Taken by Pierre Morel opening sequence analysis

The very first thing we see in the opening sequence is the Twentieth Century Fox logo; this gives the impression to the audience that the film has been funded by a large, trusted company, so the film is expected to be of a high standard.
The titles are in a simple font, with a black screen turning into home videos of the family together. This shows that the videos are personal to the character, and the titles are in the corner of the shots, which makes the videos the focal point of each shot. The videos are flashbacks that the main character is having, which shows that he still holds onto that memory.
The music has a sharp tone to the soft sounds, which almost foreshadows the tragedy later in the film. The fact that the family is laughing over the sharp sounds in the music, implies an almost naivety about them, and shows how oblivious they are to what is about to happen.
The titles fade away, which could connote how the main character is trying to forget that he lost his family to another man. Also, the title of the film 'Taken' is almost 'whipped' off the screen by a passing car, which is also what happens to the daughter later in the film, so it is setting the scene of the film and showing the harsh realties of what are about to happen.
The first scene of the film shows the main character of the film sitting alone in a dark room, with 2 empty Chinese takeaway boxes on the table. As he lives by himself, it shows that he is incapable to look after himself fully and that he misses his family too much. He is immediately portrayed to the audience as being lonely and in regret of letting his wife and child walk out of his life.