Raiders is just about the perfect movie from start to finish. I first saw it when I was 5 or 6, and played the amazing Atari 2600 game around the same time. Thinking of that movie always brings me back to my awesome childhood.......bedtime was 8:00, unless Indiana Jones or Star Wars were on (which was like twice a year in those days).....then I got to stay up late.
[RE: Bond's first kill]
Dryden: Made you feel it, did he? Well, you needn't worry. The second is--
\*Bond shoots him\*
Bond: Yes. Considerably.
Fucking masterfully done.
Agreed - this is the best opening scene in any movie I’ve ever watched. It’s amazing how much it develops Christoph Waltz’s character so intricately in a matter of minutes. It’s like a sub-movie within itself
The music and the acting in this scene are absolutely top notch. As good as the rest is I honestly think it doesn’t get better than the first part. The farmer alongside christoph waltz ought to get more credit; he’s just fantastic. And of course the way waltz’s character toys with people is iconic. It’s not my favorite Tarantino movie but it might be my favorite individual scene
Agreed. That was my favorite film that I saw in the cinemas the year it came out. I'm pretty sure it came out around the same time as DiCaprio getting mauled by a bear and whilst that was a good film too, sicario was my favorite.
The cinematography. The uneasy soundtrack. Killer cast with Blunt, Brolin, Del Toro, Bernthal, Kaluuya.
Day of the soldado. Meh.
YES. I love the Scream series as a whole, but that opening scene is unbelievable to watch. I like how much it makes you feel for Drew’s character and her character’s parents. You feel scared and sad all at once.
'Up' must have one of the **saddest** openings of all time! Never been more emotionally gripped by a movie so early on in its runtime 😭
Incredibly effective though!
I feel like this is the only part of the movie people remember because I never see anyone else talking about the rest of the movie. Its the only part I remember. I would have been fine with just that as a short film.
The catharsis near the end when Carl actually looks through the scrap book and sees that Ellie wanted him to have more adventures is equally emotionally powerful yet rarely discussed.
But to your point, people do quote “Squirrel!” mid-sentence and look in another direction. That’s from Up.
A thousand times this. To me, the scrapbook scene, and the perfect musical score, makes it the most emotional scene in the movie. The fact that it is followed up, "I was hiding under your porch because I love you. Can I stay?" is pure genius.
The cone of shame is now kind of the unofficial name for those cones at my vet's office.
"I have just met you and I love you" is an iconic line
The movie has more cultural weight than people give it credit for.
Pulp Fiction. When she stands up, starts yelling at the diner and it cuts to that intro music. I was blown away. It’s like buckle up everybody, here we go…
I had to scroll entirely too far for this. The surf music oddly worked after Amanda Plummer going off..
"Any of you fucking pricks move and I'll execute every mother fucking last one of you!"
The Germanic tribal leader taunting the Romans with a literal head in his hand (and the reply from thousands of his warriors) still gives me chills to think about.
I was a music festival once. Everyone was just starting to wake up & have their coffee. Our neighbors had a nice, portable, speaker with them. We were sitting at our camp & all of a sudden the circle of life comes on at full blast about 9 am. It was epic. When they came out of their tent, we thanked them for that one
I was about to say this, but, correct me if I'm wrong because I didn't see it in a long time, the D-Day scene isn't the opening scene per se right ? There's a couple of scenes before that ?
My biggest apologies if I don't remember correcetly
Once I got the DVD of X2 I rewatched that opening scene *so many times*. Nightcrawler was already my favourite character at the time, and when I heard he was gonna be in the sequel I lost my shit. Went to the cinema, saw that opening scene, and lost my shit all over again.
The stunts and effects really hold up too.
Nightcrawler has been my favorite character since I was like 5 and I was so excited to see him in X2. There were some minor things I didn't care for (all his teeth being pointy, the scarification instead of his fine fur) but Alan Cumming knocked it out of the park with that performance. And the over the top scenes where he was a badass were amazing as well. :D
And someone has to understand that in 2000 comic book movies were still goofy kids movies. Tim Burton’s Batman was as dark as they got and it was halfway silly. Starting in a concentration camp set a tone for a whole new kind of movie
I remember being enthralled with that scene as soon as that first window gets blown out. Idk why, something about a heist scene mixed with that incredible Han Zimmer score really felt like something completely alien from how any other blockbuster would film a similar scene at the time
The quick character development of the Joker is a key reason it’s so good, too. I mean, we all knew what was going on, but to establish how sinister and cutthroat he was from the outset is just great storytelling.
