Movie Genres

What are MOVIE GENRES?

Movies have become and essential part of our daily lives and culture. With the help of technology, we are now able to watch movies with the touch of a button and carry our own personal video store in our pockets.

But, with so many movie options and availability, how do you decide what to watch? Where to watch? How to watch?

One way to help us answer those questions is by talking about what kind of movies you prefer to watch. 

Do you like Action movies? Comedies? Classics?

These kind of questions are a good place to start.

So, first let´s talk about MOVIE GENRES.

What is your favorite movie GENRE?

Do you like ACTION movies?

Or

Do you prefer DRAMAS?

If you like ACTION MOVIES, that means you like movies that have ADVENTURE like ´Raiders of the Lost Ark´

James Bond movies are about secret agents or SPY MOVIES.

Movies with KUNG FU, Karate, etc, are MARTIAL ARTS movies.

Movies with disasters like Earthquakes, Fires, Volcanos, etc are DISASTER MOVIES.

Movies like PLATOON and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN are WAR MOVIES. 
 
BATMAN and Spider-Man movies are COMIC BOOK MOVIES.

The LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER are examples of FANTASY movies.

ALEXANDER and 300, are examples of EPICS. 

These are just some examples of sub-genres of the ACTION genre. In other words, there are many different kinds of action movies. In fact, some Action movies are a mix of many movie Genres. 

For example.

"BAD BOYS" and "BEVERLY HILLS COP" are action movies with humor, or ACTION COMEDIES.

"The MATRIX" movies have ACTION and SCIENCE FICTION.

The "RESIDENT EVIL" movies have ACTION and HORROR.

The possibilities are endless. 

So far, we have talked about ACTION movies, but what about COMEDIES? Do they also have sub-genres?

"The Pink Panther", and "Home Alone" movies have lots of physical comedy or SLAPSTICK COMEDY.

"When Harry Met Sally" and "Sleepless in Seattle" are great examples of Romantic Comedies.

"The Addams Family" have DARK HUMOR.

"GHOSTBUSTERS" and "ZOMBIELAND" are Horror Comedies.

Some DRAMAS may have SOME elements of Comedy, like a DRAMA COMEDY (Dramedy) . "As Good as it gets" is a great example of this sub-genre.

DRAMAS also have their sub-genres.

"THE GODFATHER" and "GOODFELLAS" are CRIME DRAMAS.

"The NOTEBOOK" and "TITANIC" are popular ROMANTIC DRAMAS.

Titanic is also considered a HISTORICAL DRAMA because it is based of historical events.

Some DRAMAS that are so sad that make people cry are considered TEAR-JERKERS. 

Dramas about detectives and investigations are usually considered MYSTERIES.

Movies like PSYCHO are full of SUSPENSE. 

Psycho is also a movie full of unexpected surprises, or a THRILLER.

Speaking of Alfred Hitchcock movies, NORTH BY NORTHWEST can also be considered a SPY THRILLER.

What about my favorite movie of all time? STAR WARS!

The original "STAR WARS" movie (also known as Episode IV: a New Hope) is my favorite movie of all time and is considered one of the most successful SCIENCE FICTION movies all all time. 

STAR WARS is a Science Fiction movie that some people may call a SPACE OPERA.

BLADE RUNNER, THE TERMINATOR, and the MATRIX deal with Robots and Computers, so they are considered CYBER PUNK.

MAD MAX  and WATERWORLD are POST APOCALIPTIC science fiction movies.

Do you like to be scared? Do you like HORROR Movies?

Some movie fans enjoy watching Horror movies about ghosts and spirits. Movies like ¨The Ring¨, and ¨The Grudge¨ are SUPERNATURAL horror.

Friday the 13th, A  Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and any other horror movie about crazy killers are called SLASHERS. To SLASH means TO CUT, so it only makes sense that movies about killers that want to cut or slash their victims are called SLASHERS.

The BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies are ¨FOUND FOOTAGE¨ horror.

More examples of MOVIE GENRES can also include INDEPENDENT FILMS. Movies usually financed and Produced outside the ´Hollywood´studio system are considered INDEPENDENT. 

Movies from another country are called INTERNATIONAL or FOREIGN (language) FILM.

DOCUMENTARIES are films ´documenting´ real and historical events. 

Can you think of more examples of MOVIE GENRES? SUB-GENRES? Write some examples.

Here is a useful PDF lesson to practice talking about movies. You can download it here.