Movie Meme: Day 18

"31 Day Movie Meme"


Day 18 | Favorite title sequence

There were many opening title sequences I could've picked. I watched a ton of them in preparation for this entry and I'll list a few of them after my entry, but my ultimate pick is actually the first film I thought of and in the end it really was a no-brainer for me.

This meme would've felt a bit hollow if I didn't talk about Joss Whedon's Serenity and today is as good as any since the film has a fantastic opening sequence. Granted, I consider it great, in part because I'm a huge Whedon/Firefly fan. Another part is because the opening sequence was structured a bit as a sort of love letter to the ship and its crew with its beautiful continuous long shot of the inside of ship with the audience being introduced to each of the principal cast.

Before I talk about the sequence some more, you must watch it first. Here's the link to a YouTube video of the entire sequence, except it's in French. Better yet, go to this website and scroll down a bit and watch the sequence in Quicktime.

So right off the bat, we are treated to the title which is superimposed to the title ship, which we see for the first time flying (or trying to fly) through space. Both fans and non-fans of the TV show are then treated to breezy introductions of not only the crews' situation (in a old run-down ship in the "raggedy edge" of the universe struggling to find work while making sure not to run into the Alliance), but the various relationships and power struggles as well (Mal as the captain, Zoe/Wash as married, Mal vs. Simon, Simon/River as siblings, etc.).

The humor and witty dialogue, which are staples for Whedon and his various projects, are in full display early on with Wash and Mal reacting to the possible crash of the ship. We are also introduced to the main conflict and drive of the film i.e. River and her history with the Alliance. Again, all of this done in one continuous shot and with the beautiful score playing in the background, and in only about 5 or so minutes. It just makes me want to watch the movie again right now.

Honorable Mentions: Stranger than Fiction, Casino Royale, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Fall, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Zombieland, Se7en, Coraline, Billy Elliot, 500 Days of Summer, An Education, Wimbledon, and probably a lot more...

Great Sites I Discovered During My Research: Watch the Titles, Art of the Title, Movie Title Stills Collection

Online Lists of Best Movie Title Sequences: Smashing Magazine, Forever Geek, Creative Review, Flix Chatter