Friday For Your Consideration: Michael Fassbender

Welcome to a special edition of a seasonal weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Friday For Your Consideration. As every year nears to a close, there are a number of actors nominated for Golden Globes, Oscars, and countless other awards. There are so many spots and there are so many deserving contenders, yet some inevitably get left out. In the absence of a film to review, I’d like to spotlight someone from a film already released this year who is sure to be forgotten by the end of 2012.

Michael Fassbender (Prometheus)

Where you’ve seen him before: For the past three years, he’s been all over the place in British and American cinema, with crucial supporting roles in “Inglourious Basterds,” “Fish Tank,” and “Jane Eyre,” and no fewer than three lead parts in prominent films last years: as Carl Jung in “A Dangerous Method,” Magneto in “X-Men: First Class,” and a sex addict in “Shame.”

Why he deserves it: He should have already been a nominee last year for “Shame,” and now he turns in another magnificent performance, in a science fiction film no less! Humanoid robot David is far from emotionless, and Fassbender captures the inappropriate enthusiasm perfectly, wearing his delight and curiosity on his face, making David an immensely intriguing and watchable member of this mission.

Standout scene: On the way to their faraway destination, all of the humans aboard Prometheus sleep in cryostasis for two years. David, however, spends the entire time awake and active, and we get to see a brief snapshot of his daily routine, which involves showing off his sporting abilities and watching “Lawrence of Arabia,” eager to learn about and fit in with the humans.

Why he won’t get it: It's extremely rare that science fiction gets recognized by Oscar voters, especially in the acting categories. When Alec Guinness did it for “Star Wars” back in 1977, it was his fourth nomination and he had already won twenty years earlier. Fassbender doesn’t have that reputation just yet, and unless it’s a weak year, this film won’t be remembered quite so positively by the end of the year for its non-technical elements.