Giant Freakin Robot

Anytime the Academy Awards rolls around, there’s usually an outcry from fans that not enough genre films are recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Luckily, this year the movie that has the most nominations is Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, but even if the Academy doesn’t give science fiction the respect it deserves, there are several long-standing and prestigious awards focused specifically on honoring genre material. Last night we posted the Nebula Award nominations, and now the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has announced its nominees for the 40th annual Saturn Awards.

Unsurprisingly, Gravity is a front-runner for the Saturns as well, earning eight nominations including Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actress for Sandra Bullock, Best Supporting Actor for George Clooney, and Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón. Gravity is tied with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug for the most nominations. Some of the other nominees for Best Science Fiction Film are Ender’s Game, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Pacific Rim, Riddick, and Star Trek Into Darkness.

At this point in the game, you know very well that you have to stick around after the credits of any movie based on a Marvel property. Or any movie based on any comic, for that matter. Not to mention most horror, action, sci-fi, and pretty much anything that isn’t a period drama or a romantic comedy. It’s exhausting. You just want to leave the theater and go home, but you and a handful of other nerds sit there anyway, paralyzed by the fear that you might miss out on something magical.

You can bet that Marvel’s upcoming Iron Man 3 is going to follow this same path—as the first two have—and the reckless, unsubstantiated rumor of the day has it that there might be a bit of sci-fi twist to these proceedings.

SPOILERS BELOW!