As we continue to iron out our pitches, let's make sure we're comfortable identifying what genres different movies belong to.
The following list contains ten films that you might find in the Science Fiction section of Netflix, yet they are actually from all ten genres. It's up to you to look up the logline to the film (I recommend using
imdb.com as a starting point and rotten tomatoes if you need a more in-depth summary to help you out). Based on your results, you can resubmit as many times as you want until you get the grade that you want.
REMEMBER: Identifying the correct genre is not about identifying the TONE of the film, but it's THEME. What is the message of the film based on its plot (contained in the logline)? Is there something special about the main character that sets them apart from everyone else but also makes life difficult for them? Then it's probably a Superhero film, tights or not. Is there a normal person with a problem? Wait! That doesn't automatically make it a Dude With a Problem, unless the story is about an innocent hero thrown into an extraordinary world by an extraordinary event that results in a life or death battle. What about monsters? That automatically makes it a Monster in the House, right? Not if the main character must come to accept a truth about life like in "A Monster Calls" or the alien invasion classic "Arrival." That would make it a Rites of Passage.
Knowing how the genres are defined by THEME is key to correctly identifying them. THEME IS EVERYTHING!
That's why reviewing the three elements that go with each genre can make things so much easier for you.
Good luck!
THE FILMS
Enemy Mine (Wolfgang Peterson, 1985)
Flash Gordon (Mike Hodges, 1980)
Galaxy Quest (Dean Parisot, 1999)
Gattaca (Andrew Niccol, 1997)
Solaris (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1972)
Source Code (Duncan Jones, 2011)
Starship Troopers (Paul Verhoeven, 1997)
The Last Starfighter (Nick Castle, 1984)
The Terminator (James Cameron, 1984)
War of the Worlds (Steven Spielberg, 2005)
Remember, each genre is only used once!
