How to Talk About Movies in English
Being a movie fan often means more than just going to the theater. Some fans have passionate discussions about their favorite films on social media and in face-to-face chats.
Even if you simply read movie reviews, you may see many terms and expressions you have never learned in textbooks.
To help you join the discussion, this article will explain some of the most common words you will see and hear from movie fans and reviewers.
NOTE: While this article will focus on movies, many of these terms can also be used to talk about things like TV series, novels, comics and video games. So learning them is a good way to kill two birds with one stone!
Types of movies
Many of today's new movies aren't completely "new" at all. While there are still original stories, many modern films are part of larger series or are based on novels, comics and other media.
We now have special terms to refer to these movies that are connected to something bigger.
Sequel
A sequel is a movie that takes place after a previous film. In other words, anything that is a part 2, part 3, etc. is a sequel.
- The original Harry Potter film has seven sequels.
- The studio hopes that the sequel will make even more money than the original film.
Examples of sequels:
- Dune: Part Two (2024) is a sequel to Dune (2021)
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) is a sequel to Avatar (2009)
- Blade Runner: 2049 (2017) is a sequel to Blade Runner (1982)
- Top Gun: Maverick (2022) is a sequel to Top Gun (1986)
Prequel
When you know that the prefix "pre-" means "before," it is easy to understand that a prequel is the opposite of a sequel. Prequels are stories that take place before another story — even if it is released later!
- The Game of Thrones TV series began in 2011. House of the Dragon is a prequel series from 2022 and tells the history of many of the families featured in Game of Thrones.
Examples of prequels:
- Wicked is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz
- Prometheus is a prequel to the Alien films
- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a prequel to A Fistful of Dollars
Spin-off
Sometimes, films or shows are successful enough that new, side projects can be created from them. These projects, called "spin-offs," usually focus on a particular character or just a small piece of something from the original work.
- It's often less risky for companies to produce spin-offs than to invest in new stories.
This can also be used as a verb.
- The character was popular enough to be spun-off into her own series.
Examples of spin-offs:
- The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan are spin-offs of the Star Wars series
- Knuckles is a spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog movies
- The Fantastic Beasts series is a spin-off of the Harry Potter series
Reboot
When you reboot an electronic device, such as a phone, you are turning off the power before turning it on again. This is often done to try to fix problems and start fresh. This form of the word is a verb.
- Try rebooting the system if you have any issues you can't fix.
The movie industry does the same with films. "Reboots" use the same characters and world in order to replace an older story with a new one.
This can be both a noun and a verb.
- The reboot was much more successful than the original version.
- Although the studio rebooted the series several times, audiences don't seem to connect with these characters.
Examples of reboots:
- Wednesday is a both a spin-off and a reboot of the Addams Family series
- The modern Star Trek films are a reboot of the television series from the 1960s
Remake
Remakes and reboots are very similar, but there is one major difference. Reboots use existing characters to tell all-new stories. On the other hand, the goal for remakes is simply to tell the original story in a modern way.
Again, this can be both a noun and a verb.
- I don't think this movie needs a remake; the original is perfect.
- I don't think this movie needs to be remade; the original is perfect.
Examples of remakes:
- Beauty & the Beast (1991 and 2017)
- Ocean's Eleven (1960 and 2001)
- Oldboy (2003 and 2013)
Beyond movies
Canon
Don't confuse this word with "cannon," which is a heavy weapon used in war zones!
As stories and series continue, the creators sometimes change or erase events that happened previously. But the events that remain an official part of the story are called "canon."
Most casual fans don't pay much attention to canon, but passionate fans can have intense discussions about it, especially online.
- The reboot made major changes to the original story's canon.
- This movie is a side-story that doesn't affect the series' canon. It's just for fun.
Examples of canon:
- What If…? is a Disney+ series featuring non-canon stories starring popular Marvel characters.
- According to the canon of the Back to the Future series, the hero's car must reach 88 miles per hour before the time machine activates.
Lore
Big fans of films and other media sometimes aren't satisfied with only the main story; they want to learn more!
A film's "lore" is the background information that supports the main story and characters. You can watch a film without knowing its lore, but you may enjoy it more if you have that additional information.
For example, George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones book and TV series is famous for having a large amount of lore.
- I spent hours watching YouTube videos on the lore of my favorite series.
- You don't need to know a film's lore to enjoy it, but it helps.
Cinematic universe
Marvel Studios changed the film industry with the incredible success of their films based on comic book heroes. Since then, the idea of "cinematic universes" has become common.
Instead of only sequels and prequels within one series, a cinematic universe connects different characters from different series of films into one very large story. For example, while Iron Man appears in Iron Man films, he also appears in movies focusing on other characters or teams; the series are separate, but they all share the same larger world, or universe.
Many studios have tried to copy Marvel's success by creating a cinematic universe for their characters.
Examples of cinematic universes:
- The Marvel Cinematic Universe contains many different series (The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, etc.)
- Modern movies featuring Godzilla, King Kong and other famous monsters are a part of the "Monsterverse"
- The Flash takes place in the same universe as the Wonder Woman films
By the way, if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or "MCU"), we have an article all about some of its most memorable and inspiring quotes: '10 Inspirational MCU Quotes for English Learners'
Franchise
A franchise is a collection of films, TV shows or games that are based on the same title, concept or characters. Therefore, most of the movies we've mentioned in this article are part of franchises.
- The surprise hit launched a successful franchise that includes films, TV shows and comic books.
- The last movie in the series was so unpopular, people say it "killed" the franchise.
Examples of franchises:
- The Hunger Games
- Back to the Future
- The Fast and the Furious
- Scream
Wrap-up
Because it's often easier to continue older stories than create new ones, major film studios are making more sequels, spin-offs and reboots than ever before. Some people like it, but others think it's a negative trend.
No matter how you feel about it, however, the words we've introduced here are very useful for discussing movies, so be sure to learn them all!
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