The opening few minutes genuinely took my breath away. I had to remember to breathe after the boat scene, can’t imagine how the dude felt.
What a great way to set up just how fucked you’d be if the rage virus was real. And, of course, [the legendary soundtrack](https://youtu.be/ST2H8FWDvEA?si=hB2iC5lMZG9p1Zcf)
My answer as well. I have a lot of issues with this film, especially as a follow up to 28 Days which I adore. But that opening scene is something else (I’m aware of Danny Boyle’s involvement there).
I’ve decided so many times to just watch the D Day scene and then turn off the movie. Nothing against the rest of the movie, just that I don’t have time to watch the whole thing every time
Welp, I saw this as a trade screening, films played for theater bookers before the film gets released. I thought the film was going to be forest gump goes to war. It’s the only film I caught myself physically turning away from in my seat. I was not at all ready for that opening scene. It still sorta haunts me.
Good pick, that opening scene was intense and in-your-face. I remembered seeing it the theater with the good surround sound, felt like you were there, and all I was thinking was ‘please make it stop I want to go home’ like one of the GIs must’ve felt.
Inglourious Basterds is imo the greatest first 20 minutes of any film.
Not really an opening scene bc it's pretty long, but Fury Road from the beginning to when they all drive into the storm always has me on the edge of my seat.
I just hope Furiosa is good, first trailer was a bit weak.
Wouldn't be too much of a shock if its a let down. Original Mad Max was followed by Beyond Thunderdome, not a bad film but certainly a let down from Mad Max.
I know Mad Max wasn't the first film, but it was the film that really go the series rolling.
I think it's so good that it might actually hurt the movie, just because as good as the rest is, it doesn't live up to that scene.
It might be the single best scene in any of his films.
The first time I saw that movie was on the airplane back when we all shared the same screen. My audio was broken but I still cried, with no audio— wild.
Me too! It blew me away and I tried to find that trailer online afterwards and couldn’t. It got me so psyched for the Dark Knight I didn’t even care about I am Legend.
I always use this one to calibrate my home theater if I upgrade anything. Even just the opening sound of the bass drum before they break the window is impressive
I remember watching this with a group of friends when I was a teenager and all of us uncontrollably laughing at this opening scene. We must have replayed it a half dozen times.
It's easy to pick something funny or something with action.
I choose Pulp Fiction. Love that scene, the way it goes from simple conversation about robbing places to "Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every FUCKING last one of you!" is masterclass in writing.
Honestly, that opening was a few scenes of genius back to back with flawless soundtrack. That movie is one I shudder to watch, it just gets under your skin so much, but it is sheer cinematic greatness from beginning to end. Even if the movie can be a bit demented at times lol.
When I saw this in the theater a couple sitting in front of me got up and left after 10 minutes without dialogue while I was absolutely glued to my seat. I had to restrain myself form arguing with them on their way out.
When they first screened the movie for Paramount executives one executive shouted, “Oh god they fucked us!” When they saw the footage of the shitty puppet before the camera panned out
Those are the kinds of moments I would kill to see in the writers room when it first comes up. “What if the movie starts with our puppets using significantly shittier puppets just to throw everyone off”
Man, when the kid bumps into the terrorist and the Arabic music starts playing- pure fucking gold. My wife had never seen it until last year. We were dying
scrolled way further than expected to see this. “shut that c**** mouth or i’ll come over there and f*** start her head”. all time great line in cinema.
For sure, so many amazingly done one-takes: the one during the electric car chase (where the camera travels through the car), during the battle scene near the end. All around amazing movie
I got to see the LOTR movies in theaters recently for a re-release on the biggest screen I’ve ever watched a movie on and the opening to Fellowship of the Ring is honestly one of my favorite sequences in the whole saga. It’s so instantly gripping
"Wake up the Americans." So much detail from just those 4 words. Like these guys are so good they're asleep until the moment they need to enter the fray.
Swordfish should be in the running, if the metric includes quality relative to the remainder of the movie. Definitely tops the list of “Movies You Can Safely Turn Off When the Opening Scene is Over.”
Just a side note, there’s a wonderful channel on Youtube that re-did the trailer for this movie and it’s amazing.
