'Mission: Impossible 2' Analysis

This film manifests itself as a spy or action thriller. In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or terrorists.

Aiming more towards action thriller, throughout the film very dramatic kung fu/karate is used based primarily on the influences of director John Woo. This is twinned with very "Hollywood-ised" stunts, influenced by the film's target audience and the film industry. I believe there are some key points that can be drawn from this opening sequence clip that would feed in nicely with our coursework.

The first thing I liked about the clip was the scale difference between the subject (Tom Cruise) and the location, although cleverly our focus is drawn to both. I know that it would be impossible to recreate a setting like that, but my point was that the setting added to the sequence as a whole and to Tom Cruise's character. We can see already (just from the opening clip) the character codes. We can see that he is adventurous, daring, strong and determined. All this information on the character can be drawn from just the setting they are in at that time and we can tell the audience a lot about the character just from the location alone. I believe it is vital to get across a lot information in the shortest space of time, as the trailer/sequence will only last 2/3 minutes.

My next point is on the camera techniques used, which link into the establishing of the scene and character codes. Throughout the clip, there were many close- ups used: head, feet and hands. I believe these shots intensified the portrayal of the character's struggle. This deepens the audience's insight into this character all before the beginning of the film, we see his determination, his drive, and in a way the maverick inside of him along with his constant thrill seeking.
There was another camera shot that was intriguing, the slow motion shot. This shot is short but it is full of tension, it provides the audeince with a heart-racing moment. This brings the reality and nature of the film straight to them. This is a shot I believe we could use or recreate for our coursework, for instance used as a signal of a flashback or important moment. Towards the end of the sequence, the camera pans around his face (almost moving in and out) heavily signifying his relief. This is another shot I believe we could use to show different to convey a sense of panic or uneasyness in our character.

At the very end of the clip, I felt the titles were interesting. The titles entered the screen at a fast pace, helping to signify the speed and tone of the film that is to come. Also, textual effect that was used was literally very explosive, the way the title of the film fragmented or shattered and then carries straight into the main film. I felt the use of these particular titles was (although flashy) quite powerful.