Genre Difference, Repetition and Similarity

The thriller genre can be very different as on the surface, many thrillers can look very different. For example Taken and Gravity. Some key features between the two of them are quite large. For example, the mise-en-scene of Gravity shows the characters floating around in space with bright lighting due to being in space and huge props such as spaceships and astronaut suits. Whereas in Taken, it is all set on earth with guns, violence and much more dialogue compared to Gravity.

Here is a screenshot from Gravity, showing the huge set, suits and CGI that has been used to create this film.

Here is a screenshot from Taken, where there is less special effects, and the mise-en-scene is a lot more naturalistic.

The characters in these films are very different. For example, in Taken, Liam Neeson's character is a lot more straight forward and a 'to the point' kind of guy whereas in Gravity, Sandra Bullocks character is more worried, fearful and weak. In addition the narrative between the two films is also a lot different as the events that take place in Gravity are on a much larger scale for set and how the troubles of being in space has a high risk, whereas in Taken, the risk comes from the characters decisions not natural causes such as the gravity in space.

On the other hand, these two thrillers are also very similar in the fact that they both keep the audience on the edge of their seats and both build tension dramatically due to the narrative structure. Also, the villains in each of these films, the kidnapper for Taken and gravity for Gravity, both fulfil the purpose of a villain which is to cause trouble to the characters in the film.