10 films that reinvigorated dying genres

Even when a film genre seems to have gone out of fashion, all it takes is one big hit for it to be reborn. Sometimes a film can breathe new life into an entire genre by introducing a new approach. It's natural for audiences to tire of certain genres if there aren't enough new ideas, and any genre can become obsolete within a few years. The flip side is that a genre can come back into fashion in an instant.

Genres go in and out of fashion and there is no certainty that the public's tastes will remain the same. Some genres that seem incredibly outdated may be just one creative film away from a revival. It's important to remember that westerns, musical biopics, and spy films were seen as old-fashioned recently, but are now winning awards and making big bucks once again.

10

Unforgiven (1992)

Westerns

Clint Eastwood was a legend of the Western genre since he starred in Sergio Leone's film Dollars trilogy, and he brought the genre back to prominence with Unforgivable. Eastwood directs and stars in the Best Picture winner, leaving one last parting gift to the genre before moving on to other projects. Unforgivable is often credited with bringing back Westerns after a dry spell in the 1970s and 1980s.

Eastwood's protagonist in Unforgivable is a morally gray antihero. He could be the opposite of the Gary Cooper and John Wayne type that used to be the genre's standard. This continues to influence the Western genre, and many of the best Westerns of the 21st century owe a great debt to Unforgivable one way or another. The genre has enjoyed a resurgence at the box office and during awards season.

9

Gladiator (2000)

Historical epics

Historical epics were big business in Old Hollywood, with films like Ben-Hur, Cleopatra and The Ten Commandments underlining the popularity of the genre. The new Hollywood put an end to this trend and it took a long time for historical epics to come back into fashion. There were a few exceptions here and there, but Gladiator it was the film that signaled the true rebirth of the genre at the beginning of the 21st century.

Ridley Scott's historical epic seems to harken back to the days of sword-and-sandals movies like Spartacus, but it inspired a new wave of similar films. The 2000s produced Troy, 300 and Scott himself Kingdom of Heaven. There have been a few more imitators that have not been as successful, in part because historical epics require a large budget to sell the authenticity and scale of the period. Cost also explains why studios are reluctant to make historical epics unless it's a proven trend.

8

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Musical biographies

The recent wave of musical biopics harks back to the success of Bohemian Rhapsody. The Queen story not only grossed $910.8 million at the box office, but Rami Malek won an Oscar for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury. There have been great musical biopics before, but Bohemian Rhapsody presents a fresh take on the genre, with more focus on atmosphere and entertainment than historical accuracy.

Bohemian Rhapsody is probably a big reason why films like Elvis, back in black and Bob Marley: One Love all were made in recent years. Its influence may also extend to Timothée Chalamet's new Bob Dylan biopic. A complete stranger, and Sam Mendes' upcoming Beatles biopic. Actors often win big awards for playing real-life people, so the musical biopic trend could continue for a while.

7

The Bourne Identity

spy movies

The spy genre was at an all-time low just before The Bourne Identity it went out. THE Austin Powers films poked fun at the tropes and eccentricities of the genre, Mission: Impossible had produced two mediocre films, and James Bond It was in need of a serious update. The Bourne Identity gave new life to the genre. It became a huge franchise, but it also changed other important spy franchises: Mission: Impossible and James Bond.

Daniel Craig's tenure as Bond began with one of the best films in the franchise: Royal Casino. Many of Royal CasinoThe fight scenes in particular seem to take inspiration from Bourne films, with lots of shaky camera work and heavy punching. THE Bourne The franchise avoids the spy genre's trend toward glamorous superspies, and its complex, gritty narrative continues to inform the genre.

6

Scream (1996)

Cutters

Slashers reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, a time when many of the genre's biggest franchises can trace their roots. Halloween, Friday the 13th, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and many more began in this period, but the genre began to lose its vitality throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. Wes Craven Scream was part of a new generation of slashers that employed self-referential techniques to deconstruct the genre from within.

