The Movie Recommendation Generator
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Genres Explained


Action: Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through a clash of physical forces.
Adventure: Stories whose central struggle plays out mainly through encounters with new "worlds."
Black Comedy: A comedy that uses death and morbid doings as the root of its humor.
Caper: An intricately planned theft by a group of people.
Clock Ticker: A thriller featuring an innocent hero who must race against time to save himself or others.
Coming-of-Age Drama: Stories whose central struggle is about the hero finding his or her place in the world.
Crime: Stories whose central struggle is about catching a criminal.
Detective Story/Courtroom Drama: Stories whose central struggle is to find out what really happened and thus to expose the truth.
Disaster / Survival: Stories whose central struggle involves a group surviving a monumental disaster.
Epic/Myth: Stories whose central struggle plays out in the midst of a clash of great forces or in the sweep of great historical change.
Fantasy: Stories which are animated, or whose central struggle plays out in two worlds - the "real" world and an imaginary world.
Gangster: Stories whose central struggle is between a criminal and society. A cautionary tale, rooted in a main character who commits crimes.
Horror: Stories whose central struggle focuses on escaping from and eventually defeating a Monster (either human or non-human).
Innocent Man: Falsely accused hero must elude authorities and the actual perpetrators while trying to prove his innocence.
Interwoven Drama: Stories that weave the lives of unconnected people together.
Love (Romance): Stories whose central struggle is between two people who each want to win or keep the love of the other.
Pointed Comedy: Stories where significant aspects of society or human nature is examined in a whimsical manner.
Science Fiction: Stories whose central struggle is generated from the technology and tools of a scientifically imaginable world.
Silly Comedy: A comedy that seeks to make no significant statements about the world.
Social Drama: Stories whose central struggle is between a Champion and a problem or injustice in society. Usually the Champion has a personal stake in the outcome of the struggle.
Sports: Stories in which an athlete or team must overcome overwhelming odds to arrive, and hopefully triumph, at a significant sporting contest.
Tear Jerkers: Dramas characterized by a plot to appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience.
Thriller: Stories whose central struggle pits an innocent hero against a lethal enemy who is out to kill him or her.
War: Stories that acknowledge the horror and heartbreak of war, letting the actual combat fighting or conflict provide the primary plot or background for the action of the film.
Western: A nostaligic eulogy to the early days of the expansive, untamed American frontier.