Mission impossible 2 is an espionage styled thriller directed by John Woo and Starring Tom Cruise as the main character
Ethan Hunt. The film is based around a manufactured virus named 'Chimera' which then is injected into the creator of the virus
as an enigma which is then told later on in the film as why the creator injected himself with the deadly virus.
The purpose of this opening scene of the film though is
1. To make the audience want to find out more about the virus and its creator
2. To set the scene of the film and give overall visual style
3. To establish main characters throughout the film
The film opens with a far away establishing shot over the whole city of Sydney, Australia (as shown). This shot gives a description to the audience that the
opening of the film was set in Australia. Then the helicopter shot of Sydney is then dissolved into another shot of a pharmaceuticals building (as shown) this is communicating to the audience that what's about to happen in the next scene is taking place in a pharmaceuticals building in Sydney, Australia.
The superimposed text on the screen also saying “Biocyte Pharmaceuticals” The text is also in a square and robotic manor symbolising that the first scene will be set in a laboratory. Throughout the two shots there is non diegetic music being played in the background connoting the espionage feel throughout the starting scenes of the film. This is also the theme tune that is associated with the Mission Impossible films and the TV series although it has been updated for a contemporary audience. There is then a voiceover of the creator of the virus speaking to himself about the Virus and why he injects it into his own bod, This sets a lot of narrative enigmas for the audience for example who is this villain and why did he create this virus and why is he taking so much care over it with the protective equipment over his arms. The creator of the virus then injects himself with this virus and again sets another narrative enigma at why did he inject it into himself. After he injects the virus the screen then fades to black and we see the creator walking out with a brown leather bag while the voiceover is saying ‘We must have a meeting in Atlanta but i must be there within 20 hours of departure’, This is another narrative enigma that the audience are curious to find out before the end of the film at why he needs to attend this meeting. We then see the creator get out his timer to let the audience know the time before his departure. We then see the creator leaving the building and seeing children opposite the road playing a game. The creator has a moment where he stands still and does not show any expression whatsoever and then all the children shout ‘Then they all fall down’, The audience want to know at why he had a moment where he just stood still looking at these children. The line ‘all fall down’ may foreshadow that the creator may be close to his death or in danger and the fact that the kids said ‘all’ sets another narrative enigma because does it mean everyone in the film. Then we are introduced to a hard cut of a plane soaring through the air and then we see the creator sat in a seat of the plane and we are shown his face from the outside window looking in, The audience at this point are presuming that he is on his flight to Atlanta to have this meeting with the person that we still don't know who is. Then we are lastly showed the creator staring at his watch and what seems to be the protagonist or the antagonist (which has not been established yet) sat next to him and say ‘You keep looking at that watch like your life depended on it’ Giving an incentive to the viewer that his life does depend on what time it is.
Post By:
Metehan Hizli
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