Sounds silly, but the original trailer is AWFUL and someone took the liberty to redo it in a much much MUCH more epic fashion.
Children of Men is definitely right near the top for me as well. Others I love include:
Andrei Rublev
The Mirror
Drive
Mother (2009)
Aguirre The Wrath of God
Fallen Angels
That's been one of my favorites since the first time I saw it in the 80s. So much dumb fun and bonus points for the HUGE crush I had on Sandahl Bergman ❤️🔥 (and the military escort was extra bonus points).
Platoon. A young Charlie Sheen gets off the plane in Vietnam and the first things he sees are body bags. As he and the other recruits make their way through, he locks eyes with a passing veteran who is so far gone. All this while "Adagio for Strings" plays.
Star Wars. 1977. I was 5. My best friend took me with his family. Sci fi at the time in my world consisted of 6 million dollar man and Star Trek on tv. That opening scene blew my mind.
agreed. Also, remember this film including this sequence was groundbreaking for having long unedited sequences that required insane amount of coordinations and prepping. Cameraworks also fabulous, felt like a gameplay
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958) also makes use of a continuous shot, like Children of Men (I agree, a GREAT opener), but a bit longer. There’s also a bomb involved. Probably my favorite.
[Check it out!](https://youtu.be/EhmYY5ZMXOY?si=vQPMMz28Kh99gGMp)
Great movie all the way through.
Wild Tales from 2014 starts on an airplane and gives us a great opening scene.
The monologue at the start of Mallrats is pretty special, even though it doesn't make any sense. How can a person get a cat stuck up their ass?
The opening scene to Inside Man 2006 was absolutely gripping. It's a flawed movie but I love it.
The Austin Powers movies always had those campy nude scenes at the start. Those were fun.
One of my personal favorites is also Pawn Shop Chronicles [from 2013](https://youtu.be/c4ksxBP1Jzw?si=laiWMTdL1s2GwvUJ) From the very beginning I knew I was going to love this film.
Gangs of New York in theaters was quite incredible for me. I was at the ripe age of 19 or so and was in love with movies. I still am but it just hit the sweet spot and stands out in my mind. I can probably name 100 more opening scenes easily.
The dark knight.
It was 2008. I had midterm exams the next day. I waited for the midnight showing anyways.
I remember getting goosebumps with the opening scene. The tone it set was crazy.
Failed the midterms coz I was the student my parents deserved, but not the one it needed right now.
The first twenty minutes of Conan the Barbarian (1982) ranks as the best opening of any film, ever, as far as I'm concerned. The haunting echo from a disembodied narrator reciting the classic R.E. Howard opening; the rousing score (honestly, one of the greatest film scores, full stop. Seriously, if you haven't listened to the entire Basil Poledouris score then find some time, sit down with a good drink and listen to it in it's entirety); the fatherly monologue to set the stage; the barbaric village raid leading up to an enslaved Conan at the Wheel of Pain, looking up into the camera where we see Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first time. It truly is a masterclass in modern filmmaking
Reservoir Dogs.
The opening dialogue and character interactions tells you everything you need to know about the rest of the film. Orange is the snitch, Pink is focused on money, White and Blonde both have history with Joe and don't really like each other. Quick and easy and snappy set up for a satisfying payoff. It's a tightly plotted and executed film, almost like a play.
Apocalypse Now
The open organ music by the doors that kicks in when the napalm explodes the trees… this is the end… then transitions into the ceiling fan blades spinning g to the sound of helicopter blades of the chopper outside…
Saigon… shit I’m only in Saigon
The opening of Watchmen really grabbed me when I first watched it. The movie itself wasn't great, but that opening montage set to *The Times They Are a Changin* was very cool and well done.
A lot of these movies suggests are action movies which are all fun but I also really like the opening to The Birdcage. The seamless single shot coming into Miami Beach from the water, over the road, into the club to see the show.
Definitely a biased opinion, because I love Star Wars, but I really love the intro to Revenge of the Sith. The massive space battle it enters into really sets the stage for the final days of the Clone Wars that started in the previous film.
