Wednesday, March 6, 2013

[15] The Upcoming Adult Presents: 18 Favourite Character Introductions


Getting into a movie is the hardest part about watching a movie I'd say - and it's also the reason why a lot of people (including most of my friends and acquaintances) choose tv shows over the demanding task of watching movies. A good way to escape the "intro trap" is a solid, either very surprising or very cool character introduction. That way, you have the audience's attention right from the beginning and their curiosity for the character and story will shorten the complicated intro phase.
Even I can have problems beginning new movies, especially when I haven't been in the watching-habit for a while, and I have found entertaining introductions - kind of like a cliffhanger at the beginning of a movie - to be especially effective when it comes to really "stepping into" the movie.

Here are some of my favourites...


Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
One of the best examples of the surprise factor, playing with our expectations from movie tradition.


Scott Pilgrim
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
This movie uses a lot of comic book effects which immediately grabbed my attention.




Hanna
Hanna
A cool one-liner and a murder would be cool enough for an introduction even if it weren't for the fact that this is a teenage girl.



Borat
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Provocation always works for me.




Hannibal Lecter
Silence of the Lambs
Simple yet very effective: it's all about Hopkins' body-language and intonation.


Aman Mathur
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Aman is introduced - very subtly - as the angel that is going to save the world, slash, Naina's world. It probably would've been too much if it weren't for the wonderful Shah Rukh.




Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette
Provocation again, with the Queen of France bathing in cake to the sound of a rock'n'roll song that didn't even exist in her time.



Dolores/ Lolita
Lolita
You can see the whole movie in this one little clip - yet you want to continue watching it. That's pretty awesome.





Il Padrino
The Godfather
Gangster coolness at its very best - and yes, this movie is a very bad role model. Even I considered joining the NYC mafia after this.





Alma
Turn Me On, Dammit
Something I've never seen in a movie before, mixing discomfort and provocation. A triumph, in a way.





Tyler Durden
Fight Club
May I present to you, ladies and gentlemen: Coolness.




Satine
Moulin Rouge
Spectacular, spectacular!





Dr. Frank 'n' Furter
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
I have never before been in love with a character so much, and a lot of that is due to this introduction. This is style.



Alex
A Clockwork Orange
That stare is going to both kill you and after that revitalize you.





Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump
It's a cliche, but this is still one of my favourite mottos of all time.





Juno
Juno
The way she just walks along the road with that juice bottle in her hand sets the tone for this fluffy little comedy - and leaves you enough time to wonder where she might be heading.



Ajay Chauvan (I know, it's basically Ajay Devgan)
Gundaraj
Yep, this is what was cool in the 90s Bollywood universe - and I love it!





Will Freeman
About a Boy
Nonchalant and charming, while somehow down-to-earth - this certainly makes you want to see more of Will.


What introductions did I miss, any suggestions?



12 comments:

  1. We have quite a few in common, yaay!
    Great list.

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  2. Awesome list! I love how everyone was introduced in Scott Pilgrim, those little effects made the film so much more fun to watch.

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    1. It's what makes me love the movie so much - otherwise it wouldn't have been so special I think!
      Thanks :)

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  3. Oh my, you have so many amazing choices, even some I didn't expect but agree with like Marie Antoinette. Great list.

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  4. Nicely done. I read the title, and the very first image in my head was Alex Delarge.

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  5. all pretty epic, Sparrow is definitely one of the most memorable ones!

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    Replies
    1. I searched for some inspiration on google and he was in nearly every list I could find.

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  6. Great picks. Hannibal was on my list as well. What a simple, but haunting character intro that is.

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Let the discussion begin!