research film Analysis: Terminator 2: Judgement day (action/sci-fi)

This is the opening clip of Terminator 2: Judgement Day, a action/sci-fi film.

The first shot is of a battle field that looks like it used to be a children's playground. There is broken stuff everywhere and as the camera pans around the scene you also see lots of human skulls. This immediately set the scene, making it obvious that this is a film about a war. There i a voice in the background explaining the scene and the 'war against the machines'.

The next shot is of a mechanical foot stepping on, and crushing a human skull. This shows that currently the machines are winning. The camera then pans up and you get to see the 'machines' for the first time. In action movies there is always 2 sides, one good and one evil. In this shot, it is made clear that the machines are the evil ones, with humanity being the good side.

The next shot you see is of a group of humans with equipment and guns running and hiding from the machines, some of which are instantly killed by lasers and others surviving near misses. This gives the machines the upper hand and makes humanity seem vunerable. This is another typical cliche of action movies; the heros can sustain fatal injuries and still carry on as if nothing happened.