This year’s Oscars were filled with surprises, celebration and countless hilarious moments.

The show opened by paying tribute to every Best Picture nominee in the funniest way possible. Host Conan O’Brien begrudgingly donned a wig and makeup mimicking the iconic villain from “Weapons,” Aunt Gladys. Mirroring the film’s ending, O’Brien was chased by a group of children, inserting himself into scenes from each of the Best Picture nominees. He was finally chased onto the stage before coming on to start the show formally. In his opening monologue, O’Brien poked fun at many things. He joked about security being tighter due to concerns about “attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” referencing Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet’s recent controversy over statements about no one caring about ballet and opera. He also said the night could get political, assuring people there was an “alternate Oscars being hosted by Kid Rock,” referencing Turning Point USA’s “All-American Half-Time Show.” He finished the monologue by expressing his hope that people can celebrate the vastly different cultures of cinema in these tumultuous times.

The first award of the night featured perhaps the most heartwarming speech. Zoe Saldaña presented the Award for Best Supporting Actress to Amy Madigan for her performance as Aunt Gladys in “Weapons.” In her speech, Madgian expressed her gratitude at being recognized after her decades-long career. 

One of the night’s most anticipated awards was the brand new award for Best Casting. Paul Mescal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chase Infiniti, Wagner Moura and Delroy Lindo presented the award to Cassandra Kulukundis for her work as casting director for “One Battle After Another.”  

History was made when “KPop Demon Hunters” won the award for Best Animated Feature, becoming the first Korean film to do so. The hit song from the film, “Golden,” went on to win Best Original Song, becoming the first K-pop song to win the award. This cemented the K-pop genre into the Academy Awards’ lens.

The night’s biggest surprise came in the form of the Award for Best Live Action Short Film. For the seventh time in Oscars history, there was a tie. Presenter Kumail Nanjiani humorously told the audience to “calm down,” announced one winner to come up, then the other when the first group was finished. The award went to both “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” 

The award for Best Supporting Actor went to Sean Penn for his performance as Colonel Lockjaw in “One Battle After Another.” Penn was absent from the ceremony, as he chose to travel to Ukraine to show his support for the country amid its war against Russia. Presenter Kieran Culkin jokingly stated he would be “accepting the award in his place.”

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans had one of the show’s most humorous moments when they reunited to present the awards for Best Adapted and Best Original Screenplay. They reminisced on the 14th anniversary of the release of the first Avengers film, quipping about getting each other presents. Evans presented Downey Jr. with a signed copy of the script for the first Avengers. Downey gifted him his valet ticket. They then presented the award for Best Adapted Screenplay to Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another.” 

After a decades-long career, this was Anderson’s first Oscar win. He dedicated his heartfelt speech to his wife, Maya Rudolph, and their children. Evans returned to the stage alone before Downey Jr. rushed onto the stage, presenting Evans with a “real gift” of Channing Tatum’s thong from the “Magic Mike” series. “Imma need that back tho” Tatum said, explaining he had to “work later.“ Downey Jr. and Evan then presented the award for Best Original Screenplay to Ryan Coogler for “Sinners.”

One of the most impactful moments came when “All the Empty Rooms,” a short documentary about the families of school shooting victims, won the award for Best Documentary Short Film. The members of the film, all parents who have lost their children in school shootings, called for gun reform. “Mr Nobody Against Putin” won the award for Best Documentary Feature Film. 

The tear-jerking in memoriam section came next, with particular highlights on Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner who were murdered last year, Diane Keaton, Catherine O’Hara and Robert Redford. Billy Crystal shared special stories from his time with Reiner and Rachel McAdams shared kind words about O’Hara and Keaton. Barbra Streisand dedicated a performance of the title song from her and Redford’s film “The Way We Were” to Redford.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as she became the first woman to win the award for Best Cinematography for her work on “Sinners.”

The first big award of the night, Best Director, went to Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another.” This marks Anderson’s second Oscar and first directing Oscar. Adrien Brody presented the award for Best Actor, with a joke about the length of his record-breaking acceptance speech last year, to Michael B. Jordan for his work in “Sinners.” Jordan went on to thank his family, his coworkers and his fellow African-American award winners. Mikey Madison presented the award for Best Actress to Jessie Buckley for her role in “Hamnet,” who thanked her family and dedicated the award to the whirlwind journey of motherhood.

Finally, in a tight race between “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” for Best Picture, “One Battle After Another” won, marking Paul Thomas Anderson’s third Oscar. Anderson highlighted his cast in his acceptance speech.

Overall, the Oscars were a high-energy night, filled with historical and funny moments. It truly felt like the art of film was celebrated.