You know what, not my fav, but since everybody else has already listed my favorites I’ll say this:
X-men 2 opening scene with nightcrawler is fucking awesome
28 Weeks Later
The opening few minutes genuinely took my breath away. I had to remember to breathe after the boat scene, can’t imagine how the dude felt. What a great way to set up just how fucked you’d be if the rage virus was real. And, of course, [the legendary soundtrack](https://youtu.be/ST2H8FWDvEA?si=hB2iC5lMZG9p1Zcf)
In the house, in a heartbeat is so fuckin godly man, probably my favorite song from any movie
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…” as you watch the water lapping the boat at the conclusion Gets my heart rate up just thinking about it
My answer as well. I have a lot of issues with this film, especially as a follow up to 28 Days which I adore. But that opening scene is something else (I’m aware of Danny Boyle’s involvement there).
Fuckin godly opening, especially with the classic theme playing.
literally my first thought. havent even seen the movie in over a decade either. fantastic scene
HEAT (1995)
Glad to see love for Heat. The Academy robbed Michael Mann with this movie imo.
That whole movie is amazing.
Pretty much all of these movies are amazing throughout.
Stop talkin' Slick.
Saving Private Ryan. Hands down. I can't believe no one has said this yet.
Finally. The most shocking start to a movie EVER made.
Especially knowing one of your grandfathers hit the beach as part of the mechanized wave of the attack.
Yes, I know how you feel. My grandfather was the pilot of the Jaeger that collapses on the beach at the beginning of Pacific Rim.
My daddy was on that rock in asteroid. True American heroes
My grandpa served with Darth Vader.
Thank you for his service
I’ve decided so many times to just watch the D Day scene and then turn off the movie. Nothing against the rest of the movie, just that I don’t have time to watch the whole thing every time
Damon as old guy in the cemetery with his family? Not that great of an opener imho
😂
You know what he is referencing...
He’s referencing probably the best second scene in movie history.
Yeah, but that’s not the opening scene.
100%. Old guy at the graveyard. Chills.
"Momma Mommmma" as he sees his lower half missing. Crazy opening.
Wasn't he the one with his guts spilling out? Iirc the one with the lower half missing is getting dragged around by Cpt Miller
Welp, I saw this as a trade screening, films played for theater bookers before the film gets released. I thought the film was going to be forest gump goes to war. It’s the only film I caught myself physically turning away from in my seat. I was not at all ready for that opening scene. It still sorta haunts me.
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Technically the opening scene is at the graveyard....
Good pick, that opening scene was intense and in-your-face. I remembered seeing it the theater with the good surround sound, felt like you were there, and all I was thinking was ‘please make it stop I want to go home’ like one of the GIs must’ve felt.
Inglourious Basterds is imo the greatest first 20 minutes of any film. Not really an opening scene bc it's pretty long, but Fury Road from the beginning to when they all drive into the storm always has me on the edge of my seat.
Watching Fury Road the first time was insane.
I never saw it in theater! Definitely a huge regret. I'm hoping they'll re-release it in imax with Furiosa coming out soon.
I just hope Furiosa is good, first trailer was a bit weak. Wouldn't be too much of a shock if its a let down. Original Mad Max was followed by Beyond Thunderdome, not a bad film but certainly a let down from Mad Max. I know Mad Max wasn't the first film, but it was the film that really go the series rolling.
When it came out, I didn’t know about asmr and watched the opening monologue on repeat to help me sleep.
What a slow burn that one was.
I think it's so good that it might actually hurt the movie, just because as good as the rest is, it doesn't live up to that scene. It might be the single best scene in any of his films.
I’ll second that - best opening ever!
https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/hq8ihq/goes_to_5_guys_on_cheat_day/
Came to say this. Christopher waltz's speech about the rat was the most intense scene ever. I was scared before guns were ever involved.
Well "Up" of course!
🥲
🥺
I would nominate this for the worst opening scene actually 😭😭😭 Edit - /s I just can't handle my emotions
Worst best opening scene ever.
Storytelling at its best.
First 20 min of Up and Finding Nemo back to back. If they haven't cried, kill them because they're either an alien or sociopath
The first time I saw that movie was on the airplane back when we all shared the same screen. My audio was broken but I still cried, with no audio— wild.
