Captain America - film analysis

Institutional information

Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released in 2014, and the action adventure film was directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. It currently has a rating of 7.8 stars out of 10 on the IMDB website, and gained $95,023,721 on the opening weekend. With an overall gross taking of $259,746,598, the original budget was $170,000,000; the film was produced by Marvel Entertainment and runs for 136 minutes in total. 

Narrative

The action adventure film Captain America: The Winter Solider deals with the problems that Steve Rogers has to face in the modern world, and follows him as he teams up with the Black Widow in order to defeat assassin Winter Soldier. Just from the general narrative, it is clear what the genre is, as it involves battles and an antagonist and protagonist as the main characters. There is a disruption in this movie due to the assassin, so this also follows the conventions of action adventure. The film follows a linear narrative.

Mise en scene

The opening scene begins with a whip pan of a spaceship that move off into the distance. Spaceships have stereotypical connotations of adventure films, which fits with the genre. There is an establishing shot that shows the sky, and another that they are flying over the sea, which show that the characters are in an isolated area, building the tension as it makes the audience aware that there is limited outside help if the protagonists get into trouble.

 The scene then changes to inside what is presumed to be the spaceship, with the crew gathered around a high tech computer; this connotes that the film is set in modern times therefore there is more technology. We then see one of the characters jump out of the spaceship with a shield and fly down towards the Earth. From this it signifies to the audience that he is on a mission, which fits in with the genre of the film. There is a fight scene involving the characters seen at the beginning, which would connote that there is violence within the film; something that conforms to the action adventure genre. The violence also creates a gripping story line that draws the audience in as they are eager to learn the outcome of the fights to ensure the characters are ok. 

The entire opening sequence is filmed in low key lighting which intensifies the shadows produced to create an eerie and dramatic effect. The dark light represents that there is going to be a disruption in the film, which is a typical convention of action adventure.

Editing/camera angles

The first shot in the opening sequence is a whip pan, where the image is virtually blurred beyond recognition. Doing this signifies the speed that they are going, which connotes the fast pace of the film, making it look thrilling and enticing. A medium shot is used to introduce the characters to the audience who are all dressed in black, and it shows the antagonist on the screen, representing the characters as the protagonists. Low angle shots are used often to frame the protagonists which presents then as being more powerful and dominant compared to other characters we meet during the film. Two shots show a relationship between two of the protagonists, one of them being a possible love interest. An overhead shot is positioned above Captain America to show his superhero like move, representing the action part of the genre. Zoom follows the jump out of the spaceship. An establishing tracker shot shows where the character is going (the boat) and builds up tension as the audience are anticipating a disruption in the film. Visual effects are added post production to add excitement and engage the viewer, meeting the conventions  of the genre.

Sound

The first sound we hear in the opening sequence is a sound effect of a spaceship zooming past at high speed. Obviously this type of sound can't be naturally recorded, so a special effect is put in post-production to create the desires effect on the audience. Within the first few seconds, this sound has added tension to the film as speed generally represents that someone is on a mission or looking for something. This conforms to the conventions of an action adventure. A sound bridge faintly plays in the background of the opening scene, and the pre-recorded music has a high tempo, signifying that the characters are under pressure; it also has a tense feeling to it, drawing the audience in. Dialogue is included during the opening, and this helps the audience to connect with the characters as most of the time the conversation is personal; it reveals information about the character so the they are more relatable. During some of the fight scenes, incidental music is used to add tension to the film and create an atmosphere that links to the genre. Sound effects are used often in fights and on the space ship to add drama to the scene grip the audience on what is happening; it helps to relay the sincerity of the situation.

Conclusion

Overall, I feel that Captain America: The Winter Soldier is very effective at opening the film because it uses most of the conventions of the genre, has added special effects to compel the audience and used props. It signifies the narrative of the film and stereotypical character groups.