BEST opening credits for a film - Page 2

Best opening credits : Panic Room.

More on how they were created (and some screenshots) here.

I thought the Austin Powers films capitalized well on their opening sequences.

Agreed. His scoring work was reminiscent of the great Henry Mancini.

Cred

I'm going with H20. Same reasoning as Sahara... 'cept done first and reminded us why we actually cared after 5 horrible sequels.

I have always been fond of the opening credits of Alien3. Very moody. And how the 20th Century Fox fanfare drops on that note, down, down...down...

Big "Me too"'s on Fight Club, Kill Bill Vol. 1 (though I liked the borrowed Grindhouse Releasing intro even more so) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

I'll also add Dazed and Confused (actually making Aerosmith cool), The Devil's Rejects (actually making southern rock cool), and Apocalypse Now (actually making the Doors...well, they're still possibly one of the world's most overrated bands, but I don't skip the credits).

Already mentioned above: SUPERMAN THE MOVIE, ED WOOD, SEVEN, THE UNTOUCHABLES, T2 and anything Saul Bass designed or David Fincher directed (especially THE GAME.) My favorite Bond titles are probably those in TOMORROW NEVER DIES.

Also: INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, LAND OF THE DEAD, LOST IN TRANSLATION and even though they're incredibly straightforward, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE. Every time I hear those big nasty gangster horns blare over Walter Matthau's name, I smile.

However, I've come to believe that all credits should really be seen at the end of the film. To me, credits upfront are either there for ego or to somehow sell the movie, both of which are unnecessary after I've already bought my ticket. Obviously, the best upfront credits are those which support the film stylistically, tonally or narratively but on the whole, I'd rather just get to the story.

But there are plenty of well-done opening credits that set the mood for the film, without which the film wouldn't be nearly as effective. I can't imagine the Dawn of the Dead remake working half as well without those opening credits kicking things off.

I always see the credits as the decompression chamber of a movie.

If a film needs a title sequence to set the mood, instead of story or character, then it's already got serious problems right out of the gate. Don't get me wrong: I have seen and enjoyed several opening title sequences over the years, and truly appreciate the artistry that goes into them. As neverending as they are, I will always be in complete awe over the opening credits to SUPERMAN THE MOVIE. But at their most fundamental level, they're all about boasting about or promoting those involved before we've seen what they've actually delivered.

I can. The opening of DAWN '04 worked like gangbusters completely without the credits. Too bad about the rest of the film though.

I used to think that too. But I think today's audiences are pre-programmed to expect that decompression time, so they just keep talking and moving around and answering their cell phone right through them anyway.

Look at the opening of LETHAL WEAPON 2, for example. It's basically the WB logo, the film's title, and then BANG -- you're right in the middle of an intense car chase. The mood and tone of the film is established strictly though action and character. That seemed to shut audiences right up when I saw it.

And hey, if the film turns out to be great, wouldn't you rather the first credit at the end be the director? In that moment, I'd rather applaud the lead filmmakers for their achievement than have the first name up be the First Assistant Director or Unit Production Manager or whatever.

IMHO some of the best opening credits I've ever seen were for ALEXANDER, Oliver Stone's 2004 film

 

After opening the movie on Alexander's death in Babylon, we're transported through a whirling blue fire of colliding imagery from the helenistic world, each one dissolving into the next with stunning beauty

 

The music by Vangelis, who came out of retirement to score the film, perfectly suits these titles

 

Normally when a movie does a "trippy cgi opening", it's quickly dated. Not here, somehow the water like movements of the blue fire remain fascinating, and the titles are pure Oliver Stone

 

I couldn't find a clip online of the opening, but here are the closing titles (which are in many ways similar, though the music and pacing is different)

 

Watching this clip just now made me cry when Anthony Hopkins delivers his final line. It's brilliant stuff, check it out

 

 

Edited by Princess Kate - 12/26/11 at 8:03pm

Some great picks here. Another credit sequence I love is Highlander. It's not impressive in terms of technique, but it's stirring as hell. You get the eerie Connery voiceover... Then bam!, Queen's 'Princes of the Universe', and wrestling intercut with Scots clan battles. I consider it one of the great 'Fuck yeah!' movie openings.

Superman is the obvious answer, but it's obvious because it's correct.
 

As soon as it gets to the "bang bang" line in the song, the theater I was in erupted in laughter.  Not sure if that was the intended reaction, but by the time the song ended, the crowd was silent and enraptured.

 

Fight Club

The Untouchables. Christ, what an intro. Morricone just kills it. Gets my blood up every time.

 

As does the howling glam metal intro of Transformers: The Movie.

Casino Royalle (2006), Quantum of Solace, and the Punisher (2004) own this thread.

I really dislike the CASINO ROYALE title song and accompanying animation 

 

If you're talking about the PTS, I agree it is one of the better Bond openings (though some editing issues in the final moment irk me)

Watchmen
Batman 89
Spider-Man 2
Superman/Superman Returns
Casino Royale
X-Men
Star Wars - Although listening to the soundtrack of Episode III, I wonder if Lucas would of had the balls to jump right to the fighters flying on screen.
The Matrix Trilogy

As for the Bond films, OHMSS & TSWLM win out for their uniquely iconic visual fluidity. The openings from 1995 to the present are all pretty much terrible. Completely tone deaf visual rhythms featuring awkwardly positioned women in startlingly unsexy & clunkily designed montages. Just awful.

What audacity! What arrogance!