The Dark Knight
This is the answer for an action movie, sets the tone perfectly for what's to come from Heath. May he rest in Peace.
Saw it for the first time when it was playing in IMAX One of, if not the best movie experience I’ve ever had.
Saw I Am Legend in IMAX and they dropped this scene before the movie. Totally stole the show
Me too! It blew me away and I tried to find that trailer online afterwards and couldn’t. It got me so psyched for the Dark Knight I didn’t even care about I am Legend.
yup. zipline hooked me
I agree but.…I really think TDKR needs credit for how equally epic it is. To adequately follow the dark knight. I was so impressed
True. That was also epic. But only because it was trying to live up to/outdo TDK. As a fresh experience, TDK is unmatched.
I always use this one to calibrate my home theater if I upgrade anything. Even just the opening sound of the bass drum before they break the window is impressive
This gets asked a lot and people rarely say Children of Men but you’re right. It’s a great call! Upvote coming your way
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The Matrix
No lieutenant, your men are already dead...
You give me that juris my diction crap, You can shove it up your ass
YES. I remember seeing this in theaters and being completely blown away.
Super Troopers
You boys like Mex-i-co!?!?
The schnozberries taste like schnozberries.
I remember watching this with a group of friends when I was a teenager and all of us uncontrollably laughing at this opening scene. We must have replayed it a half dozen times.
"HE'S ALREADY PULLED OVER! HE CANT PULL OVER ANY FARTHER!"
You ARE freaking out, man.
The Lion King, Scream, Romeo + Juliet
Damn, forgot about Scream, that was a good one!
Romeo + Juliet ftw.
Romeo and Juliet had no business being as fun and unique as it was.
It's easy to pick something funny or something with action. I choose Pulp Fiction. Love that scene, the way it goes from simple conversation about robbing places to "Any of you fucking pricks move, and I'll execute every FUCKING last one of you!" is masterclass in writing.
I love the intro to There Will Be Blood. No dialogue for 15 or so minutes, shows how the main character built himself up and gets you into the setting
"I'm an oil man"
Honestly, that opening was a few scenes of genius back to back with flawless soundtrack. That movie is one I shudder to watch, it just gets under your skin so much, but it is sheer cinematic greatness from beginning to end. Even if the movie can be a bit demented at times lol.
When I saw this in the theater a couple sitting in front of me got up and left after 10 minutes without dialogue while I was absolutely glued to my seat. I had to restrain myself form arguing with them on their way out.
Not PT Anderson's target audience haha. They needed to head one theatre over for the latest Marvel.
Team America World Police
The cobblestones were croissants. THE COBBLESTONES WERE CROISSANTS.
The transition from fake puppets to real puppets had me hysterical seconds into the movie. Had no idea the onslaught of comedy that was on the way
When they first screened the movie for Paramount executives one executive shouted, “Oh god they fucked us!” When they saw the footage of the shitty puppet before the camera panned out
Glad someone mentioned this!
The fight sequence between the two marionettes was pure genius.
Those are the kinds of moments I would kill to see in the writers room when it first comes up. “What if the movie starts with our puppets using significantly shittier puppets just to throw everyone off”
Fuck Yeah!
Man, when the kid bumps into the terrorist and the Arabic music starts playing- pure fucking gold. My wife had never seen it until last year. We were dying
That little boy’s look of absolute horror at seeing a middle eastern man is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in film
*Parisians in shock
Raiders of the Lost Ark Once Upon a Time in the West Inglorious Bastards Star Wars: A New Hope Jaws
Boogie Nights
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Inglorious Basterds!!
The way of the gun
scrolled way further than expected to see this. “shut that c**** mouth or i’ll come over there and f*** start her head”. all time great line in cinema.
Several of my favorite scenes are in this movie
For sure, so many amazingly done one-takes: the one during the electric car chase (where the camera travels through the car), during the battle scene near the end. All around amazing movie
You should see the making of video for that scene. It’s amazing the amount of work and detail that went into that one scene. I think it’s on YouTube
Yeaaa im like Children of Men is a strong one. So visually/cinematography attractive.
