As mentioned, most movie themes encompass universal experiences. And few experiences are more universal than that of growing up with all the awkward, angsty, and otherwise awful events and emotions that go along with it.

No matter where a person lives, what their obstacles are, or how they deal with them, the coming-of-age story² is one that many people can relate to. But as with many movie themes, the coming of age story can be told in a variety of ways, such as through humor, drama, flashback, ensemble or a single protagonist’s point of view.

Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is one of the earliest on-screen examples of how challenging it can be to go through adolescence.

Writer Shayne Anderson discusses the role that this theme played in his work: “When writing my script, I was aware of a theme. It was apparent early on the story I wanted to tell revolved around a family. Not only a biological one but a family at the school. Friendship as family.”

Other examples: The Outsiders (1983), The Breakfast Club (1985), Stand By Me (1986), Boyz in the Hood (1991), Superbad (2007), Lady Bird (2017).

Sometimes movie themes can represent not necessarily what we experience in life but what we fear, particularly when it means losing control to someone—or something—else. Hence, films about the dangers of technology.

Jurassic Park (1993) offers a memorable look at how catastrophic it can be to use modern-day science to bring back life from millions of years ago.

Particularly over the last 40 years, this type of film has been a constant on the screen. In many cases, they play not only with the idea of technology taken too far but also biological and medical advances gone awry that may potentially mean doom for a country, a continent or even all of humanity.

Particularly over the last 40 years, this type of film has been a constant on the screen. In many cases, they play with biological and medical advances gone awry that may mean doom for a country, a continent, or even all of humanity.

Other examples: The Terminator (1984), Gattaca (1997), The Matrix (1999), Minority Report (2002), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Inception (2010).

Remember when we said that the coming-of-age story is universal? Still true, but when it comes down to it, the concept of death definitely has it beat. Of all movie themes, death is truly the most universal—bittersweet at its best and downright terrifying at its worse.

Best Picture winner Ordinary People (1980) showcases how the death of a son can destroy the surviving family members all in different ways.

As a result, death can be worked into nearly any film genre, including drama, romance, comedy, horror and even children’s animation. The idea of death can also be approached from many angles: the knowledge that death is coming, attempted escape from death, the aftermath of an unexpected death and even the experience of existence post-death.

Other examples: Harold and Maude (1971), Death Becomes Her (1992), Dead Man Walking (1995), Final Destination (2000), Big Fish (2003), Coco (2017).

People love to categorize. Black or white. Hot or cold. Big or little. And above all else, we enjoy categorizing anything and everything as either good or bad. For this reason, the movie theme of good versus evil has been one of the more successful on the big screen—especially when good finally triumphs over evil.

Superhero films often showcase the ongoing battle between good and evil, and The Dark Knight (2008) is one of the best.

Because who doesn’t love a happy ending? As the examples below illustrate, good versus evil movies are generally depicted in an over-the-top, larger-than-life kind of way with superheroes fighting supervillains, both on earth and planets or worlds outside ours, making this theme one that lends itself well to epic blockbusters.

Other examples: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Avengers (2012), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012).

Everyone loves love, right? But what’s so interesting is that when it comes to movie themes, love itself is hardly the main component of a love story. Rather it’s the struggle to find, retain or win back love—typically with a satisfying result—that keeps people in their seats and rooting for the star-crossed couple³.

Who doesn’t love a good romance? The last 100 years of cinema have given us many fantastic examples of it, but few can beat the classic Casablanca (1942).

It could be cultural differences, family interference, social constraints, good old-fashioned miscommunication, war, or even a sinking ocean liner that keeps the star-crossed lovers apart. No matter the obstacle, though, audiences usually remain riveted and hopeful until the final frame that those lovers will eventually find their way to each other. Says Actor and Filmmaker Julia Manis, “I love watching and telling stories that involve complex emotional journeys, philosophical arguments, and paradoxes. The more complex, the better!”

Other examples: An Affair to Remember (1957), West Side Story (1961), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), Titanic (1997), The Notebook (2004), Brokeback Mountain (2005).

