The Comparison of the Opening Scenes of Bladerunner and the Matrix

The comparison of the opening scenes of Bladerunner and The Matrix

In this piece of writing I will be comparing the opening scenes of Bladerunner and Matrix and how they both prepare the audience for their enjoyment of the two films. The two films are both very technologically based and are different on storylines but both futuristic.

Bladerunner which was released in 1982 is about life in Los Angeles in 2019.A man who has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve outside the earth in colonies but with fixed life spans. The main character Deckard is a Blade Runner, a cop which specialises in the termination of replicants. Originally in retirement but is forced back into the job when 5 replicants escape and travel to Earth.

The matrix released in 1999 is about a computer hacker named neo which discovers that the earth may be nothing more than a complex disguise created by a malicious cyber-intelligence. The computers have created a false version of 20th-century life named the "Matrix" to keep the human slaves satisfied. Neo is pursued by the agents whom are computers that take on human form and infiltrate the Matrix. He has been selected as ‘the one’ who will lead the humans to defeat the machines and reclaim the earth.

At the start of the film Bladerunner there is an introduction in text to the story, which gives a briefing to help the audience understand the situation. The first visual scene is the cityscape at night and flames rising from skyscrapers and a spaceship travelling. We see an eye where the city is reflected. There is a constant zoom into the city getting closer to the main setting. We come across a male character in a dark room, this creates a mysterious effect and it almost makes you look more carefully into the scene. The opening scene suggests that it’s a complex film, when we see the two male characters in the scene we don’t gain much we see there is a test of some kind taking process. The equipment being used looks to be technological and high-tech although the setting of the scene is very old fashioned. There is a contradiction between modern and old-fasioned. The main character analysing the text asks a series of questions and the patient goes through a spur tantrum and shoots the guy with a gun. In this section we see a few genres the first is mystery where the audience isn’t given much explanation. The other is action where there is conflict in the scene. This ending of the scene is quite action packed. This has a positive effect on the audience an action packed film has continuous activity and well developed characters that the audience can interact with.

At the beginning scene of The Matrix we see a computer screen and hear a dial tone and hear the telephone conversation between a female and a male. During this on the screen we visually see text and it tells us that some one is tracking this phone call. We then see numeric and alphabetic data constantly changing. We get the impression that this is technological film and gives the audience the impression that something is about to happen. We hear different names being recalled in the conversation. This quite different from the beginning of Bladerunner and which I believe to be more appealing. We see armed police officers in a dark corridor with flashlights. The minimum of lighting in the scene helps create a quiet and secretive atmosphere. In matrix there are more camera angles used to help create movement during the film whereas in Bladerunner there were more single close up shots of the character where in The Matrix you can visually see and feel a very dynamic flow. We see a female slowly appearing behind the notebook as the camera travels to a higher angle to reveal her face. Then we see the exterior of the building where they are and the camera slowly reveals it’s a hotel. This gives the audience enough time to guess the scene and setting before the revelation, this adds a mysterious effect on the film.We see the series of police vehicles and another coming to the scene. We meet 3 new male characters which look very alike. These male characters look very serious and show the importance of the act. The agents enter and we come across an action packed scene where the female character challenges the officers as they attempt to arrest her. This gives the impression to the audience that she is hiding or running away from the government or a wanted person. So we know that the film will continue to have action packed scenes. We see her in physical contact. When the female rises for a kick we see a 360 shot travelling around her in slow motion. The audience have to think if it’s actually possible for a human to do this and the audience comes to the conclusion that its not just ordinary humans involved.There is high end equipment used in this film to create intense scenes of action for example her running on the wall to escape the bullets being fired at her is not very possible for a human to do. When she starts to run away from the agents the camera also zooms forward into the character at a low angle shot. There is almost a camera chasing and running with her showing all her steps to create the ambiance of you personally watching her do this, which is a useful technique to help you get right into the film. The agent and the female character jump from a rooftop to another a 25-30 meter gap which is impossible for a human to do, shows once again the camera elements and techniques used. This makes the audience suggest