Constantine (2005) Opening Sequence Analysis

The first thing the audience sees on the screen is a view from a window from a Los Angeles apartment and we can see and hear a kettle boiling. In my opinion the used to seeing/hearing the kettle boiling to build suspense because it is a sound that gets higher and higher until it reaches boiling point, this suggest that something is building up and is going to happen very soon, this would also suggest that the genre of this film could be action-thriller. The use of the radio on in the background and woman making a cup of tea could be to represent normal everyday life and certainly does not prepare the audience for what is coming next.

The woman takes the cup of tea to the next room but when she slowly opens the door we see a girl on the ceiling who has been possessed by some sort of demon, the woman drops the tea and screams. We see the scream echo through the apartment building and then a taxi turns up at the gate and we see Keanu Reeves's character enter the building and light up a cigarette. His dark clothing suggests a mysterious and powerful character and the way he smokes his cigarette expresses that he is preparing himself for something pressing.  We learn his name is 'John Constantine' and the fact the film is named after him tells us he is the main character and the story is going to be based around him. He only speaks when necessary and comes across as quite 'cool' and clearly has a lot of authority, this is shown when the other characters obey him when he tells them what to do. 

In my opinion the editing of this opening is very interesting and adds to the wonder of what is going to happen in the rest of the film. There are a number of interesting shots such as at 48 seconds when there is a very low angle shot of the cigarette being dropped on the floor, this then sharply contrasts with the complete opposite type of shot, a birds eye view of Constantine leaving the taxi and approaching the apartment. The low angle shot of Constantine at 1 minute 9 seconds makes the audience feel as though they are looking up at him which is what suggests he is an authoritative figure. This is also shown at 1 minute 51 seconds when a tracking shot is used showing him walking up to the apartment door and everyone in the corridor immediately jumps out of his way. The lighting is very yellow toned and this could be because the setting is very hot and humid and also because the girl is not very well.

By the end of the opening sequence he has finished his exorcism and has saved the girl and her family, he goes into the kitchen and looks in his cigarette packet to find it empty, he gives a loud sigh which could be a sigh of relief as he has just saved another victim or a sigh of despair which intrigues the audience and creates a sense of unknowing, which is an important factor in causing the audience to want to find out what happens next.