Top 5 James Bond Title Sequences

Usually I post some stupid, mildly amusing video with a stupid, mildly amusing joke, but this time I’ve decided to mix it up a bit and dip my toes into a familiar blog staple:  the top X list.

So with that I present to you my first hastily thought out list:

THE TOP 5 JAMES BOND TITLE SEQUENCES!!!

(polite clapping)

5)  Goldfinger (1964)

One of the most iconic movie intros, Goldfinger was really the first time all the classic elements of a Bond title sequence really came together and made sense.  Yes, From Russia With Love did the “images going across the sexy girls” first, but the music didn’t match and the transitions made you wonder if you sniffed your gluestick just a teensy bit too much.  With Goldfinger you had it all, with an amazing song that just says “BOND”*!

*even though she’s actually saying Goldfinger….

4)  Licence to Kill (1989)

All the Bond staples are here:  dancing girls, silhouettes, guns, a sexy song, but what makes Licence to Kill truly stand out is its transitions (the camera, the playing chip, etc.) and use of rich lush colors.  Is it dated?  Yes, it’s pure 80s and that comes out immediately, but it’s great 80s.

3)  Goldeneye (1995)

After a protracted legal battle that lasted six years a new Bond film was finally released.  That film was Goldeneye, and in it starred Pierce Brosnan, who was originally slated to play Bond during the Dalton years, but was contractually obligated to finish Remington Steele.

This title sequence is an amazing piece of cinematography, and like many of the best Bond openings it retains the signature while adding its own bold flourishes.  You can practically feel the ghosts of the Cold War creeping on your back.

2)  Casino Royale (2006)

In 2002, Brosnan’s last Bond film, Die Another Day, had been panned as a “dissapointment” by critics and a “ridiculous turd” by fans.  After 4 long years it was time for a reboot, and that meant stripping the extraneous and making a badder Bond, a leaner Bond, a better Bond, and with that mindset came Casino Royale.

This title sequence is like no other, and in a good way.  No dancing girls, no sexy, sultry woman on the mike.  This was Bond as alpha male, and the title sequence reflects that.  One gun on screen?  Screw that noise, let’s make it dozens!  Bond seducing ladies?  No!  Bond beating the Hell out of silouhettes?  HELL YES!  And it was awesome.

1)  The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

I love this title sequence so much.

It starts off with a bang, as Bond snowboards straight off a snowy cliff and tugs on the parachute which shoots out a massive Union Jack, then it transitions to the title sequence and who do you hear but Carly Simon singing one of the most awesome songs ever recorded for a movie:  Nobody Does It Better.

Also, tiny woman doing gymnastics on a gun.