Ready Player One - 1 nomination

Visual Effects - Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk

The year is 2045 and people have basically stopped living in the real world.  The entire world, poor and rich alike, spend their time and money on a large video game universe called the OASIS.  When the multi-jillionaire inventor of OASIS dies, he sends a virtual message to the world letting everyone know that his estate and shares in the game are up for grabs to the first person to solve three puzzles (in game speak, "finds three Easter eggs").  Wade Watt is a young man who has a gift for the games, and he has corralled a number of allies to help him along.  Of course, the mega corporation Innovative Online Industries (IOI) will do anything in their power to make sure that they, not Wade, are the winners of the fortune.

If there is any justice in the world, Ready Player One will win the Visual Effects category.  The effects are spectacular.  An entire digital world made up of every kind of game experience you could ever want comes alive on screen.  There is literally nothing else I've seen this year that could touch what the effects designers created for this film.  This movie just wouldn't be what it is without its effects, and the effects seem to have been created just for this kind of film.  I love sci fi films anyway so I was destined to enjoy the film, but it happened to be the most fun you could have without being on Space Mountain.  You must see it.