Your Memorable Movie Intros & Opening Scenes

[Mitch Henessey]

So many choices running through my head. The field is wide open for your picks of memorable movie intros and opening scenes, and I'll try and keep my list short.

Intros

Batman (1989)

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Before Joel Schumacher almost destroyed the damn franchise with his two turds, Tim Burton's Batman films were some of my favorite superhero flicks as a kid, with Burton adding his eerie and nightmarish touch. This intro is a timeless favorite for me. The fade to the night sky after the Warner Bros. logo, the music, and the little inside tour around the logo. The Batman 1989 intro has a genuine old school feel to it, and it's a great nostalgia kick for me.

Night Of The Demons (1988)

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Spooky, creepy, and another intro with a nice old school feel to it. The gothic style theme music is a perfect fit, and Night Of The Demons 1988 (I enjoyed the remake too) is a great campy horror film from the 80's.

Opening Scenes

Scream

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Poor Drew Barrymore. The rest of this opener is scattered around in more clips. Still, if you haven't seen this movie, you should know it doesn't end well for Drew.

I love this opener, because it starts out as a harmless prank call with some horror movie trivia, and then it turns into Casey's fight for survival. The swift mood changes set the tone for Scream, and this opener helps establish Ghostface as a one sick and sadistic antagonist.

Dawn Of The Dead Remake

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Before Romero fans jump to any conclusions, no. This is not any indication of me saying or thinking the remake was better than original, not by a long shot. The 2004 remake was solid, but nothing special. But I enjoy this opener more, because it smacks you across the face before you have a chance to blink.

Anyway, the remake's opening scene is a prime example of a jaw-dropper. Shocking, bloody, and gross. Of course, if you follow zombie flicks, you have a good idea of what's happening. But the 2004 remake's opener does a great job of catching your attention from the start, setting the tone for the violence and gore in the movie, and at the same time, it hooks you in.

Honorable mentions for Saw (2004), A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, and of course Jaws. I would post the video for Jaws, but the woman (I always forget the name of the character) is naked. And you can see the dark silhouette of her naked body, so yeah.

 

[Mac Attack]

I'm just going to be general in my response as I truly feel that they do it best. The James Bond films by far constiteny have the best intros. Whether it be a brief action scene or some comedy, or something to set the stage it's always classic and always gets you read for the movie. That coupled with the intro songs is by far the best and most memorable.

Oddly enough my favorite out of this category was Casino Royale as it was just high intensity action plus an introduction to one of my favorite Bond actors.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Well one of the first movies that comes to mind, and I'm surprised Mitch didn't mention it, was Full Metal Jacket. Talk about a memorable opening monologue.

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Another great opening sequence, simply because it's absolutely hilarious, comes from Not Another Teen Movie. When my dad and I saw this for the first time, we actually replayed it over just to watch it again. EDIT: However, since my internet is acting up, I currently can't link the video.

Finally, it seems as I can be a sucker for a good opening scene where they give shots of an entire city, because I also thought of three opening credit sequences I've always liked and then realized how similar they were. Of course it does help that each one I picked has fitting music to go along with it.

Trading Places

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Major League

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Beverly Hills Cop

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[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned Indiana Jones. All of those movies have fun opening scenes, but Raiders of the Lost Ark is probably the most memorable. Those scenes are a perfect example of how to properly set the tone in a movie.

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The opening title crawl in Star Wars is another iconic movie opening that deserves a mention as well. I still remember when I first watched the original Star Wars and saw the small rebel ship being pursued by the massive Imperial star destroyer. It blew people away in 1977, and it blew me away as a kid in the late 90s.

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[Poop Master Flex]

I gotta mention No Holds Barred. How can you go wrong with Hulk Hogan opening heavy, sliding doors growling and sweat flying everywhere?

Outside of Star Wars (which is hands down the greatest intro to any movie ever) my favorite would have to be Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

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It really set the tone for the film showing the grim future ahead while narrating what exactly is going on and essentially telling the viewers what the movie is about. It's very simple but powerful at the same time. It also helps that the special effects are off the charts (at least in late 80's - early 90's standards).

The point of an intro is to suck the viewer into the movie and T2 definitely did that for me.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Well one of the first movies that comes to mind, and I'm surprised Mitch didn't mention it, was Full Metal Jacket. Talk about a memorable opening monologue.

Damn. That was another one I wanted to post, but as I was browsing YouTube, I kept forgetting about it. Full Metal Jacket's opening is amazing, easily in my top five opening scenes of all time, and Ermey being a retired Marine in real life adds some authenticity to this scene. But after R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio disappear, Full Metal Jacket takes a dive. It's like two movies in one, and the second half can't live up to the first half.

Great choices with T2, the mentioning of the Bond films, Star Wars, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Trading Places, Major League, and Beverly Hills Cop.

And here's another one of my favorites:

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Amazing to see how far John Hawkes has come since From Dusk Till Dawn.

Another unexpected, and "I didn't see it coming" opener. A lot of laughs in this scene ("I told you he said help us!"), and the shootout between The Geckos and Pete is a great way to pull the audience in. Hawkes steals the show in this scene, but the honor for best performance in From Dusk Till Dawn belongs to George Clooney. They don't show it in either clip, but another funny part is, when Seth and Richie leave the convenience store. They're arguing back and forth with each other, while ignoring the explosions from the store in the background. Funny stuff. Also, a burning Pete jumping up to fire a few more desperation shots is not shown here.

