he quizzed stars on their knowledge of music in film. It resulted in the only moment of the show that was worth talking about, and that’s Glenn Close dancing to the iconic song from Spike Lee’s School Daze, “Da Butt”. Howery has always been a talented comedian.

With just five minutes of screen time, Howery was able to bring the laughter and energy that the last two Oscars desperately needed. Just because Kevin Hart screwed up a couple of years ago and lost the hosting gig, doesn’t mean that the position should be moved entirely. The right performer or comedian can make the show worth watching.

No one is saying that a host should turn the Oscars into their own Netflix special, it’s just that having a star move everything along always makes the show worthwhile. How else can you bring the energy of the crowd up once they announce the winner of “Best Sound Editing”? There needs to be someone to lighten the mood, and make the show entertaining when it has so many dead spots.

It’s not like there aren’t any options. Lil Rel Howery should be considered. There’s also the combination of Nick Kroll and John Mulaney, who hosted the Independent Spirt Awards very well (and is a perfect example of comedians making a show worth watching), Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and the always controversial Ricky Gervais, who was an absolute laugh riot at the Golden Globes.

Besides the lack of a host, one glaring mistake was the decision to have the award for “Best Actor” go last. It has been said that the point of doing so was because everyone assumed that Chadwick Boseman was going to win for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. However, in an unexpected turn of events, Anthony Hopkins won for The Father. Hilariously, Hopkins wasn’t even there.

Joaquin Phoenix accepted the award on behalf of the Academy and the show ended in an abrupt halt. Questlove thanked everyone for watching and then played out the show like an episode of Seinfeld just ended. In fact, the Seinfeld music would’ve been perfect for the moment because of how ridiculous everything felt.

In an awards ceremony focused on movies, the entire show should center around the final award: Best Picture. The Oscars aren’t just about acting. The Oscars are about filmmaking and everything that encompasses it. Everything should lead up to the main event and that is what the best film of 2021 is. It’s that simple and they still screwed it up in hopes of a positive publicity stunt that didn’t even happen.

If major changes don’t happen soon, the Oscars will lose its luster and movie fans won’t have a reason to take time out of their Sunday to watch. Hopefully, these producers realize these problems sooner rather than later.

What did you think of 2021’s Oscars? Let us know in the comments below.