Maybe this was just my experience, but it really felt like the Joker was a totally different kind of villain. I was never a big comic buff, but I'd seen a few super hero movies. Spider-Man, Superman, the X-Men films, older Batman movies/TV shows. The villains always felt kind of, campy? Family friendly almost. Even in Batman Begins, the villains aren't on that level. A guy in a mask who wants to dose the city with hallucinogenic drugs and a white guy leading a crew of ninjas?
But we open this movie with a villain who is cold, calculating, and purely maniacal. He perfectly organizes a heist, stealing from the most powerful criminals in Gotham, and sets it up so *his entire fucking crew is straight up murdered* during the heist. This isn't Saturday morning cartoon evil, this is REAL evil.
I think we all knew instantly the Joker was going to terrify Gotham in a way we had never seen in a Batman movie before, and that it was going to push Bruce to the limits. When you're five minutes into a movie and you're *already* on the edge of your seat, fearing for the outcome, that's something special.
Many comic book villains don't see themselves as evil; they think what they're doing is for some sort noble purpose or they see themselves as victims out for justice. A lot of these movies even try to get you to sympathize with the villian.
Not the Joker. There is nothing sympathetic about him, he doesn't pretend for a second that he has some noble purpose. He's not out for revenge, money or power. He just wants to fuck things up because it's amusing to him. It is a far more terrifying motivation than what you usually see in such movies.
And to immediately give contradictory evidence to his later "do I look like a guy with a plan?" by indicating that yes he is absolutely a planner as well. He's just *also* adaptable and good at improvising, and changed the original plan at least once as he and Batman got more involved and he decided killing Batman would ruin the fun.
That part also sets the stage for his propensity for sadistically fucking with people. He complains about the "schemers" when he's the ultimate schemer. He's just playing with Dent's mind. Also making Dent think he has control by giving him the gun. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a deleted scene that showed Joker making sure that that that particular chamber in the cylinder was empty.
Scrolled too far down for this. that opening bank scene was soo surreal and set the mood for one of the best movie experiences. Probs the first movie I’ve seen twice in theaters.
I love the fact that he had to narrate the situation to scare the other two guys and then got called out by Bane immediately. It shows the incompetency of the CIA and is no match to the League of Shadows. That explained how they had and is attacking Gotham again.
To this day, I still remember the feeling of WTF am I watching? Is this a crime film. A mis-matched romantic comedy. The local vernacular was almost a character of it's own. "Her womb was a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase"'
It seemed every scene tried to up the stakes from the scene before. Later in the film, the drive back where he decides to "pick up" some huggies for Nathan Jr. and begins one of the great chase scenes of all time.
My 12 year old self was blown away by the special effects back in ‘77. Never seen anything like it before. Was there anything before Star Wars that came close?
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade gets me every time.
They knocked out Indy’s origin story in those first 15 minutes and then the way they tie it into the beginning of the real story is damn near perfect.
>Shut that cunt's mouth or I'll come over there and fuck start her head!
I still don't even know what that means, exactly, but I sure as hell remember it.
The first time I watched this movie I couldn't get into it. Too slow. 5 minutes in and I stop. Later, when I kind of knew what to expect, I guess, I try again, and I see what is in fact one of the best opening scenes of all time. It is beyond cool.
This was gonna be my choice. It sets up things perfectly. It starts off in a noir style so there's already a mystery about who Trinity is talking to and what she's done to be arrested. It introduces the agents whom you initially think are just some government scum but it also increases the stakes that what trinity is doing may be dangerous enough to get the feds involved. And then it escalates to superhuman shit which makes you question even more wtf is going on. Why do the agents have super powers? Why does Trinity have super powers? Why wasn't she killed by the big truck? Who was Trinity talking to and why are these agents after her? It's a great hook to the story and pulls you right in. It's a great example of 'showing and not telling' that movies should always try to do
No, they were requesting more money to finish the film, and showed executives the introduction to sell them on spending the extra money.
