Film Openings: Iron Man (2008)

Genre: Action/ Adventure
Box Office (gross): $585, 174, 222 (worldwide)
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Studios: Marvel Studios, Fairview Entertainment
Critical Acclaim: The film was nominated for 9 Saturn Awards, winning Best Science Fiction Film, Best Director and Best Actor (Downey). It was also nominated at the Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing at the 81st Academy Awards.
Success and reception: The film was #1 at box office. Roger Ebert and Richard Corliss named Iron Man as their favorite film of 2008.

Scott from The New York Times described the film to be "an unusually good superhero picture or at least- since it certainly has its problems- a superhero movie that's good in unusual ways."

Todd McCarthy from Variety ( US entertainment-trade magazine) called the film an "expansively entertaining special effects extravaganza."

Narrative

As the scene begins an establishing shot fades in to show that there is vast, mountainous terrain in the apparent, barren landscape. In this shot we can see that several large vehicles travel along one lone dirt track. A low angle, extra long shot is then used to show a number of army vehicles driving towards the camera. Atop the vehicle is a soldier holding a gun. This immediately establishes the preferred reading of the film as being an action movie because we are given the first impression of characters through the military control. As the shot is played, the location is established through the label: Afghanistan. A variety of different shots including high and low angle middle shots. Where the vehicles move away from the camera a crane shot has been used to follow the vehicles, particularly one on which a soldier is standing above holding a large gun which is directly attached to the vehicle itself. Following this, the shot cuts to a middle shot of a radio playing music within one of the military vehicles. A middle close up shot establishes that there are soldiers in the vehicle. There is a shallow focus close up of a glass of alcohol being held which then tilts upwards to show another soldier who looks at the figure holding the glass. It is then that the shot cuts to a close up of Tony Stark. Due to the fact he is the only character within the vehicle not in military gear we can assume that he is the character that the film is based upon. A variety of shots using shot-reverse-shot are used as the scene develops. At the end there is a shallow focus, middle shot of a soldier in the front of the vehicle, at which point the vehicle in the front can be see exploding(through the windshield). The opening scene ends with an extreme long shot of the vehicles blowing up. The story line is established here, given the militaristic environment and  introduction of Tony Stark flanked by soldiers, at which by the time the explosion has occurred, we can establish that some form of terrorist attack caused the disruption. This is effective when rolling into the rest of the film.