Many people fear the dangers of technology, but sometimes it’s nature that we need to watch out for! As with its technological counterpart, the menace of the wild is frequently explored through film⁴.

Surviving a plane crash wasn’t even Chuck’s biggest obstacle! There’s no more pointed example of man versus nature than Cast Away (2000).

However, there’s one fascinating contrast between the two movie themes. While technological horrors are often depicted as affecting millions of people, if not the entirety of humanity à la The Terminator (1984), man versus nature stories generally focus on one person—or a small group—being terrorized by the natural world around us.

Other examples: The Wind (1928), The Birds (1963), Jaws (1975), The Perfect Storm (2000), Into the Wild (2007), 127 Hours (2010).

No one goes through life without their fair share of challenges. While in the everyday world we don’t often get the chance to be celebrated for overcoming them, they do in the movies!

And that’s exactly why, among movie themes, that of overcoming adversity is so popular.

A true underdog story, Rocky (1976) resonated so strongly with audiences and critics alike that it won Best Picture.

What many people do in following a protagonist’s journey is begin to identify with them, so their challenges become our challenges and their victories, our victories. When we finally see them nail that dance number, hold their own in the boxing match or even escape an unwarranted prison sentence, we celebrate as if we overcame those obstacles ourselves.

Other examples: Rudy (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Billy Elliot (2000), Milk (2008), The Blind Side (2009).

Even some of the more fulfilling parts of life can require sacrifice and sometimes even a little suffering. Training for a physical event or endeavor. Studying for a major test or working towards a degree. Or trying to have a family and raising kids.

Parenthood (1989) offers a glimpse into the sometimes harrowing and often funny aspects of raising kids.

Parenthood encompasses a significant portion of many peoples’ lives, which naturally leads to films about it being quite popular. Especially as the concept of family has evolved over the last several decades, stories about what parenthood means have exploded onto the screen.

Other examples: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), Raising Arizona (1987), Three Men and a Baby (1987), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), The Kids Are All Right (2010), Wonder (2017).

There’s good adversity like getting through college or raising a family. And then there’s bad adversity like getting bullied at school or being enslaved against one’s will. When it comes to the latter, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing a wronged person exact revenge on those who oppressed them⁵.

Hell hath no fury like a teenage girl scorned, right? Mean Girls (2004) introduced the world to Queen Bee Regina George and her frenemy Cady Heron.

Among movie themes, that of revenge can often be viewed by audiences through the lens of fantasy. As with overcoming adversity, filmgoers tend to identify with the person who has suffered, and while in real life most people—thankfully!—do not seek out vengeance, we can gleefully live out that fantasy through this type of film.

Other examples: The Lady Eve (1941), Carrie (1976), Gladiator (2000), Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011).

The experience of war has changed dramatically over the last 100 years, but the popularity of it in movies has not. Take a look at the list of war films mentioned below. Every single one of them has been nominated for or won Academy Awards.

In fact, war has been one of the most dominant movie themes since the inception of cinema. While not everyone experiences life on the battlefield, few aspects of life have changed the world more than war.

While a beautifully made film, Saving Private Ryan (1998) hardly shies away from graphically depicting the horrors of war.

Moreover, within this microcosm we typically see more universal concepts emerge, such as heroism, cowardice, betrayal, sacrifice, grief, and fear. And because of this, war does, in fact, become a universal experience that continues to inspire filmmakers to explore it.

Other examples: All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Patton (1970), The Deer Hunter (1978), Apocalypse Now (1979), Platoon (1986), Glory (1989).

The aforementioned movie themes hardly comprise all those that exist in the film canon. And while thousands of movies have already been made about each one of them, the appetite for these stories has yet to wane, as it’s human nature to seek out camaraderie, solidarity, and empathy through watching films.

So for those looking to carve a path for themselves in the world of filmmaking, being mindful of movie themes and those that speak personally to them can evolve into a future project connecting people across the globe through a part of the shared human experience.