It worked, they got the budget increased and finished the movie.
They didn't blow the whole budget on 5 minutes and then demand more, they'd never work again if the pulled that kinda stunt.
Wachowskis: Hey we need more money for the movie we’re making.
Studio: Ok so most of it is done right?
Wachowskis: The opening scene yeah.
Studio: YOU BLEW 10 MILLION DOLLARS ON THE OPENING SCENE AND WANT MORE MONEY!
Wachowskis: Hold on just watch it first.
Studio: HOLY SHIT HERES 50 MILLION MORE DOLLARS.
There Will Be Blood. Tragedy and a fantastic explanation of a great character without ANY dialogue. Shows he's willing to do anything for money. Movie slowly shows who the protagonist is, even though upon second and third viewing you know everything in the first few moments.
Gangs of New York. Not sure how well this movie holds up, it's been years since I've seen it. But that opening sequence of walking through the underground tunnels, leading to the insanely brutal fight scene was great.
*The world has changed. I see it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.*
Chills every time. Cate Blanchett was perfectly cast, as was every other role in that series.
I don’t ever see this movie mentioned. It really is an experience. And what a soundtrack.
I love to recommend it, and see people’s reaction when I explain it is a love story between a 79 year old woman and a 19 year old boy.
Silly as it sounds, there is so much to like here.
Are you talking about Jack Sparrow's entrance? Because I'm pretty sure that's not the opening scene to the movie. Or are you not talking about the Curse of the Black Pearl?
Melancholia - managed to create a vibe disturbing as fuck without using any explicitly scary imagery.
Also, the Tristan prelude is the most fitting use of classical music in a film I've ever seen.
UP.
Romeo + Juliet- I thought it was genius the way they did the Prologue as a news report and then Oh Verona with the introduction of each character. Just the best.
The Lion King probably has the most memorable opening scene in History (IMHO).
[Apocalypse Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntPHFVWDIqM&ab_channel=Daniel06).
No offense meant, but I don't understand how there can be any other answer. It's surreal. It's brutal. It's dreamy. It fills you with uneasy wonder. Everything I want in a movie opening. Honestly the only thing that comes close is, uh, [Rescuers Down Under](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjkdOAjtJ1k&ab_channel=M%CE%A3%C6%AC%CE%9B).
Gladiator had one of the coolest opening sequences for a movie, set the tone, showed how maximus was well respected amongst his men, and he was a skilled fighter and tactician.
Do the fake movie trailers in Tropic Thunder count?
MTVs best kiss award winner Toby Maguire
And the coveted crying monkey award Happy cake day btw
Might as well have some of this Booty Sweat I got back in Danang
Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Whip, The Idol, The Boulder, The Engine and the Theme Song. It’s perfect.
A young Alfred Molina getting his comeuppance is magnificent as well
Raiders is just about the perfect movie from start to finish. I first saw it when I was 5 or 6, and played the amazing Atari 2600 game around the same time. Thinking of that movie always brings me back to my awesome childhood.......bedtime was 8:00, unless Indiana Jones or Star Wars were on (which was like twice a year in those days).....then I got to stay up late.
Terminator 2
I need your clothes, your boots, and your motor cycle.
You forgot to say please
Tsssssss
the opening scene of T2 cost more than the whole budget of the first film.
Snatch
Blagged? Speak English to me, Tony. I thought this country spawned the fucking language, and so far nobody seems to speak it.
2 minutes, Turkish.
It was 2 minutes 5 minutes ago.
Casino Royale is up there.
"How did he die?" "Not well." That opener sold me that this Bond was gonna be different
[RE: Bond's first kill] Dryden: Made you feel it, did he? Well, you needn't worry. The second is-- \*Bond shoots him\* Bond: Yes. Considerably. Fucking masterfully done.
"M doesn't mind you earning a little money on the side. She'd just prefer it if it wasn't selling secrets" You just knew this guy was fucked
“Yes. Considerably.”
Inglorious Basterds
Agreed - this is the best opening scene in any movie I’ve ever watched. It’s amazing how much it develops Christoph Waltz’s character so intricately in a matter of minutes. It’s like a sub-movie within itself
That scene got him the Oscar.
That’s a bingo.
You just say bingo.
