Analysis of Thriller Openings

Inception


The opening to “Inception” is typical of the thriller genre, by intriguing the audience and making them ask questions and want to know more. Many of the features included in the opening are typical of the thriller genre, for example the low key, sinister music creating tension from the very beginning. The lighting is bright and sunny, which contrasts to the dark music and these contrasting features add to the sinsiter atmosphere used in the thriller genre.

The Dark Knight


“The Dark Knight” opens very effectively, and immediately launches into action as we see a bank robbery planned by the villain of this film, the Joker. Unlike a typical thriller opening which is purposefully filmed to confuse and intrigue the audience, the opening scene shows us exactly what is happening. However, we are still confused as to which person is the joker because the whole group are all dressed in the same costume, specifically the infamous mask of the Joker. I think that the masks are the most significant contribution to the typical sinister feeling of this film because they're just ordinary clown masks, something you would perhaps associate with children and innocence. However the faces of the masks are distorted and look more evil. Another typical element of the thriller genre is the non-diegetic sound. The music is very low key but fast paced and builds tension as the scene progresses. The robbers split up into different groups. One person in one group will ask a question then someone else in another group answers. This creates a sense that not even the characters are sure about the Joker and his intentions. Towards the end of the scene, the robbers are blinded by greed and kill eachother in attempt to get the money.