Narrative technique · used in 2 films
Taking a setup the audience thinks it knows and flipping it, such as a sequel turning the old villain into the protector. The film then follows the flipped idea with complete logic.
Examples
James Cameron · 1991
The first Terminator set up the T-800 as an unstoppable killer chasing Sarah Connor. T2 opens with the same model arriving in the same way, so you are afraid of him on purpose. Then the film flips it and reveals he is the protector. Cameron pretty much uses what you already know to fool you.
Where to see it: The opening sequence. You watch 2 Terminators arrive and can't tell which is which until the reveal.
Spike Jonze · 1999
The film presents the portal into Malkovich's mind with a completely straight face (bureaucratic forms, paid rides, a filing cabinet). It treats the impossible as a minor inconvenience.
Where to see it: The initial discovery scene in the Lester Corp filing room. The portal is treated as an ordinary thing to find at work.
Questions