Movie Meme, Day 2.

[rogueslayer452]

Day 2: A movie with a great opening scene

I had to really think about this, because there's literally so many movies that have really good opening sequences, though when it came right down to it my mind went to The Phantom of the Opera (2004) because that particular opening was phenomenal. Those familiar with the musical will know, but at that point I hadn't been and I remember seeing this in theaters and the moment they uncovered the chandelier and the overture music immediately started blasting, I was so blown away. The way it was filmed to have the filtering go from black and white to color as the chandelier was being lifted, the broken down theater coming back to life as we're being transported back in time. It was truly an experience, especially when you're not really expecting it.

Also, I have to give a special mention to the The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring prologue because it absolutely sets up the story perfectly. It gives just enough background without overwhelming you with information, there's a nice balance to it that tells you what you need to know, and anything additional you learn as the story progresses.

Comments

[blackcatofmisery]

Fellowship of the Ring does have a great opening; I didn't think of that one when I wrote for the prompt. Sometimes, in movies and books, it just gets to be too much, and it's like why bother continuing when you already know the story? I think movie trailers have gotten bad at that; they either give away the major plot points or don't reveal anything relevant that makes me want to check it out. Rough balance, apparently.

_{And while I love The Phantom of the Opera's music, I've never seen any adaptation of it, yet, except for a Disney channel rip-off.}

=^..^=~

[rogueslayer452]

Ah yes, Phantom of the Megaplex, I vaguely remember that one (I never saw it in full, just remember all the previews for it).

I've since seen various The Phantom of the Opera versions, not just the 2004 movie adaptation but also the different stage performances, and it's such a good musical. Of course I have yet to read the novel it's based on, but still.

[pianogurl330]

Great choices! I was blown away with Phantom of the Opera too! After that movie made me a fan of Phantom! And I liked how that intro gave us background and like how they transition from black & white to color for the past.

Lord of the Rings is another great intro because it gave us the background to set up the story & explains us the one ring.

[elizalavelle]

I have a soft spot for the Serenity opening scene with the Operative reviewing Simon and River's escape and you think it's all live until he steps through the view screen. That hits me just right every time.

The Phantom one is a good one though! I remember not loving the whole movie, and also being salty that they cut one of my favourite songs (Twisted Every Way) but that opening is solid.

[rogueslayer452]

That was such a clever opening, because it gave us more insight to what we kinda already knew previously from the series with how Simon had rescued her, and then we got something new when it came to the Operative and his whole mission, showing us precisely how dangerous he is to achieving his goal. And yes, him stepping through the image was such a fantastic way of showing us that, so so good.

[elizalavelle]

It was a really great way to let new people into the film so if you hadn't watched the series you could get it (I actually entered the fandom this way - - I think I'd seen Heart of Gold randomly but otherwise I was new to the world) and didn't make it a boring recap for the fans who were there from day one.

[rogueslayer452]

Yeah because, obviously, the movie was made for the fans of the series but it was still mindful of making sure that it could be understood by newcomers at the same time.

Which I have to add, the continuous shot opening scene introducing all of our main characters on the ship was also fantastic, because again, it was both giving the fans a chance to see these characters together again while also giving people unfamiliar with them to see them and their dynamic. It was beautifully done.