 

 

Because no-one has posted the opening to Conan the Barbarian (1984), all set to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZY2mRG5mzg

 

During which the credits roll by, and Conan's father forges a sword!

Oh wait, forgot an obvious one. How about Takashi Miike's first "Dead or Alive" ?

 

Arguably the greatest opening and closing segments for a movie ever.

Because I'm a sucker for Alex Ross - Spider-Man 2

Flash Gordon (1980) - The comic book imagery, married with the Queen soundtrack, really sets the stage for the adventure to follow.

 

 

I think I said this during the watch-along we did, but how can anyone watch those credits and be remotely surprised by the film that followed them?

I think it's safe to throw this in here.

 

The opening credits for Watchmen & Zombieland are, for me, the most memorable thing about both films. I liked each film fairly well, but their opening credits imply that greatness is ahead.

The opening credits for JFK, with Martin Sheen's urgent, secret history narration is the stuff of greatness, IMHO

"Enter the Void" by Noe.  That opening credit sequence of strobe light effects, techno music, and colorful varios texts will always stick with me.  Tarantino called it the best opening credit sequence he has ever seen, I believe.  I tend to agree with him.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPxgi-PiNFE

 

didn't see this website mentioned...it could be the pretty much the "go to" site for this thread....

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/

Watching Drive again and the opening credits belong here.

 

They perfectly sum up the film. Ryan Gosling is cool, if a little lonely, and this soundtrack will make your heart burst in your chest.

 

Lord of War

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/08/15/lord-of-war/

Peter Berg's 'The Kingdom' is a bit of an instant classic in this department.

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2007/12/25/the-kingdom/

 

(good thing that site was there.  Universal seems to have blocked all the other decent ones)

 

Yes someone mentioned this. The opening sequence with Dylan playing is just beautiful, well done for sure. As for the rest of the movie, eh.

 

Already mentioned: Dawn of the Dead, X2, Seven, Batman, Spidey 2, Edward Scissorhead, Alexander, and Kill Bill.

 

Adds: The Shining, any of The Naked Gun films, Beetlejuice.

The spoken opening credits of Fahrenheit 451 set the scene perfectly.

I love Jackie Brown's opening credits.  Not sure if I mentioned that one already.

 

Pam Grier strutting through the airport while Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street" plays.  I think they play the entire song.  Good work, Quentin!

Halloween is right up there with the greats for me.  They set the mood perfectly.

 

There are few burned (no pun intended) into my mind like those for the American cut of Godzilla 1985.  At age 6, those great, flaming letters told me I was about to see something awe inspiring.

 

And in the cateogry of sequences that advance the story as they go along, Return of the Living Dead is defintely the king for me, following the Trioxin gas as it becomes a character in its own right.

I suppose it's not the credits themselves, but in Pulp Fiction, I just love the quick cut from Roth's "This is a robbery!" to Dick Dale as the credits begin.

Ditto on Pulp Fiction.  It's also my favorite movie of all-time so I'm a little biased.

In addition to the many great suggestions above, I'd mention Run, Lola, Run.

The last opening credit sequence I remember being truly surprised by is the Scott Pilgrim Vs the World's mind bending stretching room sequence. It sets up the attitude and visual stye of the movie perfectly.

 

 

Damn, I gotta bring the hammer on Big Jim Slade here:

 

 

- Aerosmith WERE cool. Cool actually doesn't do 70s-era Aerosmith justice, because they had fantastic fucking tunes, banged all the women, and did all the drugs. 

 

Once they got sober and decided that lame ballads with Alicia Silvestone in the vids were the way to go....ugh. But as far as the D&C universe would be concerned, Aerosmith were probably Led Zeppelin crossed with pot and a healthy dollop of sex on top. 

 

 

- Southern rock - yeah, OK. I will admit most of it is shit. This is just my part to say "yes, most southern rock is shit BUT GIVE THE ALLMAN BROS A LISTEN"

 

 

- The Doors. Whole thread in and of itself, I will just say I disagree, as a general rule, because sometimes they did suck. 

 

 

I think the best is when the "radio" changes from "Misirlou" to "Jungle Boogie" - to me, indicating that Vincent and Jules are equal protagonists (that may just be my  interpretation though). 

Somebody claimed Scott Pilgrim right before I showed up.

 

I remember seeing Scott Pilgrim (as a double feature at the Winchester Alamo with Weird Science... which was perfect) and wondering if anyone in the audience was going to swallow their own tongue during the rapid flashes of the opening credits. Alas, no.

 

How about an honorable mention for ending credits to Running Scared (the Paul "brah" Walker one, not the Gregory Hines one)

 

Dawn of the Dead 04 is well-esteemed without me chiming in.

 

Panic Room (probably already mentioned)

 

Hollow Man was kind of clever.

 

DePalma's Mission Impossible

 

Christmas Vacation?

 

Freaked (Subtractive clay animation)?

Dude, Freaked, I completely forgot about that opening. That's a great add, that movie is great.

RUBICON!!!

The Kingdom has a pretty great one

 

 

To paraphrase Friends: "It's Spider-MAN. Not Bob Spiderman."

 

I really love how the opening credits to Scott Pilgrim are like a song in Guitar Hero, with the rug as the fret lines moving out from the center of the screen, and the band playing in the foreground just makes it pitch perfect. God, Edgar Wright is a boss.

I'd also add a vote for Halloween.  God that music and that fucking pumpkin.

Goldmember. Danny DeVito as Mini-me was classic.