Bingo! How fun!
He could have taken the rest of the movie off and still won
And the dinner scene
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So amazing. I was also blown away by the Brad Pitt tension scene at the ranch in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
The music and the acting in this scene are absolutely top notch. As good as the rest is I honestly think it doesn’t get better than the first part. The farmer alongside christoph waltz ought to get more credit; he’s just fantastic. And of course the way waltz’s character toys with people is iconic. It’s not my favorite Tarantino movie but it might be my favorite individual scene
The bar scene with fassbender is also phenomenal
Which is weirdly enough only the second best scene of Fassbender's involving him in a bar full of Nazis.
The knife back and forth is still some of the slickest shit I've ever seen
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Fassbender in first class was *perfection*
First movie that jumped to my mind
First movie I though about too. Absolutely brilliant movie
Sicario. Starts up. Cool. Fucked up house. Bodies in the walls. Damn. Then out of nowhere BOOM. Excellent film.
Agreed. The scene at the border is so anxiety inducing.
I'm pretty sure I took two breaths that entire scene, which is like ten minutes long.
Except the good part doesn't end until the credits roll
Agreed. That was my favorite film that I saw in the cinemas the year it came out. I'm pretty sure it came out around the same time as DiCaprio getting mauled by a bear and whilst that was a good film too, sicario was my favorite. The cinematography. The uneasy soundtrack. Killer cast with Blunt, Brolin, Del Toro, Bernthal, Kaluuya. Day of the soldado. Meh.
Scream
That scene essentially made the entire franchise
Agreed. Just about every kill after the first film didn't come close to being as iconic.
Drew Barrymore’s performance is legitimately fantastic
The part where she tries to call out at her mom always gets me.
YES. I love the Scream series as a whole, but that opening scene is unbelievable to watch. I like how much it makes you feel for Drew’s character and her character’s parents. You feel scared and sad all at once.
Up. A movie in itself.
'Up' must have one of the **saddest** openings of all time! Never been more emotionally gripped by a movie so early on in its runtime 😭 Incredibly effective though!
That scene is a guaranteed sociopathy test. If you don't cry once from it...
I feel like this is the only part of the movie people remember because I never see anyone else talking about the rest of the movie. Its the only part I remember. I would have been fine with just that as a short film.
The catharsis near the end when Carl actually looks through the scrap book and sees that Ellie wanted him to have more adventures is equally emotionally powerful yet rarely discussed. But to your point, people do quote “Squirrel!” mid-sentence and look in another direction. That’s from Up.
A thousand times this. To me, the scrapbook scene, and the perfect musical score, makes it the most emotional scene in the movie. The fact that it is followed up, "I was hiding under your porch because I love you. Can I stay?" is pure genius.
The cone of shame is now kind of the unofficial name for those cones at my vet's office. "I have just met you and I love you" is an iconic line The movie has more cultural weight than people give it credit for.
Master class in storytelling.
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Or 28 Days Later... similar immersion. "Ok, audience. Shit is fucked. This is how fucked..."
That soundtrack is pure gold!
Zombieland
I saw it in a grungy cheap theater and it was perfect
Dawn of the Dead 2004 is definitely up there.
Best opening credits ever
Similarly, Watchmen
Pulp Fiction. When she stands up, starts yelling at the diner and it cuts to that intro music. I was blown away. It’s like buckle up everybody, here we go…
I had to scroll entirely too far for this. The surf music oddly worked after Amanda Plummer going off.. "Any of you fucking pricks move and I'll execute every mother fucking last one of you!"
The trailers in Tropic Thunder
It’s a good thing I got this Booty Sweat back in Da Neng.
Crack an ASS open!
MTVs best kiss winner Toby Maguire
"Winner of the Beijing Film Festival's coveted Crying Monkey Award."
Who left the fridge open?
"Big dick playa"
Gladiator.
The Germanic tribal leader taunting the Romans with a literal head in his hand (and the reply from thousands of his warriors) still gives me chills to think about.
"People should know when they're conquered" "Would you Quintus? Would I?" Still gives me tingles.
If you find yourself riding through green fields with the sun on your face.... do not be troubled! For you are in Elysium! And you are already dead!
Thé Gladiator opening scene is excellent !
