The 10 Best Opening Credit Sequences (in no particular order)

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Because I like the meshing of music with movies so much, the opening credits to a film are very important to me. The opening titles have to 1) keep your interest, 2) reflect the mood of the rest of the film, and 3) look sharp. In my opinion, if you aren't willing to put any effort to a movie's opening, don't try. There's nothing wrong with white-text-on-black-background titles as long as you have a good score to go with (see selection 6). Anyway, of the movies and television shows I've seen, these 10 have the opening titles that made the cut.

1) To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)

Undisputedly the best opening titles sequence ever. I'm not making this up.



2) Napolean Dynamite (2004)

I didn't like this movie so much, but at least when I saw the opening credits I thought I was going to like it because of how awesome they were.



3) Amelie (2001)

Although the opening credits reminded me a little bit of Matilda, I still thought they were incredibly well done and captured completely the spirit of French cinema (which is totally in sync with the film).





4) Juno (2007)


The creators of this movie said that the opening titles, which were all drawn by hand, were a labor of love that surpassed the film itself. I can believe that. I couldn't find an embedding code, so instead I'll link to the site where they are up for viewing:


Juno Opening Credits





5) Strangers on a Train  (1951)


I'm including the opening scene of getting on the train as part of the titles, even though technically they've ended by this point. Hitchcock's opening to this film is just too good to be left off the list, and I have a feeling that were he a filmmaker now, the credits would have gone up during the shots of the shoes. Because all titles went before the movie back then, however, it is shown this way:







6) Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)


Tarantino is known for simple titles, and the opening scene of this movie combined with the opening song is just beautiful. It gives me chills every time I watch it.










7) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) / Spiderman  (2002)


They're both similar, they're both well done, and they're both composed by Danny Elfman. Therefore, I think they should be grouped together.










8) Se7en (1995)


I already reviewed this movie, but I needed to include it because the opening credits sequence is chilling. I also think the remix of "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails fits the theme of the film perfectly.






9) Marie Antoinette (2006)


This is one of my favorite movies, and I don't know if it would be if it didn't have the score that it does. That being said, I absolutely am in love with the punk-rock-style opening titles.






10) Dexter (2006-2009)


Okay, so I normally don't blog about TV shows, but anyone who has seen this show will know that the opening credits (which have stayed the same for four years, thank God) are fucking BRILLIANT. The creators took a mundane morning routine and made it the most creepy, sadistic image you could think of. If you haven't seen this show, watch the titles. They'll get you interested.