5 Best Movies Where the Genre Changes Spectacularly

TV & Film

Jun 19

Ah, there’s nothing like sitting down in the darkened theater, popcorn in hand, after going through your choices and settling on just the right flick that matches your mood. But, aren’t there times when you get this nagging feeling that something is happening within the movie that you weren’t expecting? As you are sitting there, it occurs to you that perhaps this isn’t quite the film you signed up for. By the end of the movie, you ponder to yourself that you aren’t quite sure what kind of movie you just watched.

There have been quite a few films that screenwriters and directors decide to shift in the storytelling process, resulting in a whole different experience that the audience started with. More than just a surprise ending a la The Sixth Sense, these movies morph from one type, or genre, to another altogether. Here we will explore five films that exemplify this spectacular storytelling. There could be possible plot spoilers.

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5. 'The Sound Of Music' (1965)

The hills are certainly alive with the sound of music in this Oscar-winning classic. The movie starts off with a song, and when the novice nun Maria is sent to be a governess to the Von Trapp children, it isn’t long before a romantic triangle emerges between Maria, her employer, Captain Von Trapp, and his established girlfriend, Baroness Schraeder. There are even star-crossed lovers in Von Trapp’s eldest daughter Liesel and Rolf the delivery boy. So, you can’t blame the audience for thinking this is a romantic musical. However, the Third Reich comes to Salzburg, and from that point on, based on true events, the plot centers on the Von Trapp family escaping from the Nazi clutches, making it more of a suspenseful wartime drama. The plot moves seamlessly in this direction, truly earning this film the Oscar for Best Picture in 1966.

4. 'Gone Girl' (2014)

Considered one of the Top Ten films by many critics and nominated for Golden Globes and a Best Actress Oscar nomination for Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl was a sensation when released. This film explores the intricacies of marriage and relationships, and the extent that one of the players will go through when she feels wronged. But how far is too far? This movie sees how far that envelope can be pushed by starting as a missing-person mystery. With a surprise twist in the middle, Gone Girl turns into a psychological thriller that keeps the audience wondering what the antagonist is going to unleash next.

3. 'Titanic' (1997)

Winning eleven Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, Titanic retells the tragic true story of the doomed ocean liner on its maiden voyage. There is no surprise rescue for the ship in this narrative, but the main character is saved “in every way a person can be saved”. To get to her redemption, however, this iteration of Titanic starts as a love triangle between used-to-be-rich Rose, her snooty, very-rich fiance Caledon Hockley, and scrappy, happy-go-lucky, but dirt-poor Jack who won his ticket during a card game. Not only is this a film about true love and pushing your boundaries, but it also shows the class discrepancies of the time. Once the Titanic hits the iceberg, however, the film changes to a real-time disaster flick that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

2. 'From Dusk Till Dawn' (1996)

Though not quite as critically acclaimed as the aforementioned films, this Quentin Tarantino written and Robert Rodriguez-directed movie did win four MTV Movie Awards, including Best Horror Film. But, this movie does not start as a horror movie. Instead, it follows two brothers as they rob, rape, kidnap, and murder their way to Mexico, where they seek out a refuge called “El Rey”, specially designed for criminals such as themselves. While waiting for their contact, the bar they are waiting in turns out to be a vampire lair, turning From Dusk Till Dawn from a crime drama to a horror film. As Tarantino is known for interesting twists in his movies, his fans probably expected something out of the ordinary when they went to see this one.

1. 'Psycho' (1960)

This National Film Registry movie shocked audiences when it was released 64 years ago, and only part of this shock was because of a flushing toilet onscreen. Like From Dusk Till Dawn, Psycho starts as a crime drama heist film, as the lead actress Janet Leigh embezzles money and runs off to marry her boyfriend. After a close encounter with a police officer and a terrible rain storm, Marion (Leigh’s character) ends up at the Bates Motel, decides to come clean both literally and figuratively, and movie history was made. The transition from crime drama to psychological thriller/horror movies opened the doors for horror movie makers and cinephiles respectively. Alfred Hitchcock was already considered a master filmmaker before Psycho, and this was his most commercially successful film.

Now that it’s just about officially summer, it could be a good time to kick back and (re)watch some of these movies and marvel at their masterful storytelling.

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