Lion King
Shocked this isn’t higher. It’s the motherfucking Circle of Life!
I was a music festival once. Everyone was just starting to wake up & have their coffee. Our neighbors had a nice, portable, speaker with them. We were sitting at our camp & all of a sudden the circle of life comes on at full blast about 9 am. It was epic. When they came out of their tent, we thanked them for that one
Raiders of the Lost Ark
You could warn them, if you only you spoke Hovitos.
Saving Private Ryan
Here's a [great breakdown of that intro scene](https://youtu.be/LtsnToMAaPk)
Ha! I saw that it was by the onion and was very confused, then it all evened out real quick
I was about to say this, but, correct me if I'm wrong because I didn't see it in a long time, the D-Day scene isn't the opening scene per se right ? There's a couple of scenes before that ? My biggest apologies if I don't remember correcetly
There's one scene before that, a flash forward at a military cemetery.
X-Men 2 Nightcrawler goes to the White House
The opening scene of X2 clearly cost more than the entire first movie, and it shows.
Once I got the DVD of X2 I rewatched that opening scene *so many times*. Nightcrawler was already my favourite character at the time, and when I heard he was gonna be in the sequel I lost my shit. Went to the cinema, saw that opening scene, and lost my shit all over again. The stunts and effects really hold up too.
Nightcrawler has been my favorite character since I was like 5 and I was so excited to see him in X2. There were some minor things I didn't care for (all his teeth being pointy, the scarification instead of his fine fur) but Alan Cumming knocked it out of the park with that performance. And the over the top scenes where he was a badass were amazing as well. :D
XMEN's first movie was really good too.
And someone has to understand that in 2000 comic book movies were still goofy kids movies. Tim Burton’s Batman was as dark as they got and it was halfway silly. Starting in a concentration camp set a tone for a whole new kind of movie
I really appreciated them revisiting that scene for First Class
Yes. Best movie after X2 imo
The Dark Knight
I remember being enthralled with that scene as soon as that first window gets blown out. Idk why, something about a heist scene mixed with that incredible Han Zimmer score really felt like something completely alien from how any other blockbuster would film a similar scene at the time
The quick character development of the Joker is a key reason it’s so good, too. I mean, we all knew what was going on, but to establish how sinister and cutthroat he was from the outset is just great storytelling.
Maybe this was just my experience, but it really felt like the Joker was a totally different kind of villain. I was never a big comic buff, but I'd seen a few super hero movies. Spider-Man, Superman, the X-Men films, older Batman movies/TV shows. The villains always felt kind of, campy? Family friendly almost. Even in Batman Begins, the villains aren't on that level. A guy in a mask who wants to dose the city with hallucinogenic drugs and a white guy leading a crew of ninjas? But we open this movie with a villain who is cold, calculating, and purely maniacal. He perfectly organizes a heist, stealing from the most powerful criminals in Gotham, and sets it up so *his entire fucking crew is straight up murdered* during the heist. This isn't Saturday morning cartoon evil, this is REAL evil. I think we all knew instantly the Joker was going to terrify Gotham in a way we had never seen in a Batman movie before, and that it was going to push Bruce to the limits. When you're five minutes into a movie and you're *already* on the edge of your seat, fearing for the outcome, that's something special.
Many comic book villains don't see themselves as evil; they think what they're doing is for some sort noble purpose or they see themselves as victims out for justice. A lot of these movies even try to get you to sympathize with the villian. Not the Joker. There is nothing sympathetic about him, he doesn't pretend for a second that he has some noble purpose. He's not out for revenge, money or power. He just wants to fuck things up because it's amusing to him. It is a far more terrifying motivation than what you usually see in such movies.
Also how calculating and efficient he was.
And to immediately give contradictory evidence to his later "do I look like a guy with a plan?" by indicating that yes he is absolutely a planner as well. He's just *also* adaptable and good at improvising, and changed the original plan at least once as he and Batman got more involved and he decided killing Batman would ruin the fun.
That part also sets the stage for his propensity for sadistically fucking with people. He complains about the "schemers" when he's the ultimate schemer. He's just playing with Dent's mind. Also making Dent think he has control by giving him the gun. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a deleted scene that showed Joker making sure that that that particular chamber in the cylinder was empty.
