Types of Movies - Film Genres
English Vocabulary
The word FILM is used more in British English.
The word MOVIE is used more in American English.
What is a film genre?
A genre is a category or type of film based on certain key components, conventions and similarities that are also known and expected by the audience. They are similar either in the narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film.
Types of Movies / Film Genres - Definitions and Examples
Some of the most common types of movies / film genres include:
Action: This type of movie generally involves a lot of action scenes including violence, like fighting or shoot-outs (with weapons), car chases and often lots of explosions. Some subgenres considered action movies include: disaster films, martial arts films, spy films and superhero films.
Examples of action movies: John Wick, Fast and Furious, The Avengers
Adventure: This is a journey that often takes place in exotic locations and can involve exploration or a quest. While there is often action in this type of movie, it is not the main emphasis.
Examples of adventure movies: Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomb Raider
Animated: Instead of real actors on the screen, drawn images (nowadays computer generated ones) are used to tell the story. Real actors are used for the voices of the animated characters.
Examples of animated movies: Toy Story, Shrek, Coco, Frozen
Comedy: The main idea of comedies is to make the audience laugh. The main characters are involved in funny situations.
Examples of comedy movies: Monty Python, The Hangover, What men want
Drama: These films are serious and focus on the emotions of realistic characters and the conflicts they have.
Examples of drama movies: The Godfather, Marriage Story, The Sound of Metal
Fantasy: Situations, places and/or events that don’t comply with natural laws or settings. They often involve some form of magic or supernatural elements. There are sometimes magical creatures or beings too.
Examples of fantasy movies: Harry Potter, Highlander, Lord of the Rings
Historical: These films can be based on real events in the past or sometimes just the time period is used as the setting and all events are fictitious. In both cases, the narrative takes place inside an accurate depiction of a historical setting. Sometimes these are biographical movies, also known as Biopics.
Examples of historical movies: Braveheart, Amadeus, Dunkirk
Horror: The objective of a horror movie is to scare the viewer and if possible, make them scream (often done with a jump scare). Horror movies often feature a monster, some type of evil entity or a terrible/frightening situation.
Examples of horror movies: Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist, Annabelle
Musical: These are movies where songs are sung by the characters as a part of the narrative and usually help advance the plot or develop the film’s characters. Sometimes there are dance routines to accompany the songs.
Examples of musical films: La La Land, Grease, Mamma Mia
Romance: Romance films are love stories that focus on the romantic involvement of the main characters and the development of their relationship.
A romantic movie that is also funny is called a Rom-Com (Romantic Comedy)
Examples of romance movies: An Officer and a Gentleman, The Notebook, The Lake House
Science fiction: Also known as Sci-Fi, these are fictional stories based on science. They can be about the future or other worlds, and often include spaceships, extra-terrestrial beings (aliens), and advanced technology we don’t currently have.
Examples of science fiction movies: Star Wars, Blade Runner, Avatar
Thriller: A thriller film evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. A common theme in thrillers involves innocent people dealing with a deranged adversary.
Examples of thrillers: The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, The Da Vinci Code, Shutter Island
Western: These are fictional events based in the American West (also known as the Wild West) during the 19th century. They feature cowboys, horse riding and gunfights. Commonly these types of film are just called westerns.
Examples of westerns: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Unforgiven, The Magnificent Seven
Note: Many movies can be a mixture of different types of genre. For example Pride and Prejudice is a romantic film and a historical film (because of its setting).
What type of movies / film genres do YOU like?
Film Genres Summary Chart
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