Olympic Opening Ceremony

[TheGreenKnight]

Watching the opening ceremony. AIBU in finding it boringly grim. Especially when compared to London 2012.

Lots of Brits thought our nhs section was odd too. However ours felt more relatable overall. This one was a Curate’s egg.

I was a bit underwhelmed tbh, didn't watch it all though. Assumed it was just me being a miserable cow and I'd come on here and everyone would be raving about it, though it seems sadly not!

Celine was fantastic though, well done to her and so lovely to see her performing again.

Also the boat down the Seine nicked from Beckham in 2012 Rafa, Serena, Carl Lewis and unknown person looked terrified as they were thrown about with only 1 pole to hold onto! 😱

It really wasn't. I didn't even watch all of "yours" as I found it rather boring. Still, it wouldn't be MN without a "Britiain is best" mentality would it.

Wow, this thread really is something. Why does it have to be UK vs France? I was at the opening ceremony in 2012 and yes it was amazing but the French have also clearly done a great job. It looked beautiful!

I think YABU, I loved it - stunningly well-organised and endlessly creative and inspired, the musical performances were first-rate and the metal horse going up the river was just beautiful. We really enjoyed it here.

We don’t have a Britain is best attitude at all. In the recent past, lots of people liked China’s. We could not outspend them so had to be more inventive. I think overall we were and we understand humour - the French didn’t use their President did they? Beheaded Marie Antoinettes wasn’t great for children to see she was Austrian! Every country has its quirks of history. The fact that no shelters were provided for the pianos seemed odd. Pop group on a building? Where have I seen that before?

@Utahthecat it's think that was one of the points to show other places look what we have (,#! £ and you can have it also)

?

I thought it was going to be the best ever we have a blue Dyson with balls.

Celine is Celine, amazing singer but no voice can sing that song like piaf. Give Celine a different song and let the little sparrows own voice ring out.

Madam Macron is not a Queen.
Queen Marie-Antoinette was represented holding her head.

I love the 2012 inspiration... re-living the Diamond Jubilee boat procession in a downpour. Wasn't Prince Philip taken ill from his drenching?

A unusual chouce of event for the deeply republican French to choose to recreate

To be fair, the cauldron and conclusion was quite impressive. I'm just glad I watched on a delay and could fast forward some if the more tedious bits.

That’s the difference - our Queen didn’t need to hold her beheaded head. We had the real thing!

Poor Prince Philip. I do fear for that elderly Olympian in the wheelchair tonight who passed the torch at the end. He got completely soaked 😢

It felt like those inter-song 'Postcard from Dubrovnik!' vignettes from Eurovision, with people rollerblading round a flower market, but for three hours.

The weather ruined it otherwise was pretty good
Loved the horse! Plus the real ones were stunning.

Britain isn't best by any means.

But our ceremony was and judging by twitter and the rest of social media the world agrees.

The French tried something different which was brave. Unfortunately it failed miserably.

It was amateurish.

Poor Serena looked like she was about to throw up.

I watched with my 8 & 10 year olds. I was surprised by how sexulaised it was especially the threesome library scenes, the in your face trans & the snogging.. Felt a little like social programming.

Cool.

I usually am a sceptic to exceptionalism as well, but the London 2012 opening ceremony was a pure stroke of genius. Successful referrals to everything UK citizens and international audiences know the UK for, ranging from celebrating the NHS to the Queen and Mr Bean. Really good music choices. It was genuinely surprising and funny, even emotional at times. As a non-Brit, still the one to beat for me. (And I had low expectations as the London bit at the Beijing 2008 closing ceremony was dreadful.) One of the few, perhaps even the last time, Britain was able to project proper soft power on the world stage in recent years.

Was the threesome not supposed to be a joke about the French inventing the Menage-a-trois?

Depends on what your twitter feed is. I am currently in the USA and the press / social media is raving about it. The British opening ceremony was very special (I was there and loved it) but the French one tonight was beautifully done, stylish, artistic, joyful and inclusive IMO.

The general view where I live is that people enjoyed it, and one person even thought it was the best ever, so you thinking they "failed" doesn't actually mean they did. The fact that it was different was the best thing about it

I found the 2012 ceremony a tad boring from memory, I didn't even watch it all. As for the cringeworthy NHS section