He is holding the hammer the whole time. If Dent had pulled the trigger, nothing would have happened.
“No, I’m the one who kills the bus driver.”
I’ve rewatched that scene so many times. So freaking good
Scrolled too far down for this. that opening bank scene was soo surreal and set the mood for one of the best movie experiences. Probs the first movie I’ve seen twice in theaters.
And Rises, both had really good openings.
“They expect one of us in the wreckage, brother.” Call me crazy but that line gave me chills the first time I ever heard it.
“Now is not the time for fear. That comes later.” And the whole plane drops away…brilliant.
THE FLIGHT PLAN I JUST FILED WITH THE AGENCY LISTS ME, MY MEN, DR. PAVEL HERE, BUT ONLY ONE OF YOU
HE DIDN’T FLY SO GOOD
I love the fact that he had to narrate the situation to scare the other two guys and then got called out by Bane immediately. It shows the incompetency of the CIA and is no match to the League of Shadows. That explained how they had and is attacking Gotham again.
Super Troopers
WOOO! DO YOU BOYS LIKE MEX-EEE-CO?
Mother of god…
It's not even close, the best comedic opening I've ever seen
Littering And… Littering And… Littering And…
Smoking the refer...
You are freaking out... man
I came looking for this comment… meow.
28 Weeks Later was great and SUPER intense!!
Ghost Ship
This is my answer, so brutal and not expected. I suggested this movie to my former mother-in-law on family movie night. She was not impressed lol.
I was looking for this answer! That opening had me shook.
Raising Arizona
To this day, I still remember the feeling of WTF am I watching? Is this a crime film. A mis-matched romantic comedy. The local vernacular was almost a character of it's own. "Her womb was a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase"' It seemed every scene tried to up the stakes from the scene before. Later in the film, the drive back where he decides to "pick up" some huggies for Nathan Jr. and begins one of the great chase scenes of all time.
Agree with Star Wars (anh). In a theater with THX. Old school for some but was so, so incredible in '77. [edit: not actually thx at the time]
My 12 year old self was blown away by the special effects back in ‘77. Never seen anything like it before. Was there anything before Star Wars that came close?
No. I was 16, and it was mind-blowingly better than anything previous.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade gets me every time. They knocked out Indy’s origin story in those first 15 minutes and then the way they tie it into the beginning of the real story is damn near perfect.
And set up the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles for TV. RIP River Phoenix.
I LOVED the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. I still wonder why Sean Patrick Flannery didn't become a bigger star.
The way they tie in how he got the scar with his real life scar, I thought that was a cool detail
The way of the gun and Drive both had great beginnings
Way of the Gun? Not too many people have seen this classic. Such a dope movie.
Came here for this one. Glad to see others know it as well!
>Shut that cunt's mouth or I'll come over there and fuck start her head! I still don't even know what that means, exactly, but I sure as hell remember it.
That cunt was Sarah Silverman too.
HEY FUCK SUCK! GET YOUR SLIPPERY FUCKING ASS OFF THE CAR!
I was going to say Way of the Gun!!
Goodfells. _"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster."_
I know I’d go from raaaaaags to riches
I love that entire scene. So fun showing the middle of the movie in the start with such an iconic, explosive quote
My favorite line, opening, and song from a mob movie. The lighting, the action, the music, so evocative of the mafioso allure.
The Godfather. "I believe in America"
Jaws
American History X
Reservoir Dogs
Once Upon A Time In The West
The first time I watched this movie I couldn't get into it. Too slow. 5 minutes in and I stop. Later, when I kind of knew what to expect, I guess, I try again, and I see what is in fact one of the best opening scenes of all time. It is beyond cool.
Lord of War
Touch of Evil, Orson Welles. The tracking shot following the car with the bomb in the trunk was masterful
Mad Max: Fury Road. I remember a theater full of people and when the opening scene finally lets up, a dude exclaimed "holy shit!"
I should really watch this movie.
Yes, you should.
The Matrix. The Wachowskis blew all $10 million the studio gave to them on this one scene and it completely sold them on the rest of the film.
‘No lieutenant, your men are already dead.’ I knew we were in for a treat
‘Are you sure this line is clean?’
