The 6 biggest 2021 Oscar snubs and surprises - from Chadwick Boseman to Frances McDormand

The best actor category, which was unusually presented last at Sunday's Oscars, threw up the night's biggest surprise when Sir Anthony Hopkins won for "The Father."

Hopkins beat out the presumed favorite Chadwick Boseman, who had previously won the Critics Choice Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

Although Hopkins beat Boseman at the BAFTAs, showing he did have plenty of wide-spread love for his performance, the late "Black Panther" actor was still expected to win.

Instead, Hopkins won his second best actor Oscar nearly 30 years after his first (for "The Silence of the Lambs") and became the oldest winner of an acting Oscar at age 83.

Both Hopkins and Boseman's performances were critically revered, with some calling Hopkins' turn in "The Father" his best ever onscreen performance.

While best actor seemed like a sure thing, best actress was up in the air last night — as it has been for most of awards season.

However, most thought it would go down between Viola Davis and Carey Mulligan. Mulligan won the Critics Choice Award for the increasingly popular "Promising Young Woman," while Davis won the SAG award for her turn in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

Andra Day could have also snuck in to win — she won the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama for "The United States vs Billie Holiday."

Instead, Academy voters went with this year's BAFTA winner, Frances McDormand, who won her third best actress Oscar for "Nomadland."

Best original song is always one of the hardest categories to predict since there are not many reliable precursor awards to look to during the movie awards season.

It looked like either "One Night in Miami" with the song "Speak Now" (by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth) or Golden Globe winner "The Life Ahead" with the song "Io Sì" (by Diane Warren, Niccolò Agliardi, and Laura Pausini) was going to take home the award, though.

Instead, "Judas and the Black Messiah" took home its second Oscar of the night after Daniel Kaluuya earlier won for best supporting actor.

The movie won for the song "Fight For You," by H.E.R., D'Mile (as Dernst Emile II), and Tiara Thomas.

While best picture winner "Nomadland" won the most Oscars on the night with three, the movie was expected to do a little better. It was expected to take home best cinematography for British director of photography Joshua James Richards and the sweeping cinematic landscapes on show in the movie.

However, the Oscars love for black-and-white movies, especially in the cinematography category, prevailed once again.

Erik Messerschmidt won the award for "Mank," which also won best production design.

With six nominations including one for best picture, it seemed that Aaron Sorkin's "The Trial of the Chicago 7" was one of the Academy's favorite movies of the year.

But the movie won no Oscars at all on the night, the only best picture nominee this year to not win a single Academy Award.

The film was not predicted to win in any of the categories, although it did have a strong chance in both best film editing and best original screenplay.

Best film editing ended up going to "Sound of Metal," while Sorkin lost best original screenplay to Emerald Fennell, who won for "Promising Young Woman." Sorkin won the Golden Globe for best screenplay, but it was the BAFTAs again who proved the best Oscars tea leaves this year — Fennell won at the British awards.

The other writing category, best adapted screenplay, was also a bit of a loose one going into the awards show.

"The Father" won the BAFTA Award, but it never seemed a sure thing with "Nomadland" also nominated. Chloé Zhao wrote the script for the movie, and could have easily taken home a third Oscar on the night.

Meanwhile, "Borat Subsequent MovieFilm" could have also snuck in late to win the Oscar — that movie won the Writers' Guild Award for adapted screenplay.

Instead, "The Father" proved how loved it was by the Academy by winning both best adapted screenplay and best actor for Anthony Hopkins.