Movie genres

In today’s world, watching movies is a really common way to unwind. Movies provide viewers with entertainment as well as the ability to live outside of their reality. They have the ability to immerse audiences in their setting. Most people love going to the movies to avoid their mundane everyday lives and immerse themselves in modern make-believe cinematic adventures for recreation. The history of cinema is undoubtedly older than any people know. The first film was made in 1896, with no sound and only motion pictures. The sound was introduced into pictures some two decades after the invention of cinema. The present-day movie entertainment industry is now quite evolved and has a visibly newer face compared to the traditional rendition. Most, if not all, of the contemporary movie consumption is now through internet streaming providers such as Netflix and Hulu on their smart TVs and other Internet-enabled smart devices and computers. Movie cinemas, however, continue to be relevant, but with inventions such as 3D film technology by corporates such as IMAX which provide nearly realistic cinema experiences comprising 3D images and premium sounds. It is also awash with a multifold of movie genres such as comedy, action, drama, and horror films. Moreover, the genres tend to somewhat overlap as not all movies have singular genera in them. Some incorporate more than one genre to be granted terms such as dramedy and romcoms. As a result, differentiation of one genre to the other has become quite perplexing and complex for movie fanatics.

Thesis Statement: The purpose of this essay is to elaborate the most common movie genres that enjoy a wide fan base such as comedy, horror films, and science fiction movies, in a bid to break down the mystification that surrounds the movie entertainment sector.

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Category 1: Comedy Films

Comedy films are a highly popular genre. From childlike, innocent humor appropriate for all ages to adult humor, comedy films come in countless varieties. Charlie Chaplin is probably the father of cinematic comedy, with his famous mimes such as The Kid. Names such as Jim Carrey, Martin Lawrence, and Eddie Murphy are reminiscent of modern comedy films. Comedy has a stress relieving effect. A good number of people seek out for comedy films simply to forget about their stressful realities. The modern film industry has also seen stand-up comedy being recorded and distributed as films as well, with the likes of Kevin Hart and Chris Rock ruling in that sector.

Characteristic 1: Deadpan Comedy – Delivers humor and jokes without a single display display of emotions, facial expressions, or laughter by the actors

Example 1: Louie, Arrested Development, iCarly, My Name is Earl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Curb Your Enthusiasm

Characteristic 2: Dark Comedy – Highlights unsettling subjects such as rape, death, and terrorism and underplays them through delivery of witty statements

Example 2: A Clock Work Orange, Jennifer’s Body, A Modest Proposal, A Meditation upon a Broom Stick

Characteristic 3: Animations – A genre of movie that uses computer graphics to personify animals and create a false impression that they can talk, walk, and think like a human being

Example 3: Ice Age, Toy Story, Despicable Me, Lion King, Frozen, Stork

Category 2: Horror Films

Horror films are a genre that started during the dawn of movie-making. True to their name, they can be horrific. Some people find them unacceptable and condemn them for being evil and demonic, with malevolent effects on those who watch them. They are therefore a source of controversy in a few quarters. Some people find entertainment in being horrified, while some get downright scared and leave the movie theater or stop watching the film. Enjoyment is derived from the nature of unpredictability and the shocking and profoundly scary scenes which give a paradoxically delightful sense of danger. Horror movies explore various types within the horror genre, such as vampires, ghosts and haunted places, reaper films, and some psychological thrillers.

Characteristic 1: Supernatural horror – Administers fears in viewers by incorporating ghastly scenes that feature supernatural beings such as ghosts, vampires, demons, werewolves, monsters, cannibals, and zombies.

Example 1: The Sixth Sense, The Ring, The Omen, The Babadook,  The Grudge, Sinister, The Devil’s Backbone, Drag Me to Hell

Characteristic 2: Slasher Films – Features serial killers whose thrill is begotten whenever they butcher other human beings

Example 2: Scream, You’re Next, Black Christmas, My Bloody Valentine, Psycho, The Prowler

Characteristic 3: Psychological Horror – Features mind-games and other psychosomatic scenes such as spooky music and unnerving sound effects with the aim of instilling psychological fear and tension within the viewer

Example 3: Rosemary’s Baby, The Uninvited, I Know Who Killed Me

Category 3: Science Fiction

Characteristic 1:

Science fiction is a genre based on scientific theories, either entirely fictitious or theoretically correct, but never tested. It is a genre arguably more popular among young people. Science fiction has continuously depicted correct theories which are actualized later. Travel to the moon and interplanetary travel have been portrayed in science films such as La Voyage Dans la Lune before they became a reality. Recent films such as Interstellar show a high chance of predicting the future, being based on true theories. Science fiction films explore branches of science such as information technology, physics and space travel, biology, psychology, and more. Space travel is probably the most dominant of science fiction films. Computer technology is likely to be second, with theories such as artificial intelligence being pursued the most in movies such as I, Robot.

Characteristic 1: Alien Invasion – These movies accentuate the infiltration of extraterrestrials, particularly aliens, into Planet Earth, with the aim of enslaving human kind and taking over the world.

Example 1: The Arrival, Threshold, The Invader Zim, Falling Skies

Characteristic 2: Cyberpunk – Encompass speculations about the world’s future technological innovations and advancements in a very fantastic and whimsical manner

Example 2: The Matrix, Total Recall, Robocop, Hardware, Judge Dredd

Characteristic 3: Hard Science Fiction – Pay an abnormally high level of interest in scientific accuracy and technical orientation to solve a particular world problem

Example 3: The Martian, Passengers, Gravity, Solaris, Dark Star, Blade Runner

Conclusion: The major genres of movies are discussed in the essay. They include comedy, horror, drama, science fiction, and action films. It is concluded that it is rare especially nowadays to find a movie with a single genre. They mostly come with mixed types. Some blends are ridiculous, such as comedy and horror together, but they somehow can work to produce successful films. The invention of movies and the film industry began with the discovery of the video camera. With the rapid developments in the cinema industry, one could only imagine the forms of inventions that will come into the enterprise.