The BEST Opening Scenes in Movies

[The Great Owl]

Vertigo
Goldfinger
Once Upon a Time in the West
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Inglourious Basterds
Apocalypse Now
The American
Star Wars: A New Hope
Night of the Living Dead
The Spy Who Loved Me
From Russia with Love

[formula_nebula]

Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Matrix
T2
We Own the Night (shouldn't have to say why)
Saving Private Ryan
X-Men 2

[cinemaphile]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQLXYu6plhg

[ultlife2013]

I like the Clerks opening a lot. It basically tells you the whole plot of the movie and you can basically feel how Dante is feeling right away.

The opening of Up is so powerful and heart drenching that really sets up the premise of the rest of the movie. Also the opening of Wall-E is very familiar is this sense, shows you how lonely the robot is.

[welcometothepartypal]

Casino Royale (2006)

[stvn1974]

Once Upon A Time In The West
Scream
2001 A Space Odyssey

[ultlife2013]

The goodfellas opening is good too.

Blow has an awesome opening.

[GxyExpress999]

My favorites:

[Rich65]

Jaws
The Wrath of Khan
The Living Daylights
Halloween ( 1978)

[Chaotic]

The Wolverine
The Dark Knight
Drag Me to Hell

[camper]

Ghostbusters

[kakakola]

I loved it! Please in the movie's 500 Days of Summer opening scene, I need help analyzing the first 12 min. Any help at all is appreciated! What could certain things mean, symbolize or anything on the opening scene of the movie. Thanks!!!!

[L.J.]

Like the opening for Saving Private Ryan. See Ryan as a

[Show spoiler]older gentleman then a close up of his eyes which switch to Hanks eyes.

Says a lot about the movie your fixin to watch with that opening.

[Michael24]

I'm sure it's been listed already, but one of my favorites (naturally) . . .

[lesco]

The curtains in front of the cinema screen part, the Strauss theme starts, and the the opening minute and a half of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY blows me away at the impressionable age of 14.

But for a sense of giddy exhilaration that set me up to think "Oh I'm gonna LOVE this movie", I pick Terry Gilliam's BRAZIL, with that great opening music and tracking shot of the office.

[AaronJ]

Apocalypse Now

I saw it in the theater with my dad when I was 10. From that introduction I was already completely engrossed and curious and excited. I had absolutely NO idea what I was going to see.

Plus ... The Doors.

[Deathbymonkeys]

For me it's Revenge of the Sith. Love that opening music and beautiful shot of the cruiser and the ships flying over.


I also adore Two Towers and the opening shot of the Balrog fight.

[Astro Zombie]

Thunderball; Bond fights a guy in drag at a funeral and then flies away on a jetpack. Beautiful.

[BD-T]

Some of my favorites:

Boogie Nights. Amazing opening with that long tracking shot and the great music has your attention immediately. And you get introduced to all the characters in a matter of 10 minutes.

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amélie). Just beautiful. With all the facts, visual cues, emotions, and the wonderful score by Yann Tiersen.

Kokuhaku (Confessions). A teacher is starting to talk. A lot of noise is made by the students which are handed out their milk (which plays a important role). Slowly the story changes tone and slowly it gets quiet. The story gets more serious and haunting. And it gets absolutely still. Then the teacher says something to the students which i don't want to spoiler, and all hell breaks loose.

Melancholia. With the music and the slowmotion filmed with the Phantom camera. Incredible opening. Same goes for Antichrist.

Moulin Rouge! Great opening where you are told how it's going to end right away and then you get sucked into bohemium Paris in a visually stunning way.

[Coenskubrick]

A Serious Man.