Analysis of film opening - Rush Hour 3

Analysis of film opening

Genre

I am going to be analysing the movie ‘Rush Hour 3’. Firstly, after reviewing the film opening I have noticed that there are a number of different genres that could be drawn from this opening, the first one I spotted was comedy, this is due to the generic conventions of comedy that were displayed in the first 10 seconds, for example a man that was dancing like a woman and singing like a woman, this is humorous for the audience as you wouldn’t expect this of a man. This also has connotations of a comedy as a Police Officer dancing in the middle of the road wouldn’t happen in reality therefore this is funny for the audience. The second genre that I noticed was action, this is due to the cars hitting into each other and the sounds of the cars smashing together. Moreover, also the fact that two people were getting escorted in a limo which looks like something bad is going to happen therefore this has connotations of a comedy.

Character

The opening sequence gives the audience members a rough guide into what type of characters are in this film. I now from watching the opening that there are two main characters as they are established right at the beginning the main characters are called Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. At the start you see Chris Tucker dancing in the middle of the road, this connotes to the audience that he is rather energetic and laid back kind of character. Towards the end of the clip you meet Jackie Chan who is sat in a limo and looks like he is the personal body guard for the other person, in the limo you see Chan making a phone call for the other guy, Chan also keeps a straight face throughout the section we see him in, this connotes to the audience that Chan is a strict, doesn’t relax type of character. This shows the contrast between the two main characters and from this you can tell them two are going to have a funny relationship as they are both so different.

 

Atmosphere

The atmosphere is very energetic and up beat as at the start we hear a piece of music then a few seconds later the camera pans down onto Chris Tucker who is singing loudly and dancing whilst making sure the traffic passes by without crashing into one another. The use of Chris’s singing and upbeat mood creates a energetic atmosphere for the audience, also the use of his silly dancing has connotations of a comedy genre.

Themes

There are a variety of themes that can be found from the opening sequence of Rush Hour; however there are two that stand out the most are un-expecting and humour. The first one I noticed was humour this is due to the different things Chris Tucker does at the start and towards the end when he is holding the two women for poor driving. From this film opening it connotes that this film could be very humorous due to the first two minutes displayed in the sequence. The second theme I noticed was un-expectance, this is due to when Chan and the person he was guarding were in the car and it was rather confusing as it didn’t lead on from what just happened therefore I was confused and the fact that Chris is dancing in the middle of the road makes me think what is going to actually happen in this film as none of the content made sense.

Setting

Rush Hour was set on the streets of Los Angeles and many other places around America. This is a food location and realistic as the street they filmed it on always has accidents due to the amount of cars that use it every day. Also the fact that Chris is dancing in one of the busiest roads in Los Angeles creates a humorous atmosphere for the audience this bit is a little unrealistic which is why it makes it funny.

Sound

At the start of the clip we hear non-diegetic music whilst the camera is panning through the sky; this connotes the relaxed atmosphere at the start and has connotations that the film could be quite relaxing perhaps. The next piece we hear is the music that is playing from Tucker’s headphones, the fact that it is coming from his headphones makes the audience feel involved within the opening. We also hear diegetic dialogue of the ambassador saying “we are making history”, this has connotations that they are doing something illegal as stereotypically you hear criminals say those words therefore this links t the point I made about my theory that the film is an action this is because if they are doing something illegal then typically violence is normally inflicted.  

Titles

The titles are good as they are all in the correct order throughout the clip. However, I notice that their institutional logo was not included in the film opening which is worrying as it should have been displayed within the first 30 seconds. All the titles were in a font which was easily identifiable, they remained in the same colour which was white and remained the same size throughout. The main title which was ‘Rush Hour 3’ was in the colour red, this was done in order for the audience to know that this was the name of the movie. The title was in the colour red which connoted danger/death so maybe there could be some type of death within the film.