 

[LSN80]

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I love Memento's(2000) opening. If you don't know the premise, it's Guy Pearce's Leonard Shelby shaking a photograph of a dead man, and suddenly, you see glasses on the ground and blood on the wall. Shelby then shoots the man in the head, and you realize that the movie is going from end to beginning, rather then the normal. It's a great hook.

It's just an ominous, mood-setting piece. If you don't know what the film is about going in, it's different and it draws you in. If you do know the premise, it's still a jaw-dropping one that he's found his wife's killer and has gotten revenge.

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The Usual Suspects(1995) opening lets you in on something that plays directly into the film's ending. The question of "Is Gabriel Byrne Kaiser Soze?" is one that plays out through the movie, and in the opener, you don't see him die. No, you see him have a casual conversation with someone he knows, as a fire is raging around them before a gun goes off.

A casual conversation amongst total devastation and disaster, as the ship goes up in flames shortly after. The ominous music and incredible setting lets you know that this one is not going to end well.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Full Metal Jacket. I watched this recently and I haven't laughed as hard as I did for the opening scene in ages. R. Lee Ermey's insults and the "Is that you John Wayne? Is this me" line are freakin' hilarious. Probably the funniest opening scene I've ever seen.

Casino Royale. Not only an awesome introduction to a new Bond series but to a new Bond. I like this cold, dark, ruthless Bond better than the womanizing Bond we've seen in the earlier movies. And I love when Bond turns around at the end and shoots at the screen. A refreshing change from the usual 'Bond walking across and shooting at the screen' intro.

From Dusk Till Dawn. One of my favourite movies of all time.

A Clockwork Orange. That menacing stare, the slow zoom out, and the music - pretty creepy. Every time I watch this intro, it sends shivers down my spine.

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Bronson. Brutal, violent, and the intro of The Walker Brothers' The Electrician with the scary sounding guitar chords, fits perfectly with the clips of Bronson walking around & training in his cell in the eerie red lighting.

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[Dirk]

Whenever I'm in need of a pick-me-up, I put on the opening scene of Reservoir Dogs. It starts off with the guys (in typical dude fashion) discussing Like A Virgin. It gets a little confusing when Joe (Lawrence Tierney) chimes in about his contact book, but Mr White (Harvey Keitel) explains the dual conversation nicely.

It's extremely funny, especially everything Mr White says. All of the guys (even Mr Blue, Eddie Bunker, who drops off the face of the earth and is never seen again) are well-characterized in a short time. The whole scene is EXACTLY how my circle of friends are when the whole gang shows up.

As the conversation about tipping ceases, that dry, deadpan voice of Steven Wright takes over as DJ K-Billy. Little Green Bag fades in.

And THEN...

The guys strut away in slow motion. Half of them leave smoke trails behind and all of them (except the boss and his son) are in their suits. Cut to the next scene and we're completely launched into the deep end.

 

[TLC]

One of my favourites has got to be the opening heist in The Dark Knight. It's action packed, tense and introduces you to the Joker. The part with all the clowns stabbing each other in the back ushers in the chaotic nature of the movie and who can forget The Joker's line; "What doesn't kill, you simply makes you stranger".

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I'm also a huge fan of Goodfella's opening. There's a range of emotions flowing through the scene. It's filled with humour, tension, shock, gore and showcases how truly shit these guys actually are. The stabbing by Joe Pesci is hilarious in a sick kind of way. It's just a brilliant way to start one of Scorsese's finest films.

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[Mitch Henessey]

No need for a big introduction here. Halloween 1978's intro is simple, and I love the ominous and slow close-in shot to the Jack-o-lantern, with the classic theme in the background.

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Well, yeah. I know Season Of The Witch is the black sheep of the Halloween franchise, but I don't hate it. Anyway, I remember this intro as an updated and futuristic version of the 1978 intro: you still have a pumpkin in the background, and Carpenter plays a part in providing another spooky theme. It's a great tie-in to Season Of The Witch's plot, with Cochran using androids to do his dirty work, and the computer chips in the booby-trapped Halloween masks.

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Probably too soon, but to hell with it. I know some will say The Dark Knight Rises' intro is too ridiculous and over the top. But this intro does a great job of establishing Bane and The League Of Shadows as a serious threat, and Hans Zimmer's "Gotham's Reckoning" was the perfect principal theme for Bane's character.

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[Dan Severn's Moustache]

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Can't believe SPR's intro hasn't been brought up already. It's intense, brutal and action packed, and it really helps set the tone of the rest of the movie. It's actually scary how realistic this scene really is, as it truly depicts the horror of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. One of the most memorable Movie Intros ever.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

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Can't believe SPR's intro hasn't been brought up already. It's intense, brutal and action packed, and it really helps set the tone of the rest of the movie. It's actually scary how realistic this scene really is, as it truly depicts the horror of the D-Day invasion of Normandy. One of the most memorable Movie Intros ever.

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And yes, Saving Private Ryan is a great intro for all the reasons you mentioned.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I was reading about the culmination of events that led up to Brandon Lee's death and was in shock at how lax the production crew were and how manic everything seemed to be.

While 'Eric' had risen from the dead and had managed to stumbled back to his apartment-cum-crime scene, up until this point he is still taking everything in. Once he has had that release of emotion where he cracks the mirror, the 'pure' Eric Draven gives way to the 'fractured' Crow who then goes on a whole host of jolly creative murders/destruction.