Oscars: 'Blade Runner 2049' Wins Best Visual Effects

It topped a field that included 'War for the Planet of the Apes,' 'Guardians 2,' 'Kong: Skull Island' and 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi.'

The wizards behind Denis Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049 on Sunday night won the Oscar in visual effects, topping a field that included Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Kong: Skull Island, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and War for the Planet of the Apes.

It was the second Academy Award for Blade Runner 2049's VFX supervisor John Nelson, who previously won for Gladiator in 2001. It was the first Oscar for Gerd Nefzer, Paul Lambert and Richard R. Hoover.

Referring to the legacy of the original 1982 Blade Runner, Nelson admitted he's been hearing “it better be good” for two years, regarding 2049. Saluting the entire crew, he said the film was “a labor of love, 6-7 days a week for a year and three quarters.”

War for the Planet of the Apes, as well as the previous two Apes films, had all won the top prize at the Visual Effects Society Awards, but didn't go on to an Oscar win.