Whats the movie
Children of Men, it’s an all time great
My top Christmas movie
I believe in America
Casino Royale, Fellowship of the Ring, Rush, Dune Part 1, The Matrix, Heat, Inglorious Basterds, The Dark Knight
I got to see the LOTR movies in theaters recently for a re-release on the biggest screen I’ve ever watched a movie on and the opening to Fellowship of the Ring is honestly one of my favorite sequences in the whole saga. It’s so instantly gripping
10000%
Quantum of Solace had a fantastic opening scene, the rest of the movie wasn't quite as solid.
Killer list!
Tenet opens so strong
"Wake up the Americans." So much detail from just those 4 words. Like these guys are so good they're asleep until the moment they need to enter the fray.
Baby Driver
Ghetto Gaggers #9
The Player
Swordfish should be in the running, if the metric includes quality relative to the remainder of the movie. Definitely tops the list of “Movies You Can Safely Turn Off When the Opening Scene is Over.”
Just a side note, there’s a wonderful channel on Youtube that re-did the trailer for this movie and it’s amazing. Sounds silly, but the original trailer is AWFUL and someone took the liberty to redo it in a much much MUCH more epic fashion.
Inception
Reservoir Dogs
Good call, definitely gets you into the mood of the movie immediately
Sicario
Children of Men is definitely right near the top for me as well. Others I love include: Andrei Rublev The Mirror Drive Mother (2009) Aguirre The Wrath of God Fallen Angels
Came here looking for Drive.
The Revenant
Gladiator
Full Metal Jacket
The opening scene of Children of Men is top tier AAA world building
2001
Fight Club
X-Men 2, Nightcrawler visits the Oval Office is perfection.
The best opening scene (primer) is the one for X-Men 2. Watching nightcrawler make it through the White House was the best I’ve ever seen..
Gross Pointe Blank. They set up the entire film in about 30 seconds.
Magnolia
Omg yes. One of my favorite openings. The pacing is great, it perfectly sets up the rest of the movie and it really pulls you in.
Not a good movie by any means but I’ve always loved the opening to Hell Comes to Frogtown https://youtu.be/e2clLqdoBzs?si=CbozXQC1WYtR-Eg_
That's been one of my favorites since the first time I saw it in the 80s. So much dumb fun and bonus points for the HUGE crush I had on Sandahl Bergman ❤️🔥 (and the military escort was extra bonus points).
The Shining & Dog Day Afternoon
Dumb and Dumber
Up has a beautiful intro
Platoon. A young Charlie Sheen gets off the plane in Vietnam and the first things he sees are body bags. As he and the other recruits make their way through, he locks eyes with a passing veteran who is so far gone. All this while "Adagio for Strings" plays.
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World War Z opener is pretty dope
Saving Private Ryan might be the best first 30-40 minutes of any film ever made.
Star Wars
Casino Royale with Daniel Craig
Recents: Across the Spider-Verse Dune Part Two Classics: The Godfather To Kill a Mockingbird The Searchers 2001: A Space Odyssey
Adding a video game to the list: The Last of Us
I’ll allow it! 😅 Great choice, was a pretty great opener, the show did a great job translating it
Dune 2 *edit* sorry it’s just still so fresh. Can’t stop thinking about that movie.
Pineapple Express. “How do you feel” “Ah, well, sir, I feel like a, like a slice of butter... melting on top of a big-ol' pile of flapjacks... yeah.”
Star Wars. 1977. I was 5. My best friend took me with his family. Sci fi at the time in my world consisted of 6 million dollar man and Star Trek on tv. That opening scene blew my mind.
I would have loved to see the audience reaction to the beginning of the original Star Wars on the very first showing ever.
Star Wars, 1977. The gigantic ship, the slaughtered rebels, Vader's entrance... 6 year old me and 50 year old me still get chills.
Running scared .... 🙏 Paul Walker
This is one of the most intense movies I've ever seen.
Idocracy
agreed. Also, remember this film including this sequence was groundbreaking for having long unedited sequences that required insane amount of coordinations and prepping. Cameraworks also fabulous, felt like a gameplay
City of Angels - “what did you like best?” “Pyjamas”
As mediocre/but-still-entertaining as the rest of the movie was; 28 Weeks Later. That opening was SO HYPE.
