We all know the feeling of watching a movie and seeing that big Title Card drop. Whether it’s Captain America’s resolve to find Thanos in Avengers: Endgame or James Bond shooting the screen through the barrel of a gun. But how many title card sequences do you see with bad ass music to go along with it? That is why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World has my pick for Note the Drop.
Something y’all should know about me is that I am a HUGE fan of this movie. It’s easily in my top 5 of all time. Maybe someday I’ll do a deep dive into the glory that is this film and what it means to me, but for now I’m gonna focus on the title card sequence.
I am a sucker for Indie Rock, and boy howdy does this movie do indie rock well. This is complemented by the comic book aesthetic that runs wild in this movie, and only seems to amplify how I feel about this opening sequence. Did you know the actors actually learned how to play music for this film? Yeah, isn’t that WILD? How many movies do we see where the cast actually plays the music that they perform? It was such an unnecessary touch that I think ended up being one of the biggest boons this film has to offer. The music feels intimate; especially so with the setting of the opening sequences being a living room. The sound of blown out speakers and heavy distortion really just does it for me with this kind of music. It makes you feel like you’re right there, watching it live in some dive bar.
The cinematography also amplifies the scene as it only compliments the music. There isn’t some wildly ambitious camera move with ‘Dutch Angles’. There is just a simple camera pull as the music builds and builds, until eventually the music drops and reveals the title card, and then goes straight into the opening credits. And the best part is, they keep it simple. They don’t over complicate things with crazy shots in the credits. It’s just the actors’ names on grungy panels with some cool visuals. The music is the forefront of the whole thing, and I really think that was the best move they could have made.
I find myself being pulled in every time I see this sequence, and the ending mimics my feelings when I first watched it. There is an expression of absolute bewilderment on Knives Chao’s face, who quite literally has stars in her eyes, that matches the same expression I had. This sequence just rocks so hard. I cannot recommend this movie enough. There were so many music numbers I wanted to pick for this event, that I could probably write a freaking college essay on it. Maybe I’ll do that one day. Anyways, watch this movie. You won’t regret it. Edgar Wright, you are a god among men.
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