There’s nothing like a terrific opening scene to pull you into a movie and set you up for a wonderful moviegoing experience. That’s not to say films with particularly forgettable openings aren’t great movies, as other times, a film can also have a strong opening but fail to maintain the same quality throughout the rest of its runtime.
All the opening scenes discussed below are reminiscent of these points. Some might prove just too good of an opening, but the rest of the scenes in the movie suffer a bit. The majority of these intros are some of cinema’s most iconic and unforgettable, and are truly worthy of being considered the ‘greatest of all time.’
10Smile 2
Smile 2’s opening and closing scenes were the horror sequel’s best moments. The opening plays out in a continuous shot of Kyle Gallner’s Joel getting out of his car and waltzing into the hideout of a group of Russian gangsters to pass on the Smile curse to them, and it’s pretty excellent filmmaking and camerawork by Parker Finn.
Joel brutally kills one of the thugs for the other to witness, which leads to a shootout and then more reinforcements arriving, forcing him to flee. This scene is a strong opener because it ties back to the first movie and shows that even though Joel passed on the curse to somebody else, death is inevitable.
Watch the opening scene of Smile 2.
9Ghost Ship
Ghost Ship is another example of a horror film that leads with a fantastic opening but then fails to keep the same momentum. It’s a critically panned movie with a truly unforgettable and bizarre intro, where even if you haven’t seen the movie, or don’t plan to, you might already know it by this infamous scene.
At the start of Ghost Ship, it’s hard to tell if you’re watching a horror movie. It reveals a lively ballroom concert, with opening credits that give the vibe of a romantic comedy film. You’re tracking many different characters, until suddenly, a sabotaged cable wire snaps off and gruesomely cuts through all the passengers like a scene out of Final Destination.
Watch the opening scene of Ghost Ship.
8Antichrist
Antichrist is a highly underrated horror movie with all kinds of messed-up things, held together by a thought-provoking supernatural narrative. It comes from the disturbing Danish storyteller Lars von Trier and stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The opening is gut-wrenching and captures every parent’s worst nightmare.
It’s black-and-white with everything moving in slow motion, coupled with a haunting score. Dafoe and Gainsbourg are a married couple seen getting intimate. Meanwhile, their infant son climbs out of his crib just as a window blows open due to the snowstorm. Since they’re too distracted, the boy plunges to his death, thus setting up the immeasurable grief and guilt they go through in the movie.
Watch a clip of the opening scene from Lars von Trier’s Antichrist.
7Inglourious Basterds
With movies likeReservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino is a director you may count on for well-written characters and compelling intros. However, Inglourious Basterds is on another level entirely. If you want to talk about a villain introduction, look no further than how Tarantino introduces Christoph Waltz’s Hans Landa, a part that won him an Oscar.
The opening has Landa paying a visit to the farmhouse of Pierre LaPadite in France, who’s secretly hiding his Jewish neighbors underneath his floor. Landa already suspects them in LaPadite’s home, and their entire exchange is so tense and well-acted, ending with LaPadite ultimately giving them up and Landa commanding his men to shoot through the floor.
Watch the opening scene from Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.
628 Weeks Later
Danny Boyle and Alex Garland really set a new bar forzombie horrorwith 28 Days Later. Even though 28 Weeks Later changed its writers and director, it still proved to be just as stellar and also delivered one of the most iconic and harrowing opening scenes of all time.
In 28 Weeks Later, Robert Carlyle plays Don, a husband and father holed up in a farmhouse with his family until zombies breach their sanctuary. In a shocking and heartbreaking move, Don abandons his wife and narrowly escapes by boat in one of the most suspenseful and frightening chase sequences, which is elevated by the film’s editing and riveting theme.
Watch the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later.
5The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knightcertainly ranks up there with having the best movie intro. A well-planned bank heist is underway, where you’re led to believe the goons in clown masks are all working for the Joker, when, in fact, one of them secretlyisthe Joker. The heist scenes are well-shot, with things quickly turning into The Departed between the robbers.
Overall, The Dark Knight is an iconic Batman film and an all-timegreat movie sequelwith many memorable scenes, performances, and incredible action set pieces, and the opening serves as a perfect introduction to Heath Ledger’s Joker. William Fichtner even cameos as the Bank Manager, who plays a key role in the Joker’s reveal.
Watch the opening bank heist scene in The Dark Knight.
4Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Steven Spielbergstunned audiences once again with Raiders of the Lost Ark. The idea of a college archeology professor turning into an adventurer who gets himself into all sorts of deadly scenarios and takes on Nazis is a stroke of brilliance, especially Harrison Ford’s portrayal of the character. And Raiders is a movie that’s truly defined by its opening and closing.
Raiders of the Lost Ark starts with Indy and his traitorous guide making it to a booby-trapped vault to snatch the Golden Idol. When switching the weight doesn’t go according to plan, Indy must now outrun a large boulder rolling his way. Narrowly making it out, Indy is betrayed and escapes by seaplane after also getting chased by natives.
Watch the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
The opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark was also recreated as a playable opening level in MachineGames' first-person Indiana Jones game, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
3Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope
The best Star Wars opening scene remains Episode 4 - A New Hope. Episode 4’s action-packed opening introduces iconic characters like Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, C-3PO, R2-D2, and Princess Leia. It’s a scene so iconic and nostalgic that you may definitely play it out in your head, shot for shot.
A blaster fight transpires aboard a rebel ship, as Stormtroopers led by Darth Vader are seeking the stolen Death Star plans. Vader has his intimidating presence on full display during the interrogation of a rebel officer. Then, C-3PO and R2-D2’s interaction while being boarded by the Empire, the music and sound effects, and Leia’s enigmatic appearance are all amazing.
Watching the opening scene of Star Wars: Episode 4 - A New Hope.
2Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuvegave the best possible cinematic opening sequence in Dune: Part Two. It’s an immersive and breathtaking visual sci-fi spectacle of Harkonnen soldiers hunting after Paul Atreides, his mother, and the Fremen they’re with.
Amid the bright orange background of Arrakis, you’re treated to a stellar shot of the Harkonnen soldiers dismounting from a dune and slowly floating their way up to the top of a cliff with their anti-gravity packs, and it’s just stunning and impressive to see how well it’s executed. Then, once shots start ringing out and the enemies fall from the cliff near Paul and his mom, the sound becomes immersive.
Watch the opening of Dune: Part Two.
18 1/2
Federico Fellini’s black-and-white film 8 1/2 is one of the most recommended Criterion Collection picks by filmmaking veterans likeMartin Scorsesefor a reason. The movie is truly a must-watch, and you’ll see that from the moment it grips you with its out-of-the-box and out-of-this-world opening sequence.
8 1/2 is a meta and surrealist comedy about Fellini’s own creative block as a director and opens with one of the best-shot dream/nightmare sequences in cinema. The protagonist is stuck in traffic, soon finding himself trapped and suffocating in his car from the exhaust, before levitating and flying away to be used as a human kite. It creates an astonishing visual.
Watch the opening scene of Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 from Criterion.