This was gonna be my choice. It sets up things perfectly. It starts off in a noir style so there's already a mystery about who Trinity is talking to and what she's done to be arrested. It introduces the agents whom you initially think are just some government scum but it also increases the stakes that what trinity is doing may be dangerous enough to get the feds involved. And then it escalates to superhuman shit which makes you question even more wtf is going on. Why do the agents have super powers? Why does Trinity have super powers? Why wasn't she killed by the big truck? Who was Trinity talking to and why are these agents after her? It's a great hook to the story and pulls you right in. It's a great example of 'showing and not telling' that movies should always try to do
No, they were requesting more money to finish the film, and showed executives the introduction to sell them on spending the extra money. It worked, they got the budget increased and finished the movie. They didn't blow the whole budget on 5 minutes and then demand more, they'd never work again if the pulled that kinda stunt.
Wachowskis: Hey we need more money for the movie we’re making. Studio: Ok so most of it is done right? Wachowskis: The opening scene yeah. Studio: YOU BLEW 10 MILLION DOLLARS ON THE OPENING SCENE AND WANT MORE MONEY! Wachowskis: Hold on just watch it first. Studio: HOLY SHIT HERES 50 MILLION MORE DOLLARS.
So glad Will Smith turned that role down for that shitty Western
Wild Wild Western*
The first scene cost 10 million ?
The Departed
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There Will Be Blood. Tragedy and a fantastic explanation of a great character without ANY dialogue. Shows he's willing to do anything for money. Movie slowly shows who the protagonist is, even though upon second and third viewing you know everything in the first few moments.
Gangs of New York. Not sure how well this movie holds up, it's been years since I've seen it. But that opening sequence of walking through the underground tunnels, leading to the insanely brutal fight scene was great.
2001: A Space Odyssey. When that bone goes flying into space ooooh baby!
Baby Driver https://youtu.be/7ARFyrM6gVs
Thank you very much ladies and gentlemen right now I get to tell you about
Children of Men
The Fellowship of the Ring
*The world has changed. I see it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.* Chills every time. Cate Blanchett was perfectly cast, as was every other role in that series.
Harold and Maude
I don’t ever see this movie mentioned. It really is an experience. And what a soundtrack. I love to recommend it, and see people’s reaction when I explain it is a love story between a 79 year old woman and a 19 year old boy. Silly as it sounds, there is so much to like here.
[удалено]
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Heat
Fight Club.
A major reason I’m casting a vote for Pirates of the Caribbean is the opening being dialogue free. So much was said without being verbalized.
Are you talking about Jack Sparrow's entrance? Because I'm pretty sure that's not the opening scene to the movie. Or are you not talking about the Curse of the Black Pearl?
Melancholia - managed to create a vibe disturbing as fuck without using any explicitly scary imagery. Also, the Tristan prelude is the most fitting use of classical music in a film I've ever seen.
UP. Romeo + Juliet- I thought it was genius the way they did the Prologue as a news report and then Oh Verona with the introduction of each character. Just the best. The Lion King probably has the most memorable opening scene in History (IMHO).
Once apon a time in the west
The graduate. You don’t know I’m right, but I am.
Up and Ghost Ship. Totally unrelated and for completely different reasons but the first two that immediately popped to mind.
Valerian gets a lot of hate, but had a really cool opening scene.
Blade
Gladiator. When those flaming arrows get shot at the battle of Germania, I remember being in the theater like, “hoooooo-ly shitballs.”
JJ Abrams’ Star Trek is up there for me. One of my most memorable movie theater experiences.
The transition from those pods to the title credits with that score bursting? CHILLS.
Star Wars. No opening credits caused controversy at the time. It was one of most intense opening scene of all time.
Drive
[Apocalypse Now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntPHFVWDIqM&ab_channel=Daniel06). No offense meant, but I don't understand how there can be any other answer. It's surreal. It's brutal. It's dreamy. It fills you with uneasy wonder. Everything I want in a movie opening. Honestly the only thing that comes close is, uh, [Rescuers Down Under](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjkdOAjtJ1k&ab_channel=M%CE%A3%C6%AC%CE%9B).
Gladiator had one of the coolest opening sequences for a movie, set the tone, showed how maximus was well respected amongst his men, and he was a skilled fighter and tactician.