Opening Two Minutes Analysis

Analysis of an opening scene of 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier'

'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' opens with an action sequence in the middle of the nowwhere on the ocean. The setting is sophisticated and dark and the non-diegetic sound creates suspense and gives a dramatic effect, which grabs the audiences attention straight away and are immedietely drawn in, obeying the conventions of an action film.

The film lets off some steam in the opening shot by adding in a few lines between the characters of dry humour, allowing the audience to connect with the characters throughout the film. Even though this is not one of the general conventions of an action film, it allows the characters to become more personal to the audience staright away rather referring them to just an antagonist or protagonist.

Another strenth of the opening scene is the next shot, which introduces us to the main protagonist. Jumping out of a plane with no parachute shows off his strenth and determination which is what the audience wants to see in a hero. This connotes that throughout the film he will be a very powerful character. 

Already the characters are faced with a mission to complete which show off the conventions of an action genre as the audience get to see high energy and a lot of physical stunts. This allows the film to become exciting and intense, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats even in the first few minutes of the film. The conventions of the action genre are made clear through aspects such as the use of weapons, intense fight scene but what really brings out the action is the muscial score. Without any certain melody, the scene has a bass undercurrent that hangs over the images and pushes the action forwards. The sound levels go up and down according to whether there is dialogue, or action or whatever else is going on.

The opening scene is intense and exciting and will keep the audience in suspense throughout the film, portraying many conventions of an action genre which make it an excellent film.