One thing that Scream What it does to break the mold is introduce elements of mystery films. Is both a cop and a killerand this inspired many imitators. THE Scream the franchise continued to set trends for the genre as it grew. Many new slashers follow Screamfollowing in the footsteps of introducing humor and murder mysteries today. The next Scream 7 will probably be as self-satirical as ever.

5

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Western animated films

Disney led the way in Western animation for a long time, and the so-called “Disney Dark Ages” of the 1970s and 1980s coincided with a general decline in animated films in general. There were a few gems here and there, but in general the animated Western films didn't reach the heights of the old Disney classics like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. The Little Mermaid it was a triumphant return to form.

The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney renaissance of the 1990s in style and big hits like The Lion King, Mulan and Aladdin soon afterwards. The 1990s also saw the emergence of other animation studios. For the first time, there were many films that rivaled Disney's animation dominance, such as The Iron Giant, Anastasia and The Prince of Egypt. Of course, Toy StoryThe computer-generated animation of was another game changer in 1995.

4

John Wick (2014)

Classic action movies

The first John Wick gave birth to a new generation of action thrillers. Its success proved that there was still a large audience for gritty, self-effacing action actors at a time when superhero films were still the dominant force in the genre. John Wick he stood out for his practical acrobatics and intense, almost balletic fight choreography. David Leitch and Chad Stahelski mixed martial arts with explosive shooters, and Keanu Reeves' performance sealed the deal.

There have been a ton of films inspired by John Wick over the last decade, some of which are derivative imitations, and some of which are gloriously fun. Monkey Man, The Beekeeper and Sisu are among the best. Not content to rest on its laurels, the John Wick the franchise continued to reinvent itself with each sequel. John Wick: Chapter 4 is more eccentric and complex than the first entry, and there are more sequels and spinoffs in the works.

3

Gravity (2013)

Space exploration films

Before Gravity, It had been a long time since a great astronaut film had been released, perhaps as early as 1995 Apollo 13. However, the time was right for the genre to return, as headlines promised a new dawn for space exploration, with scientists setting their sights on Mars. Gravity also took full advantage of the 3-D movie craze and it became a can't-miss event that resulted in a box office gross of $723.2 million.

GravityThe success of is one of the reasons why so many of the best space exploration films were released in the 2010s. Interstellar, The Martian, Hidden Figures, First Man and Astra Ad all attracted big stars and big directors to the genre in the years that followed. The trend seems to have slowed down now, but there were a few years where many big studios tried to replicate the success that Alfonos Cuarón had with Gravity.

2

Cloverfield (2008)

Kaiju Movies

Cloverfield combines the kaiju genre with found footage horror. It doesn't immediately feel like a natural fit, as kaiju films are often big-screen spectacles, and found footage works better on a smaller scale. Against all odds, Cloverfield it works brilliantly and started an entire franchise. The unorthodox style makes it feel much more realistic than older kaiju films, and that has a greater impact.

In addition to its stylistic innovations, Cloverfield returns the kaiju genre to its roots, tying the monster to a real-world disaster. The original Godzilla made reference to the nuclear bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and Cloverfield is an allegory for the 9/11 attacks. The 2014 reboot of Godzilla and Pacific Rim seem to imitate some of the Cloverfieldtechniques ofand the kaiju genre is back after a long period of dormancy.

1

Ocean's 11 (1960)

heist movies

Heist films were a staple of the film noir genre, and there were some excellent films produced in the 1950s, such as Jules Dassin. Rififi and Stanley Kubrick The killing. However, the genre needed some reinvention before it became truly popular again. This reinvention came in the form of 11 of the ocean, a more stylish, less violent type of heist film that had more in common with British crime capers like The Ladykillers and The Lavender Hill Crowd than American gangster films.

Thanks to the charms of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin and their Rat Pack friends, 11 from the ocean it was a great success. It soon inspired a new style of heist film, and many of the best heist films of the 1960s were equally gentle, such as The Thomas Crown case and How to steal a million. 11 from the ocean It also stood out because it allowed criminals to win. Danny Ocean and his gang may not get the money, but they escape as free men, without any victims. Coincidentally, the 2001 remake with George Clooney and Brad Pitt revived the genre once again.