Speculative fiction at the movies in the second wave of 2017 Teen Choice Award nominations

I told my readers to "Stay tuned" at the end of Speculative fiction in film at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, as "I plan on being back for the first round of TV nominees and the second round of movie and TV nominees later this week."  I then told them to "Be patient" because I got distracted by the Emmy nominations for "Westworld," "Stranger Things," and "The Handmaid's Tale.".  Since the second round of voting for the Teen Choice Awards is still going on (it ends tomorrow), that makes it the perfect occasion to write about the second round's movie nominees.  Here they are from E!Online.

Choice Summer Movie (#ChoiceSummerMovie)
Cars 3
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Transformers: The Last Knight
War for the Planet of the Apes
Wonder Woman

Every single nominated summer movie is speculative fiction.  In fact, nearly all the movies nominated in this wave are speculative fiction and all the rest are some kind of genre film, whether non-superhero action, thriller (non-supernatural horror), or a comedy parody of an action show.  It's my kind of field, even though I haven't been a teenager for more than four decades.

That written, the movie I'd vote for is "Wonder Woman," just as I would have voted for it as Choice Action Movie.  It's most serious competition is the other superhero action movie nominated, "Spider-Man: Homecoming."  It had the third biggest opening of any movie so far this year with $117 million to the fourth biggest opening so far for "Wonder Woman" with $103 million.  However, "Spider-Man" dropped a lot more during its second week than "Wonder Woman," earning $45.2 million to $57.2 million for "Wonder Woman."  Even with the steep drop, it remains ahead by $3 million in the first two weeks total box office.  Still, I have some issues with it.

The movie took the origin story of Miles Morales, the Ultimate Universe Spider-Man, and used it for Peter Parker, the Earth-616 Spider-Man.  Several of my friends who know their comic book superheroes better than I do found that disrespectful, if not downright racist.  I'm not in a position to argue with them; believe people of color when they complain about racism.  A big problem is that most people don't know this and many of them might not be bothered if they did.  That's why I'm writing about this.  Now, how can one make this kind of treatment of fictional people of color go away?  My answer is to make it unprofitable.  With that first two weeks box office, that might be easier said than done.  Just the same, I'm urging my readers not to vote for "Spider-Man" in protest.

All that might be moot.  As voting is going on, "War for the Planet of the Apes" is now the number one movie with $56.5 million.  That alone could influence the voting.  Speaking of voting for awards, "War for the Planet of the Apes" is currently my pick for top science-fiction movie at next year's Saturn Awards unless "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" picks up a lot of support or "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" is moved from Comic Books to Science Fiction.  That could happen.  I don't know if I'd object.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the second wave of movie nominees.

Now, the performers.

Choice Summer Movie Actor (#ChoiceSummerMovieActor)
Ansel Elgort – Baby Driver
Chris Pine – Wonder Woman
Harry Styles – Dunkirk
Mark Wahlberg – Transformers: The Last Knight
Owen Wilson – Cars 3
Tom Holland – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Again, I'll vote for Chris Pine, just as I would have done for Choice Action Actor.  As for Tom Holland, what the script writers did was not his fault.  I won't take it out on him by telling people not to vote for him.

Two of the non-speculative fiction movies are in the above field, "Baby Driver" and "Dunkirk."  Both are action movies and the second is a serious drama as well, like last year's "Hacksaw Ridge."  I expect several Academy Award nominations for it, which probably means it's doomed here.

Choice Summer Movie Actress (#ChoiceSummerMovieActress)
Bella Thorne – Amityville: The Awakening
Cara Delevingne – Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman
Isabela Moner – Transformers: The Last Knight
Mandy Moore – 47 Meters Down
Zendaya – Spider-Man: Homecoming

Once again, I'm voting for Gal Gadot.  I'd like to see her win two awards.  As for the rest of the movies, they're all speculative fiction except "47 Meters Down," which is a thriller (non-supernatural horror).  It's still genre and I expect to see it nominated at next year's Saturn Awards in the thriller category.

Choice Movie Villain (#ChoiceMovieVillain)
Charlize Theron – The Fate of the Furious
Elizabeth Banks – Power Rangers
James McAvoy – Split
Javier Bardem – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Luke Evans – Beauty and the Beast
Priyanka Chopra – Baywatch

Javier Bardem's Salazar is the scariest of the bunch, so I'm voting for him.  He easily outclasses Elizabeth Banks' Rita Repulsa.  He's even creepier than James McAvoy's villain in "Split," which was nominated for Best Thriller Film at the Saturn Awards this year.  That written, the biggest movie of the year so far is "Beauty and the Beast," so the teens might vote for Luke Evans' Gaston.  He's just a conceited jerk with good press.

Choice Breakout Movie Star (#ChoiceBreakoutMovieStar)
Auli'i Cravalho – Moana
Deepika Padukone – xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Harry Styles – Dunkirk
Janelle Monáe – Hidden Figures
Tom Holland – Spider-Man: Homecoming
Zendaya – Spider-Man: Homecoming

I'll vote for Janelle Monae; she was outstanding in "Hidden Figures."   However, it wouldn't surprise me if either Tom Holland or Harry Styles wins instead.  Holland won the equivalent honor at the BAFTA Film Awards and "One Direction" has a lot of fans.

Choice MovieShip (#ChoiceMovieShip)
Chris Pratt & Zoe Saldana – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Deepika Padukone & Ruby Rose – xXx: Return of Xander Cage
Emma Watson & Dan Stevens – Beauty and the Beast
Gal Gadot & Chris Pine – Wonder Woman
Michelle Rodriguez & Vin Diesel – The Fate of the Furious
Zac Efron & Dwayne Johnson – Baywatch

I'm voting for Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, but I expect Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will win with this crowd.

That's it for the last of the pure movie categories.  I'll return with the television nominees and the mixed film and television categories tomorrow.