The Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony Was Meh At Best

[Anonymous]

First off, I want to say, a huge congrats to anyone who has to try and pull off an Olympics opening ceremony. It's complicated to say the least, and this year was made that much more complicated by the fact that it basically monsooned on all the athletes, performers, dignitaries, and celebrities, but the show went on, but that still didn't make it rise above a mere "meh" for me.

To me, a good opening ceremony pays homage to the host country, the history of the olympics, recognizes its current and past athletes, and provides entertainment. I think Paris missed the mark.

BOAT NOPE: I loved the idea in theory, hated the execution. Designers worked long and hard and paid good money to have those opening ceremony uniforms displayed and you could only see them waist up, in darkness, passing under a bridge, or covered unfortunately in rain ponchos and umbrellas. It was also hard to see any athlete in such a jumbled up bunch on these boats often shot at a distance, vs. an indoor stadium style where multiple cameras can focus up close.

Second, some athletes were not directed into which camera to look so when it was their big, and for some of them, only "big" moment at the Olympics, to say hi and wave thanks. They were facing the wrong direction. South Korea was also noted as "North Korea" by announcers which didn't bode well because we all know how well those two get along.

OPENING ACT: One does not expect the opening act in France to be the famed French singer...Lady Gaga?!? I mean surely in all of France, there was someone of the equivalent that could have led the show. I mean, she did her thing, but when in France, be French, eh?

PARKOUR: Typically these ceremonies have some children, or athletes, or symbolic thing to lead the way through and tie the ceremony together, but nameless, faceless parkour guy got to be really boring and it just kind of went on at points, and didn't provide much interest. Also nameless faceless person on silver horse riding down the river was clearly used to stall so the last of the boated athletes could be seated, but it dragged on an on and on.

FASHION SHOW: A lot of people had issues with this for various reasons, and you're welcome to that, but none of that bothered me about it, but what did was again, how bloated this part of the show became. It's a fashion show and yet I saw the same guy at least 8 times because they kept panning back to it intermittently. This just became boring as well.

TOO AMBITIOUS: Again, the idea of having all of these performers across the length of the Seine was interesting, but the execution felt so helter skelter. I felt like I got tickets to 12 different shows that were all playing at once. Look here, look there, look back here.

GOOD BITS: I thought both Lady Gaga and Celine Dion held their own, especially Celine considering her health issues. Again, kudos to all the performers who did this with no practice in the space for many of them, and in monsoon rains. Kudos for celebrating everyone, everywhere, something that isn't often seen or celebrated. The heavy metal mashup, was awesome. Unexpected, and really cool. And the most French bit of pure excellence, was Axelle Saint-Cirel singing “La Marseillaise”, the national anthem of France, on the rooftop, in the rain, draped in a stunning dress featuring the colors of the French flag. It is worth noting, that what was left of the soggy crowd, joined in and sang along with her.

RATING: So if I had to give this a rating out of ten, it's a 6 for me. There were parts that stood out, but as a whole, way too disjointed, needed better coordinated filler bits, wished I could have seen more of the actual athletes that waited their whole lives to get there, and it just didn't feel as French as it could have been. When the most recent shows in Tokyo, London, Rio, and Beijing were finished, I felt that spirit of togetherness, I was definitely entertained, I felt like the countries showed me all their best of the best, but I literally left in and out watching this one because it just felt like a lot of waiting around for something to happen and then when it did, it wasn't that great.

[Anonymous]

Meh at best? That is being very charitable.

The Paris opening ceremony was horrible. There were very few redeeming qualities, but a ton of ridiculously bad things that far outweighed anything positive.

Was it surprising? Not in the least. It was exactly what the world has come to expect from the French, and from Parisians in particular.

I know not all French are disgustingly arrogant, self-important people who think far more highly of themselves than anyone else does, but the rest of the French should do something about it. And yet they don't.

[snowboarder720]

It is placed in France so expect the French culture to be there. Your criticism of it being “meh at best” means it didn’t pertain to your liking because it wasn’t meant for you. Just because you don’t enjoy French culture doesn’t mean it was ‘meh’ whatever that means.

[myTake Owner]

I clearly said I wished it to be more French considering it was set in France and compared to other opening ceremonies that really honored their host country, this did not rise to the occasion.

[Nikki1989]

I only watched the metal band. I haven't and will not watch any of the rest.

[ohsheeT]

It was really kind of stupid. And in its own way kind of disgusting. I would hope that we're not becoming who we are watching on TV I mean our world

[shortster]

I don't like that they celebrated the death of the last Queen of France; when the only crime she committed was to marry the crown Prince of France to bring about peace between France and Austria.

[Drewtate]

Badly organised

[strateguy632]

I disagree