In this episode: We are going to discuss the top genres of the cinematic universe that have shaped our lives from childhood through adulthood.  We will start off discussing the wonders and magic of the Sword and Sorcery genre. Moving into the folklores and myths we will talk about the Fantasy genre. Finally. We will wrap up the episode by discussing lasers, space travel, and aliens as part of the Sci-Fi genre. 

Click to Listen: S312 – Shaping A Cinematic Universe

Show Notes

Sword and Sorcery Genre

• Definition: Sword and sorcery is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural

• Top 3 Films
  • Detached
    • Krull
      • Is a fantasy swashbuckler which follows a journey of Prince Colwyn and his group of outlaws on the planet Krull to save future queen Princess Lyssa from the Beast and his constantly teleporting Black Fortress.
    • The Dragonslayer
      • Is a medieval fantasy set in a fictional kingdom that follows a young wizard who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a dragon 
    • Conan the Barbarian / Conan the Destroyer
      • Is based on stories by Robert E. Howard, a writer of the 1930s, about the adventures of Conan in the fictional world of Hyboria
  • Victus
    • Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
      • The film has the same title as the video game and is primarily based on it. Elements from Warrior Within and The Two Thrones, the two other titles from the Sands of Time trilogy of the Prince of Persia video game franchise, are also incorporated. 
    • Clash of the Titans
      • Perseus – Son of Zeus
    • Warcraft
      • (The film portrays the initial encounters between the humans and the orcs and takes place in a variety of locations established in the video game series) Draenor, the homeworld of the orcs, is being torn apart by a mysterious force known as fel magic. Gul’dan, a powerful orc warlock, unites the orc clans and forms the Horde, and creates a portal to the world of Azeroth. 

• Top Honorable Mentions
  • The Beastmaster 
    • the film is about a child who is stolen from his mother’s womb by a witch. The child grows into Dar, who has the ability to communicate telepathically with animals. Dar grows up in a village, where he learns to do battle, but the village is destroyed by a race of beast-like warriors under the control of the sorcerer Maax. Dar vows revenge and travels with new friends to stop Maax from causing any more problems.
  • The Sword & The Sorcerer 
    • Is a film about a mercenary with a three-bladed sword who rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant, and a powerful sorcerer, in conquering the land
  • The Deathstalker
    • Was the first in a series of four films about the Deathstalker character and his adventures

Fantasy Genre

• Definition: Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction set in a fictional universe, often inspired by real-world myth and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became literature and drama. From the twentieth century, it has expanded further into various media, including film, television, graphic novels, manga, and video games. Fantasy is distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of scientific or macabre themes, though these genres overlap. In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings of a medieval nature. In its broadest sense, however, fantasy consists of works by many writers, artists, filmmakers, and musicians from ancient myths and legends to many recent and popular works.

• Top 3 Films
  • Detached
    • The Princess Bride
      • Is a fantasy adventure comedy film, adapted by William Goldman from his 1973 novel The Princess Bride, it tells the story of a farmhand named Westley, accompanied by companions befriended along the way, who must rescue his true love Princess Buttercup from the odious Prince Humperdinck. The film essentially preserves the novel’s narrative style by presenting the story as a book being read by a grandfather to his sick grandson
    • Ladyhawke
      • A medieval fantasy about a young thief who unwillingly gets involved with a warrior and his lady that are hunted by the Bishop of Aquila. As he comes to know about the couple’s past and secret, he finds himself determined to help them overcome the Bishop’s oppressions, both in arms and in the form of a demonic curse.
    • Excalibur
      • Is an epic historical fantasy starring that retells the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
  • Victus
    • MCU
    • Lord of the Rings
      • Set in the fictional world of Middle-Earth, the films follow the Hobbit Frodo Baggins as he and the Fellowship embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring, to ensure the destruction of its maker, the Dark Lord Sauron.
    • Harry Potter
      • The film’s chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends, all of whom are students at Hogwarts. The main story arc tells Harry’s struggle against Lord Voldemort

• Top Honorable Mentions
  • Time Bandits
    • Is the first of a “Trilogy of Imagination”, followed by Brazil, and ending with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.  All are about the “craziness of our awkwardly ordered society and the desire to escape it through whatever means possible.  All three films focus on these struggles and attempts to escape them through imagination: Time Bandits through the eyes of a child, Brazil through the eyes of a man in his thirties, and Munchausen through the eyes of an elderly man.
  • The Secret of NIMH
    • The film is an adaptation of Robert C. O’Brien’s children’s novel Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. The film follows the life of a widowed field mouse, Mrs. Frisby, who seeks the aid of a group of former lab rats and mice in rescuing her home from destruction by a farmer’s plow. 

Sci-Fi Genre

• Definition: It typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, time travel, parallel universes, fictional worlds, space exploration, and extraterrestrial life. It often explores the potential consequences of scientific innovations. 

• Top 3 Films
  • Detached
    • Predator
      • Follows a leader of an elite military rescue team on a mission to save hostages in a guerrilla-held territory in Central America.  The team is stalked by a technologically advanced alien
    • Aliens
      • The film follows Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley as she returns to the moon where her crew encountered the hostile Alien creature, this time accompanied by a unit of space marines. 
    • Star Wars
      • Star Wars was released in theaters in the United States on May 25, 1977. It earned $461 million in the U.S. and $314 million overseas, totaling $775 million. In 1989, it became one of the first films to be selected as part of the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Film Registry as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Today, it is regarded as one of the most important films in the history of motion pictures. 

• • Victus
    • 1 – Star Wars
    • 2 – Star Trek
    • 3 – Avatar

• Top Honorable Mentions
  • Back to the Future
  • Robocop
  • Star Trek

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