Greatest Movie Opening Title Sequences of all time part 2: Ten more gems.
Welcome back to what I consider the all time greatest opening title sequences from iconic and classic movies. Here are ten more gems that I didn’t have the last time.
10. The Terminator.1984.
As perfectly eighties Sci-Fi as it gets. The main theme\score from the Terminator movies are always so haunting and memorable. It’s all so wonderfully robotic like The Terminator himself.
9. Star Trek ll: The Wrath of Khan. 1982.
So rich with the gorgeous graphic of space and elevated even more with the exciting and adventurous score by James Horner, Wrath of Khan has one heck of an opening.
8. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. 1989.
Nothing gets you into the holiday spirit better than this wonderful animated opening of the 3rd Vacation installment. Very creative and enjoyable. Merry Christmas, folks!
7. Terminator 2. 1991.
Truly mesmerizing with the flames and at the same time so deeply disturbing with said flames burning a children’s playground to a crisp. This intro for the iconic sequel was elevated to a whole other level.
6. Jaws. 1975.
What’s not to love about this opening credits? The sound of sea life, the pov of the dreaded antagonist and that iconic score we all know and fear. It’s all so engrossing and lets us know that we’re in for a ride.
5. Goldfinger and Goldeneye. 1964 and 1995.
This one’s a cheat, but since there are multiple James Bonds and Bond movies I figure it was appropriate to lump these two stellar opening credits together for the number 5 spot. Both are mesmerizing and iconic, sung by such legends as Shirley Bassey and Tina Turner.
4. Beavis and Butthead Do America. 1996.
This opening had great nods to the psychedelic 70’s, karate, hot animated babes and sung by the immortal Issac Hayes… What’s not to love? Is it one of the greatest opening credits for a movie? Ya dammmmmmn, right!
3. Enter The Dragon. 1972.
Enter The Dragon dazzles us in its opening with that amazing rich atmospheric look at 70’s Hong Kong as well as that amazing blend of martial arts, spy thriller and funky soul in the music. This movie would become immortal with its shooting Bruce Lee to super stardom in America, introducing the world to Black martial arts champion Jim Kelly and giving us what’s considered the most influential and best martial arts film ever made. This opening gives us hints of all that greatness.
2. Shaft. 1971.
Truly the greatest movie opening of the 1970’s and one of the greatest of all time of any decade. We follow the legendary John Shaft as he makes his way through the streets of Harlem accompanied by the iconic theme music by Issac Hayes. Gotta love the atmospheric look at the beautifully earthy and gritty streets of Harlem.
- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. 1966.
Truly ahead of its time. The graphics and music were of such high quality and wouldn’t be out of place today. This iconic film created a new standard for Westerns and film in general, and it’s opening alone shows how immortal this film would become.