Film Openings

Hi blog! Today I will be posting about some of my favorite action film openings, and how they are representative of this genre. Many film openings in the action genre utilize the same characteristics for their film openings to introduce and help develop the story.

THE DARK KNIGHT 

The opening scene of The Dark Knight introduces just one of the many conflicts created by the villain, The Joker. The villain of this movie, The Joker, is introduced during the opening scene as well as he executes a bank robbery during the opening scene. The opening scene displays traditional characteristics of an action film because it 1) takes place in a location in an urban area, 2) is fast-paced and introduces part of the conflict, and 3) introduces the villain of the movie. 

CASINO ROYALE

Casino Royale's film opening also display traditional characteristics of the action genre. During the opening scene, the hero of the film, James Bond, is introduced. While the opening scene does not make it clear whether or not James Bond in this context is a hero, it does establish conflict between Bond and the man in the scene. The beginning of the film displays the location of the scene as Prague, an urban area. A flashback of a fight between James Bond and an unnamed man is also displayed during this scene. All of these characteristics are representative of the action genre because most action films contain fast-paced fight scenes and take place in urban areas that the hero is meant to protect.


BABY DRIVER

In the opening scene of Baby Driver, the hero of the film, Baby, is introduced. The villains of the movie are also introduced. The opening scene introduces Baby as a getaway driver during a bank robbery which is being executed by the villains of the movie. The bank is located in an urban area which is common with most action movies. This opening scene also contains fast-paced editing and camera movements to match the pace of what is going on during the scene. This represents the action genre as most of these characteristics are present in most action films. The contents of this scene are similar to the other films I discussed in this post, which shows how the action genre uses many of the same characteristics.


RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK

The opening scene for Raiders of the Lost Ark is a bit different from some of the other action films I have listed. Nonetheless, it still displays traditional characteristics of the action genre. The opening scene introduces the hero of the film Indiana Jones and the quest that the hero is embarking on. This is typical of action films, as the hero of the film typically has some type of quest or goal that they are trying to achieve. While this scene does not take place in an urban area, there is still conflict being introduced which is very typical for this genre.