London 2012: Grading Each Segment of the Olympic Opening Ceremony

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle was given the impossible task of organizing and directing the opening ceremony for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Boyle had a lot to live up to—especially after Beijing's incredible display in 2008—but it was most important that Great Britain made the 2012 opening ceremonies its own.

Let's take a look at the different segments of the opening ceremony and how each fared.

Industrial Revolution

On the back of the Industrial Revolution, the stage was transformed from the rural setup it initially was to one that was more suitable for the rest of the ceremony's festivities. Giant smoke stacks rose up out of nowhere to give a realistic, industrial feel.

What a creative use of history to spruce up what otherwise would have been a boring stage change.

While the costumes and dirty faces were an accurate portrayal of factory workers, the dancing men in suits were nothing short of awkward-looking.

Soon, the smoke stacks would clear and the five Olympic rings rained down sparks from the sky, lighting up the entire stage in what was a visually stunning aspect of the stage transformation.

This segment did drag on a little too long, leaving it just short of a near-perfect grade.

Grade: B+

Queen Elizabeth and James Bond

James Bond (Daniel Craig) had to pick up Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace and take her to the Olympic stadium. Both took a helicopter ride to the event that ended far differently than anyone could have imagined.

Upon arriving above the Olympic stadium, Queen Elizabeth did her own version of 007 and hopped out of the helicopter, parachuting to the ground.

It was a side of the Queen we have never seen before, and it was one of the more memorable entrances to an opening ceremony in the history of the Olympics.

Bravo on this one. If memorable was what the director of this ceremony was going for, he got it done.

Grade: A+

Health Care and Mary Poppins

Real doctors and nurses took part in this segment, as the theme seemed to have been the well-being of children and the overall stature of the United Kingdom's healthcare system.

It personally took me back to my childhood to see some of the famed fictional characters from children's literature on stage. Using villains, the theme turned to children's nightmares, and boy, did the kids look scared.

However, Mary Poppins quickly came to the rescue and helped rid the children of their nightmares.

I might have felt young again during all this, but watching a country celebrate its healthcare system in the opening ceremony of the Olympics left me puzzled.

Grade: C

Mr. Bean and 'Chariots of Fire'

Who didn't like the movie Chariots of Fire and its theme song?

To add to this segment's already awesome nature, based solely on the playing of the Chariots of Fire theme song, Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) handled the keyboard with relative ease, comically striking the same note while checking his iPhone.

As a truly consummate professional, Bean was able to keep his note while sneezing, playing with an umbrella and even during a dream sequence. That sequence saw Bean fall behind a pack of British runners during a race on a beach before hopping in a car and burning right past them to help him win the race.

We haven't seen Mr. Bean on television in a long time, but there's no doubt his act never gets old.

Grade: A

Celebration of the World Wide Web

I understand the relevance of technology in this day and age, but this segment fell far short of what it was intended to be: The celebration of the creation of the World Wide Web.

Teenagers were seen texting and making status updates at first, but that was quickly followed by dancing to different generations of British music being played in the background.

In the end, it felt more like a celebration of music and youth, but that's not exactly what this segment was originally billed as. If not for the playing of "Bohemian Rhapsody," this would have completely failed.

This segment was far too disorganized to successfully get the message across.

Grade: D

Procession of Athletes

What can you say about the procession of the Olympic athletes that hasn't already been said?

It's great to see all the athletes from across the globe, and in the process, you might actually get a little geography lesson and learn the names of countries otherwise unknown to the average person.

Here's to learning something new watching the opening ceremonies.

Grade: A

Beatles Cover and Doves on Bikes

The band Arctic Monkeys did a near-perfect cover of The Beatles song "Come Together" in this segment.

To go along with that performance, cyclists dressed up as doves rode around the stage in what was a spectacular visual to behold. It appeared the stage was covered in the birds that normally symbolize peace, and the message was quite clear.

Great job getting the point across in this one.

Grade: A

David Beckham

After being snubbed for Great Britain's soccer team, David Beckham was tasked with driving the Olympic torch into the stadium via speedboat.

Beckham looked sharp in his suit and sported a large grin while the torchbearer rode shotgun.

It was a well-deserved responsibility for one of the true faces of the country and a man responsible for helping bring the 2012 Summer Olympics to London.

Although, I'm not entirely sure Beckham was actually driving the boat.

Grade: B

Lighting of the Cauldron

Speculation was running wild in regard to who would light the Cauldron, but in the end, it was a letdown of sorts.

Instead of it being a big-name star helping the Olympic torch to its final destination, a group of children and young adults, aged 16 to 19, ushered it in. That was certainly the last thing anyone expected.

Everyone loves kids, but in this instance, they were the reason why this segment of this ceremony fell flat.

By no fault of their own, of course.

Grade: C

Paul McCartney Performance

One of the greatest performers in the history of music, Paul McCartney made his way to the stage in order to blow the roof off the place.

And he did just that.

Playing to a crowd that was very accepting of his performance, McCartney brought it way back with his latest rendition of "Hey Jude."

The former Beatle was nothing short of marvelous, and it was a fitting end to the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Games.

Grade: A+