It took me a while (and several long journeys) but eventually I managed to watch all four of the nominated films in this category, having seen the first series of Game of Thrones when it was broadcast last year. My votes are as follows:

No vote: Hugo. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely loved this film, the story, the cinematography, the performances of the stars both young and older (Sacha Baron Cohen in not completely annoying shock! Not to mention Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, etc), the beautiful detail. But it is not really sf. It is about the earliest sf cinema, about technology, about art, (and about love) but the fantasy sequences are clearly delineated as dreams, and the machinery, though verging on steampunk, just about realistic for the era. I’m really glad that Hugo was nominated – I enjoyed it more than any of the other films discussed below – but I can’t vote for it.

5) Captain America: The First Avenger. A rather average action romp, lifted by Hugo Weaving as Nazi scientist who decides to become a supervillain. New Doctor Who companion Jenna-Louise Coleman makes an appearance as Second Girlfriend in an early scene.

4) No Award. As usual I have agonised a bit about this ranking, and might go up or down a notch depending on my mood.

3) Source Code. An intricate story of a special ops guy who has to relive the last minutes of someone else’s life over and over again until he is able to prevent a terrorist attack, though he himself is already doomed. I liked the basic plot but didn’t care for the political framing (life as a computer game…) and was not wholly convinced by the resolution.

2) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. I enjoyed this much more than I had expected to. While Part 1 was basically about wandering around waiting for the plot to start happening, Part 2 gets you right into the final conflict, with everyone giving it their all, and a very pleasing closure to this incarnation of Rowling’s epic cycle. Radcliffe and Watson have particularly come on over the years; the special effects are great as well.

1) Game of Thrones, Series 1. I was an early advocate of nominating the series as a whole, and I remain an unabashed fanboy. This will be remembered when Captain America has been long forgotten. (Actually, hasn’t that happened already?)

See also: Best Novel | Best Novella | Best Novelette | Best Short Story | Best Related Work | Best Dramatic Presentation (Short Form) | Best Professional Artist | Best Fan Writer | Best Fan Artist | Best Fancast | The John W. Campbell Award (Not A Hugo)