What makes a great movie title? To me, it’s like porn: You know it when you see it. What are some of the best and worst movie titles of all times? I’m not talking about the quality of the movie—in fact, you get bonus points for a bad movie with a great title and visa versa, and super double bonus points for a really bad movie whose success was almost certainly the result of a snazzy title.
Great:
Citizen Kane.
It’s got a great, snappy rhythm, it tells you who the movie is about, and lends a general sense of grandeur to the proceedings.
Bad:
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Your first reaction to this title is: “What the hell does that mean?” And the curious, good kind of “What the hell is that?” either. I know it was a video game adaptation, but still. It sucks.
Good:
Trainspotting. Never seen it, but I’d like to. It’s got a somewhat cryptic but engaging title.
Jaws. Short, one word, aggressive sounding–great for a thriller.
The Prestige. Strange, but intruging. Doesn’t actually have anything to do with actual magic (the stages of a magic trick were made up for the book, also called the Prestige), but the title does evoke magic (sounds like prestidigator, which is what the author of the book was going for).
Bad:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Others may disagree…I think it’s a little too dull sounding. (I know, I know, it’s about secret agents. But still.)
Damn, I didn’t even see this shockingly similar thread. Great minds think alike, I guess.
To me, the all-time greatest title for a play (later a movie) is Children of a Lesser God. The entire play is summed up in the title.
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Wow, I came in to post that and it was already in the OP. What an amazingly crappy movie title.