The Oscars have always been an award show that stems lots of debates and creates lots of talk. This year’s Oscars was no different. It had the usual skepticism before and mixed reviews after that seem to precede and follow the awards every year, but the actual show itself held many changes from years past. From the rocky start of Kevin Hart stepping down from the position of host to the last minute cuts PR tried to make, the 2019 Oscars seemed to be doomed. It actually ended up being one of the most-liked Oscars in recent years.

Many problems the population once had with the famous awards ceremony were resolved. They failed to find a person willing to host the ceremony, but the show ended up flowing better than ever without an emcee! There were no awkward jokes that went too far or a poor monologue to start the show off flat. The smooth night allowed for another infamous problem to be resolved: the never-ending awards show. This year’s Oscars finally cut down the ceremony time to just three hours, which many viewers were grateful for. Not only was this a better Oscars logistically, but many improvements were seen in the nominations and winners as well.

This year’s slew of nominations and winners made history and sparked change for the awards show. Alfonso Cuaron became the fifth Mexican in six years to take home the award for Best Director thanks to his film “Roma.” Marvel’s Black Panther also sparked change in Oscar history. Ruth Carter won Best Costume Design for the movie, and Best Production Design went to Hannah Beachler. These two women became the second and third African American women to win an Oscar in categories other than acting. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” also made history for being the first animated film from Sony to win Best Animated Picture and, in doing so, broke Disney’s six-year hold on that award.

Historical changes were not the only big moments the 2019 Oscars held! Bohemian Rhapsody, a dramatic interpretation of the formation of Queen with a focus on Freddie Mercury, ended up winning four of its five nominated categories. The movie’s sweep was in awards for Sound Mixing and Sound Editing, as the sound team turned recordings they had of Queen into live performances combined with light undertones of Rami Malek’s voice to promote a feeling of authenticity while in the theater. The movie also took home Best Film Editing, and Rami Malek took home one of the biggest awards of best actor for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. Anyone who saw his more coy demeanor during his acceptance speech knows he made a great transformation to pull off the role. An upset occurred for Best Actress when Olivia Colman beat out the Oscar-less and favored to win Glenn Close for her work in The Favourite. Colman delivered a precious speech and even mentioned Close and Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga took home the award for Best Original Song for “Shallow” from A Star is Born. She performed the smash hit at the show with co-star Bradley Cooper, and their chemistry set viewers and the media ablaze. The show ended with Green Book’s victory for Best Film. This year’s awards show ended up being more of a success than anticipated, and I highly suggest that you check out these amazing movies!