Jump to content

GamesBids' London 2012 Opening Ceremony Live Chat


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 1.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Saw most of the ceremony in private. It was good overall. Anyway, it will be interesting, if the IOC uploads the complete ceremony onto YouTube later on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasn't much longer than most shows and it was very, very British. The Olympics are an athletic and cultural display.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the whole I enjoyed it.

Too much video, bad dancing, "love story" needed to be axed.

I really liked "Green and Pleasant Land" but it was way too short. I was like.. stop putting those hills away. Reminds me of the water in Athens 2004, why go to the trouble if you're not going to make good use of it.

Wish the Hymn was sung.

I also disagree with not using former Olympians to light the flame, but I like the sentiment and approach of the cauldron.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I enjoyed it. Not as startling precise as Beijing, but a much more personality. Not as artistically stunning as Athens, but much more humility. Not the national awakening that Sydney was, but definitely a mirror of the Britain of today. That's the great thing about each of these ceremonies. They are all different.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RobH, Arwebb et al, look well done!

I wish there was more 'LONDON' in the ceremony...Jamming in a highspeed picture history of GB is an assault on the senses...sorry if you feel put out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i give it about a 7. I watched it all. First bit was boring farm and industrialization. But loved Mr bean and James Bond also the torch, flame, cauldron, oath etc at the end made it a really good ending so when i look back on it i remember the good parts. But definitely not the best by a long shot

Link to comment
Share on other sites

well, my streaming just went out.

Well, I was right about it coming out of the hole. Missed on the city/river burning.

Good job, United Britain!! Too bad Boyle messed up on most of the Artistic portion. But the Protocol parts seemed to have gone well.

No one could've guessed the whole pass-on-to-the-generation idea. Why 7?

OK; re the Artistic portion. Green & Pleasant was an OK idea to open with...but its spirit and energy barely got going into anything joyful...when it was immediately aborted and everyone started dismantling the set. And then, quickly turning it over to the Dark, Satanic Mills was laborious to watch. It was a mish-mash. There was too much activity going on. It was like being at Grand Central or Victoria stations at rush hour. The TV cameras could not seem to do justice to the rushed change-over. Who was where? What was happening? And before the various sections were getting introduced, it was cut to another one. It was just too turbulent.

NHS section was cute; I liked the bedtime-story idea...but I still don't understand why the NHS was singled out? I mean Danny Boyle's quirky idea? yeah, it was nice to see the Childcatcher character there from CHITTY CHITTY, but where was Food Glorious Food? Why could it not have been a salute to the British nanny instead? The doctors and nurses doing the jitterbug on the side was...uhmmm...a little too wacky?? (My cousin's wife once worked at that Greater Ormond Hospital.)

Now, the Contemporary bit. Lousy; been there; done it. One has seen that in a dozen TV shows, rock concerts, etc.,etc. And seemed such a try-too-hard attempt to honor the internet. Yeah, I guess mod/rock/grunge Britain or whatever just isn't my scene. Hated the grunge-Quebec segment in Vancouver, too.

It could've been grander, more glorious...and still quirky and funny under a more traditional creative mind's tutelege...not an edgy movie director.

Gotta run; more later.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HUGE dissapointment 3/10

And don't blame me for the points. Most of the comments on the net (except for the British...) are much more negative...

Holy Sh#t is it what!!!

Oh gawd when they start saying roll on RIO!!! and day one hasn't started yet!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, Netizens are always cynical critics. And the GamesBids stalls are always a tough audience anyway.

For me, hmmmmmmm. I'm tempted to say it's my favourite since Sydney (and I sure don't claim any objectivity over 2000). And the newest always seems the freshest.

Of course it wasn't perfect. But I'm always like a bit of bucking of tradition, and always always always love a bit of self-deprecation and humour, which the Brits shovelled on here in spadefuls. Even getting the Queen in the jokes.

And I did have two goosebump moments - the molten rings coming together and the Cauldron.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My favourite ever opening ceremony! Thank you London! There were some awkward segments, but overall I loved it!

Horrible. Absolutely horrid.

And there you have it in a nutshell. Some liked it all, some disliked it all, some liked certain parts only, some liked other parts only. I guess that's the way with these Olympic OCs. Has any one of them ever received universal praise from everybody??

My twopennyworth. I thought there was a bit too much emphasis on the Industrial Revolution and NHS segments at the expense of other bits of British history. They took up too much time. The Children's literature theme could have been expanded a bit more for instance. Also the individual music segments. The whole thing was packed and full of energy but the emphasis on youth was a bit too predictable and a tad too corny for my liking.

Loved the lighting effects and the fireworks. The cauldron was spectacular and original but I thought it looked a little low. Hope they place it a bit higher when they move it out of the centre of the stadium.

It was very quirky and original and British compared to the rather ponderous affairs of previous OCs. Not perfect by any means but I felt it certainly caught the Feelgood Factor and that, for me, is the only important thing about these ceremonies in the end!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think this one might be a grower, hey, can't be that bad if Im already watching one of the replays.

Not completely to my taste, but some nice moments and the cauldron lighting was really well done.

And hey, at least it didn't end with a pompous cringe worthy fat man poem about how amazing GB is. :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
×
  • Create New...