2016 Oscars: A non-movie critic's choice for Best Picture

It’s that time of the year again where filmmakers, actors and everyone else involved in the movies, gather for the prestigious Academy Awards.

Dubbed Hollywood's biggest night, this year's edition is not short on buzz, centered around the lack of diversity among nominees.

More on #OscarsSoWhite here: Chris Rock to present 88th Oscars ceremony amid Hollywood diversity debate

But despite all the controversy, there’s no stopping the plethora of predictions on who will take home the golden statuette.

Although I am not a bonafide film critic, my keen interest in movies has prompted me to compare my amateur predictions to those who really know their stuff.

Of the main 24 categories, I’m going out on a limb here to give my prediction for the top award of the night, which is Best Picture.

Eight films are nominated for this prize and although I have not seen all of them, I did manage to catch the three top favourites - The Revenant, The Big Short and Spotlight, as well as popular choice, The Martian.

I compare these films purely based on their storyline, screenplay as well as the depth of the characters portrayed.

In terms of quality, all are equally top-notch but I give the advantage to The Revenant.

Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as the revenge-seeking trapper Hugh Glass was riveting, and I never felt bored despite the sobering subject matter portrayed throughout the 156-minute film. Despite the lack of dialogue, The Revenant was compelling enough to keep me invested in the protagonist’s journey of revenge.

Having said that, I am not saying Spotlight and The Big Short did not deliver engaging storylines backed by strong performances all round. It’s just when the films are compared side-by-side, I am more inclined towards The Revenant as it somehow managed to suck me into the story.

I did enjoy The Big Short but for someone who knows nothing about banking or the housing industry, I found it hard to follow at times despite the short-but-entertaining explanations made during the short appearances by Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain and Selena Gomez.

As for Spotlight, even though it’s about journalists in pursuit of a story (which is what I do as a living), I found myself distracted in the first act.

Spotlight is local film critic Syazwan Zakariah's personal choice to win Best Picture, though he did concede that it was highly likely that frontrunner The Revenant will bring home the Oscar, as most critics predict.

Bare in mind, the favourite does not always take home the prize. So, let us not dismiss the remaining five films, which include crowd-favourites The Martian and Mad Max: Fury Road. Based on a Twitter poll I published, these two films received quite a large following here in Malaysia.

READ: US Box Office: 'The Martian' triumphs with $55 million debut

READ: 'The Martian' is a smash hit in China, and that's probably no accident

So, which one is your pick for the victory? Catch the 88th Annual Academy Awards live on HBO (Astro Channel 411/HD 431) from 8am tomorrow!