Dune Dominates As Nicolas Cage Delivers Speech Of The Evening


The 52nd Annual Saturn Awards saw Dune: Part Two dominate the night, while Nicolas Cage used his win to criticize AI’s role in entertainment. Hosted by Joel McHale, the Saturn Awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other projects in genre fiction, including television. Going into the ceremony, Dune: Part Two, the sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, had the most nominations with 14 total. On the television side, Fallout and The Waking Dead: The Ones Who Live each had 5 nominations.

The 52nd Saturn Awards took place on Sunday, February 2, and honored a number of films, shows, and creatives for their 2024 genre works. In terms of special honors, William Shatner was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, Laurence Fishburne received the Lance Reddick Legacy Award, and the George Pal Memorial Award went to the 40th anniversary of Back to the Future. Additionally, Fallout received the Spotlight Award, Hiroyuki Sanada was given the Robert Forster Artist’s Award, and Superman & Lois was honored with the Dan Curtis Legacy Award. The full list of winners for the competitive categories is below:

Category

Winner

Best Science Fiction Film

Dune: Part Two

Best Fantasy Film

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Best Horror Film

Alien: Romulus

Best Action/Adventure Film

Deadpool & Wolverine

Best Thriller Film

Strange Darling

Best International Film

Godzilla Minus One

Best Animated Film

The Wild Robot

Best Independent Film

Late Night with the Devil

Best Actor in a Film

Nicolas Cage, Dream Scenario

Best Actress in a Film

Demi Moore, The Substance

Best Supporting Actor in a Film

Hugh Jackman, Deadpool & Wolverine

Best Supporting Actress in a Film

Rebecca Ferguson, Dune: Part Two

Best Younger Performer in a Film

Jenna Ortega, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Best Film Direction

Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two

Best Film Writing (Screenplay)

Osgood Perkins, Longlegs

Best Film Music (Composer)

Danny Elfman, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Best Film Editing

Dean Zimmerman & Shane Reid, Deadpool & Wolverine

Best Film Production Design

Patrice Vermette, Dune: Part Two

Best Film Make-Up

Pierre-Olivier Persin, The Substance

Best Film Costume

Colleen Atwood, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Best Film Visual/Special Effects

Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salacombe, Gerd Nefzer, Dune: Part Two

Best Science Fiction Television Series

Fallout

Best Fantasy Television Series

House of the Dragon

Best Horror Television Series

From

Best Superhero Television Series

Agatha All Along

Best Action/Thriller Television Series

Cobra Kai

Best Adventure Television Series

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Best Animated Series

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Best Television Presentation

The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live

Best Actor in a Television Series

Colin Farrell, The Penguin

Best Actress in a Television Series

Rosario Dawson, Star Wars: Ahsoka

Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series

Antony Starr, The Boys

Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series

Cristin Milioti, The Penguin

Best Younger Performer in a Television Series

Xolo Maridueña, Cobra Kai

Best Guest-Star in a Television Series

Mark Hamill, The Fall of the House of Usher

Best Classic Home Media Release

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Best Television Home Media Release

Star Wars: Andor – The Complete First Season

Best Film Home Media Collection

Batman 85th Anniversary Collection

Best 4K Home Media Release

Saw X

In accepting his award for Dream Scenario, Cage used his speech to address AI’s impact on acting and movie-making (via Variety). Starting by reflecting on the odd world featured in Dream Scenario, Cage went on to say, “But there is another world that is also disturbing me. It’s happening right now around all of us: the new AI world.” He also paid tribute to the late David Lynch and reflected on working with him on Wild at Heart, where he starred alongside Laura Dern. His full speech can be read below:

Thank you for recognizing Dream Scenario. This is in fact one of my favorite movies I’ve ever made. I have to thank Kristoffer Borgli for his direction, his writing, his editing and for creating this incredibly disturbing but hilarious world that he dreamt up.

But there is another world that is also disturbing me. It’s happening right now around all of us: the new AI world. I am a big believer in not letting robots dream for us. Robots cannot reflect the human condition for us. That is a dead end if an actor lets one AI robot manipulate his or her performance even a little bit, an inch will eventually become a mile and all integrity, purity and truth of art will be replaced by financial interests only. We can’t let that happen.

The job of all art in my view, film performance included, is to hold a mirror to the external and internal stories of the human condition through the very human thoughtful and emotional process of recreation. A robot can’t do that. If we let robots do that, it will lack all heart and eventually lose edge and turn to mush. There will be no human response to life as we know it. It will be life as robots tell us to know it. I say, protect yourselves from AI interfering with your authentic and honest expressions.

The enthusiasm in this room is not like any other award show and you remind me of one of my greatest collaborators, David Lynch. When I was doing Wild at Heart, I was a very serious, young actor and I said, ‘David, is it okay if I have fun on this movie?’ He said, ‘Buddy not only is it okay, it’s necessary.’

What This Means For Genre Filmmaking And The Saturn Awards

The Ceremony Brought Up Two Of Hollywood’s Hottest Topics: Sci-Fi And AI

The Saturn Awards remain an essential platform for recognizing genre storytelling. While major awards often overlook science fiction, fantasy, and horror, the Saturns honor projects that push narrative and technical boundaries. Dune: Part Two‘s success with five wins — the most of the night — reinforces its influence on modern sci-fi and highlights the strength of the genre. As Dune: Part Two prepares for the Academy Awards in March, where it has different competition, the Saturn Awards has ensured it earns the recognition it deserves.

Furthermore, Cage’s comments on AI during his speech arrive amid growing concerns over its impact on Hollywood, especially after the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and writers strikes. Before the strikes, studios had begun toying with AI performances and writing, raising ethical and creative issues for actors and filmmakers. Though the strikes ended with major wins for actors and writers alike, AI remains a controversial topic, and Cage deemed it important enough to highlight it in his speech. This indicates the fight is far from over, and AI will continue to spark conversation in entertainment.

Our Take On The 52nd Saturn Awards

This Year’s Saturn Awards Emphasized The Importance Of Humanity In Art

For this year’s Saturn Awards, Cage’s speech seemingly set the tone in reinforcing the value of human performance and honoring diverse storytelling, the kind that can only come from real people. Though Dune: Part Two was perhaps the biggest victor, a wide variety of projects were honored, from the multiversal MCU hit Deadpool & Wolverine to Netflix’s fan favorite Cobra Kai. If anything, the Saturn Awards have cemented the fact that genre storytelling is thriving, as it has so many brilliant offerings for viewers to enjoy.

Source: The Saturn Awards, Variety

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