7. Star Wars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z33-qOXOWS4 Though technically not the first thing we see in Star Wars - that honour belongs to the text, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" followed by the iconic text scrawl - it is the first image of George Lucas' immensely popular universe, and it's a perfect way to let viewers know what they're in for. This shot is also a potent reminder to jaded fans just how the series went wrong; this shot, concerned entirely with the wondrous aspect of the titular Star Wars themselves, is far and away from the convoluted dialogue and muddled political dialogues that came to bloat Lucas' new trilogy of prequels. Lucas claims that he drew influence from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey (which I'll be dealing with later), and the parallels - of a ship coming in from above to fill the frame - are obvious. Nevertheless, Lucas managed to craft an iconic visual epoch on his own merits here, something he's never been able to match with his newer spate of films from the franchise.
Shaun Munro
Contributor
Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.
See more from
Shaun