In depth analysis of Terminator 2: Judgement Day Opening (1991)

In depth analysis of 

Terminator 2: Judgement Day Opening (1991)

Genre: 

In the beginning, we see a large explosion covering the entirety of the screen. This may have been used to emphasise the genre massively, the explosion has connotations of destruction and havoc which suggests that the genre of this film is Action. This is because most action movies will have some sort of explosion at some point in the movie, this is because it excites the viewer with its loudness and draws them in because its big and it gets in the viewers face because of the intensity and damage that something like this could cause, which is vital or action movies. After that we have the main actors title (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the font is also hinting as to what this film could be about, its boldness and white colour could suggest that it is sci-fi or somehow technologically based because a lot of sci-fi films with advanced technology generally have very boring and bold font for the machinery which suggests that this film will have some sort of machine of advanced tech. Then we have the main title (Terminator 2 Judgement Day) which also follows this tech, sci-fi aesthetic of bold and dull coloured font which emphasises the genre even more and tells the viewer what this genre will include. The title itself even offers information as to what the genre is, the word Terminator has huge connotations of action and destruction because the word terminate means to 'bring to end' and this of course hints that death will occur in this film many times which shows the genre an definitely mean action. This is because action movies mostly have death in them to bring excitement and realism to the genre because in huge action sequences there is always death and if that were to occur in real life, it would definitely cause deaths.

Narrative:

From the images in this opening, we can see the narrative is about some sort of battle or fight that has devastated the world because of the images of the park covered in flames. This is because a lot of action movies take place in urban areas and cities and parks are definitely in these types of areas. This can tell us that this film may be a stereotypical action movie because of the destruction of a major city in the United States such as New York or Los Angeles. At the end, we see a robots face coming closer to the camera as the fire burns around it, this can tell us that this robot will have some sort of significance in the film because a lot of the time the main characters are shown in the film openings or are shown closest to the beginning as possible. The name of the film adds to the narrative because Judgement Day is the day of when the world is going to end, this means there will be some sort of dramatic ending to the film which can excite the viewer because they know they are going to be watching something with an exciting plot that will lead to this dramatic end of the world. The robot and the title can suggest that the robot has some sort of involvement in judgement day or the 'end' of the world. The park could also suggest that the main focus of this film is children or a child, this is because the majority of people who use parks are children and it would only be right to have it integrated into the film in one way or another, the fire covering it suggests that the child could be in danger throughout the film or may be hurt in some sort of way that is significant to the whole film and could open the plot to us in the opening. The fact that the objects in the park are moving in slow motion could suggest that this scene may be re appearing in the film at some point and it might mean that it is an important scene that needs to be shown in the opening so that the audience can identify that this scene is important to the movies plot.

Character:
The only character shown in this film opening is the T-800 at the end of the opening. The robot has such a human like face but is completely lifeless which has connotations that there may be some sort of disguising itself in the film as a human or it may be responsible for deaths in the film because it looks so lifeless and this suggests that it doesn't feel or have any emotions which then suggests that it will not hesitate to carry out murders and havoc towards people and the surrounding atmosphere. The fact that its the only character shown in the opening suggests that its the main character and the whole film will revolve around it and its actions towards the other characters in the film, either that or its going to have the biggest significance on the plot which lets viewers know that they can expect this character to appear a lot throughout the course of the film.

Sound:
The music also has a huge impact on this opening, the beginning drums create a lot of tension as they get louder and the reverb increases along with the memorable string piece from the first film. This tells the viewer that this film is going to be good because it brings back memories from the first film and lets them know how good the first film is which tells them that this film is going to be even better than the first. Having a main title theme that is memorable helps the viewer to keep the film in their heads and remember it every time they hear it which helps to the success of a film. At the end of the opening, as the robots face gets closer to the screen, the drums get louder which helps build tension before the movie starts which gets the audience excited about the film their about to watch, this is vital because it makes the opening exciting and enjoyable to watch which keeps the audience interested and also makes them want to watch the rest of the movie.

Title:
The name of the film is Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The word terminator means someone or something that is made or destined to end someones life or a number of lives or even the whole world. The title Judgement Day has connotations of the end of the world which links to genre and narrative but its a very interesting title because the word 'terminator' and 'judgement day' suggests that someone/thing is going to end the world in this film which can attract audiences because it sounds very exciting and has connotations of the main things that are included in the genre that it seems like it is.

Themes:
The main themes in this opening are death, destruction, violence, technology and worldwide chaos. This is evident through the images such as the flames, the park, the robot at the end that is looking into the camera.

This will help me in my movie opening creation because now i know how much detail goes into making a perfect movie opening and what it needs to include.