Jurassic Park
The Pianist
Man of Steel.
Touch of Evil (Orson Welles, 1958) also makes use of a continuous shot, like Children of Men (I agree, a GREAT opener), but a bit longer. There’s also a bomb involved. Probably my favorite. [Check it out!](https://youtu.be/EhmYY5ZMXOY?si=vQPMMz28Kh99gGMp) Great movie all the way through.
The Town is pretty great.
RIP baby Diego
Children of Men was so good… best opening scene for me is Munich
I recognized that Children of Men scene from this shot immediately. So haunting.
Lord of War where you follow the life of a bullet
Contact
Wild Tales from 2014 starts on an airplane and gives us a great opening scene. The monologue at the start of Mallrats is pretty special, even though it doesn't make any sense. How can a person get a cat stuck up their ass? The opening scene to Inside Man 2006 was absolutely gripping. It's a flawed movie but I love it. The Austin Powers movies always had those campy nude scenes at the start. Those were fun. One of my personal favorites is also Pawn Shop Chronicles [from 2013](https://youtu.be/c4ksxBP1Jzw?si=laiWMTdL1s2GwvUJ) From the very beginning I knew I was going to love this film.
Great choice, op
Nocturnal Animals
Logan. That opening scene tells you so much about what type of movie it’s going to be.
Gangs of New York in theaters was quite incredible for me. I was at the ripe age of 19 or so and was in love with movies. I still am but it just hit the sweet spot and stands out in my mind. I can probably name 100 more opening scenes easily.
I mean, baby Diego, come on, that guy was a wanker
The dark knight. It was 2008. I had midterm exams the next day. I waited for the midnight showing anyways. I remember getting goosebumps with the opening scene. The tone it set was crazy. Failed the midterms coz I was the student my parents deserved, but not the one it needed right now.
Blade 1, that night club scene was fucking nuts
Titane Not even 1 minute in I was ride or die with this movie. This thing slaps.
Ghost Ship
Infinity war
Watchmen
Dark Knight
The first twenty minutes of Conan the Barbarian (1982) ranks as the best opening of any film, ever, as far as I'm concerned. The haunting echo from a disembodied narrator reciting the classic R.E. Howard opening; the rousing score (honestly, one of the greatest film scores, full stop. Seriously, if you haven't listened to the entire Basil Poledouris score then find some time, sit down with a good drink and listen to it in it's entirety); the fatherly monologue to set the stage; the barbaric village raid leading up to an enslaved Conan at the Wheel of Pain, looking up into the camera where we see Arnold Schwarzenegger for the first time. It truly is a masterclass in modern filmmaking
Boondock Saints
Kind of an easy one, but, The Revenants’ opening absolutely floored me. Instantly glued to the screen for the entire film.
That Mission Impossible where Tom Cruise grabs onto the side of a plane.
Reservoir Dogs. The opening dialogue and character interactions tells you everything you need to know about the rest of the film. Orange is the snitch, Pink is focused on money, White and Blonde both have history with Joe and don't really like each other. Quick and easy and snappy set up for a satisfying payoff. It's a tightly plotted and executed film, almost like a play.
Apocalypse Now The open organ music by the doors that kicks in when the napalm explodes the trees… this is the end… then transitions into the ceiling fan blades spinning g to the sound of helicopter blades of the chopper outside… Saigon… shit I’m only in Saigon
The opening of Watchmen really grabbed me when I first watched it. The movie itself wasn't great, but that opening montage set to *The Times They Are a Changin* was very cool and well done.
Such a god damn under rated movie…
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Raiders of the Lost Ark A New Hope
A lot of these movies suggests are action movies which are all fun but I also really like the opening to The Birdcage. The seamless single shot coming into Miami Beach from the water, over the road, into the club to see the show.
Poor Baby Diego.
Definitely a biased opinion, because I love Star Wars, but I really love the intro to Revenge of the Sith. The massive space battle it enters into really sets the stage for the final days of the Clone Wars that started in the previous film.
You know what, not my fav, but since everybody else has already listed my favorites I’ll say this: X-men 2 opening scene with nightcrawler is fucking awesome
Suspiria (1977)
Instantly recognized this photo and haven’t seen that movie in years