1. Back to the Future
Once the titles begin, with the promising notice of "Steven Spielberg Presents" no less, you begin to hear the ticking of a clock. As the credits progress, more and more clocks are added to the mix and it's obvious that "time" is going to play an important role in this film. The camera pans around, showing all these clocks and revealing little bits of details about the characters (like the history of Doc Brown's family) and the plot (like the newscast about the missing plutonium). Marty McFly is introduced and you learn an awful lot about his character in only a couple of minutes. This entire scene is just so well done. The film is often heralded as one of the best from the 1980's and while I don't necessarily agree with that, it sure does start out wonderfully.
2. Catch Me If You Can
This sequence is relatively simple compared to some on my list, but it's simplicity is one of the reasons why I love it. As a catchy, little jazz melody composed by the iconic John Williams plays, pretty much the entire film is shown via animated characters. There's Frank Abagnale dressed as a pilot fleeing from FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Now Frank's disguised as a doctor, but Carl's still hot on his heels. And so on. All the while, the music and the animation align perfectly with the 1960's setting of the film. The score gives off a great "cat and mouse" vibe and now that I've listened to it again, it's stuck in my head. I'll be hearing it for days - the perfect compliment to any composer.
3. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
The wonderful remake of the George Romero classic from 1978 starts with an interesting opening, but the credits are when the film really takes off. This scene sets up the world we're about to inhabit - a world dealing with an outbreak of blood thirsty zombies - and does so in such an enjoyable manner. A news conference gives us vital information about the zombies, all while cutting back and forth to grisly images of the monsters chewing and clawing. Then the larger than life voice of Johnny Cash kicks in, singing one of his last great original songs - "The Man Comes Around". Cash's voice has been described as "the voice of God" and it fits stunningly well in this context. The song is layered over clips of carnage and people fleeing, as well as other news footage further detailing the situation going on. By the time the song ends, we know full well what we're in for and it's scary and gory and violent. And I love it.
4. Juno
Juno is a film that gets a lot of hate by some people (mostly on the internet, in my experience) but I've loved it since my first viewing in the theater. The opening credits do a good job of conveying the tone of the film - funny, sweet, and a little hipstery - and do so in a really creative way. We follow the lead character, Juno, as she walks through her town, with an upbeat and folksy tune playing. The footage has been run through some sort of software and transformed into a moving comic book or sorts. I love the music and the look of the "animation". It's just a neat sequence all together.
5. L.A. Confidential
Right away, you're greeted with the trumpeting horns of Johnny Mercer's 1940's hit "Accentuate the Positive". The music sets the tone and then the voice over narration (from the great Danny DeVito, playing the slick tabloid writer Sid Hudgens) starts up. Sid tells us all about the beauty of Los Angeles, but also about the dark side the City of Angels has to offer. He provides important backstory on the state of organized crime in L.A. and delivers one of my favorite lines from the film, his tabloid's motto: "Remember dear readers, you heard it here first. Off the record... on the QT... and very Hush-Hush."
6. Lord of War
Lord of War is the only film on this list that I don't really like, but the opening credits can't be denied. With Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" playing in the background, you are taken through the life of a bullet, from the factory to the guerrilla soldiers loading their guns in war torn Africa. This entire sequence is shown from the point of view of the bullet, which is quite interesting. Also of note is the sound design. Every little jostle or rumbling or impact is rendered very well and it helps immerse you in the experience. Our little bullet friend is finally loaded into a gun and fired - seemingly at a child. The screen cuts to black as the bullet makes impact with the teen boy's forehead. It's a really stunning sequence, all told.
7. Se7en
Quite possibly my absolute favorite opening credit sequence, and one of my favorite films of all-time, Se7en does so much in just a couple of minutes. You're introduced to the maniacal serial killer - only ever known as John Doe - as he shaves off his fingerprints, develops pictures, and fills notebook after notebook with tiny, delusional print. The music is Trent Reznor's "Closer" and it fits nicely alongside the eerie, disturbing images. Even the lettering of the titles themselves is brilliant - choppy, scrawled print that goes in and out of focus, like a person losing their mind. The entire thing really gives you a look inside the mind of a mad man. Masterfully done.
8. The Shining
The Shining opens with a helicopter aerial shot of a lake and mountains. The mountains are reflected off of the lake, so you see two of everything. This is an important theme of the film - the dual nature of things - so right off the bat, the layering of this brilliant film already begins. The eerie music that accompanies the entire scene helps fit the mood as well. I'm not sure if I could name a creepier song than "Day of Wrath", which was once used in Catholic funerals as the Mass of the Dead. The way the camera closes in and follows the car driving the windy mountain road is also disturbing. It's like something is chasing the poor family in the car. Another weird aspect of this sequence is that the credit titles roll backwards, in a way I've never seen before. Everything about the sequence is either creepy or off putting or downright disturbing. It's truly a work of art from one of cinema's greatest artists, Stanley Kubrick.
9. Toy Story
From a horror classic, we move on to one of the greatest family films ever, Toy Story. The film that launched Pixar studios into the stratosphere starts out very simply, with a young boy playing with his toys. In less than 90 seconds, the filmmakers are able to introduce us to Andy, show off his wonderful imagination, and detail his strong bond with Woody, the beloved sheriff and Andy's favorite toy. Randy Newman's now iconic song, "You've Got a Friend in Me" is simply marvelous and works perfectly with the scene - no accident there, he wrote it specifically for the film. If you're an adult watching this scene, you're instantly transported back to your childhood, and that's a magical thing to do.
10. Watchmen
I've never read the graphic novel of Watchmen, but I've been told that the opening credits of the film do an excellent job covering a lot of the backstory that otherwise would have been difficult to fit in elsewhere. With Bob Dylan's classic "The Times They Are a Changing" kicking in immediately, we're treated to a plethora of different scenes - shot in a dreamy, faux documentary style - showing the earlier incarnations of the Watchmen group, it's surviving members, and the alternate reality version of America in 1985 where the film is set. I was managing a movie theater in 2008 when Watchmen was released and I'd sneak into the auditorium to watch this scene repeatedly. I bet I've seen it at least ten times and it always impresses me.
Well, there you have it - my Top 10 Favorite Opening Credit Sequences. Did I miss any of your favorites? I'd love to read any comments that you might have.
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