'The Revenant' Reigns Over The 2016 Academy Award Nominations

The nominations for the 88th Academy Awards are finally in, and there's really not too many shockers in there. Predictably, 'The Revenant' starring Leonardo Dicaprio is leading with a total of 12 nominations. It's an exciting prospect - could DiCaprio really be about to land that long-awaited Oscar he deserves?

Could Leonardo DiCaprio finally win an Oscar for The Revenant?

So let's have a look at what to expect from the year's biggest cinema event. Firstly, Alejandro G. Iñárritu's 'The Revenant' - which is based on the death-defying explorations of frontiersman Hugh Glass - is very understandably up their for Best Picture. Consequently, Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated for Best Actor, Tom Hardy for Best Supporting Actor and Iñárritu for Director. The other eight awards are for Costume Design, Makeup And Hair Styling, Sound Editing, Film Editing, Production Design, Visual Effects, Cinematography and Sound Mixing.

'Mad Max: Fury Road' has the second most nominations for this year's Oscars

Following closely behind with 10 nods is George Miller's 'Mad Max: Fury Road', which misses out on Best Actor and Supporting Actor - though seeing as Tom Hardy is nominated for his part in 'The Revenant', he can't complain that hasn't received the same recognition for 'Mad Max'.

Ridley Scott's 'The Martian' starring Matt Damon is another top contender for Best Picture and Best Actor, with four behind-the-scenes, crew-related nominations and a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay for its basis in the Andy Weir novel.

The Martian receives seven nominations

Another Best Picture maybe is 'Spotlight' - a true story about Boston Globe's unveiling of child molestation within the Catholic Church. It has a bit of an ensemble cast and thus Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams are up for Best Supporting Actor and Actress, with no Best Actor look-ins. However, Tom McCarthy has been named among the Best Directors of 2015 and it's also up for Best Original Screenplay.

Spotlight has two stars up in the Supporting cast categories

With nominations including Best Picture, Original Score and Original Screenplay is Tom Hanks' political drama 'Bridge of Spies'. But while he's not up for an Oscar this year, supporting actor Mark Rylance is. Similarly, Adam McKay's financial thriller 'The Big Short' counts Best Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay among its nominations, with Christian Bale being named as the film's Best Supporting Actor.

More: Read our review of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'

Surprisingly, perhaps, given the huge reception it received upon its release over the Christmas period, 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' has been given a modest handful of nominations for Sound and Film Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects and Original Score. But it seems the franchise's new father, JJ Abrams, has missed out on a Best Director nod.

'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' gets modest recognition considering the fanbase

The same cannot be said for Lenny Abrahamson for his emotional kidnap drama 'Room'; another Best Picture hopeful, with Brie Larson in line for Best Actress. It has also received a node for Best Adapted Screenplay, a category in which it will vie against lesbian romance 'Carol' which in itself is another contender for Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara) and Original Score among others.

Eddie Redmayne can't be forgotten for his incredible female role

Final Best Picture nominee is 'Brooklyn', and Best Actor's include Eddie Redmayne for 'The Danish Girl', Michael Fassbender for 'Steve Jobs' and Bryan Cranston for 'Trumbo'. Meanwhile, completing the Best Actress category is Saoirse Ronan for 'Brooklyn', Jennifer Lawrence for 'Joy' and Charlotte Rampling '45 Years'. Supporting Actors/Actresses also include Redmayne's co-star Alicia Vikander, Kate Winslet from 'Steve Jobs', 'The Hateful Eight' star Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sylvester Stallone in 'Creed'.

The Academy Awards will take place on February 28th 2016.