20 Awesome Movie Openings
Jacking in, shooting up, invading France... Best. Beginnings. Ever.
BY Mar 16th 2009 23:23PMFILED UNDER: Features
User Comments (22)
20. "Choose Life!"
The Movie: Trainspotting (1996)
The Opener: The film that set the sagging British film industry alight doesn’t just get off to a running start, but a running, shop-lifting, smack-shooting eruption: a rush of young, beautiful, heroin-soaked British talent set to Iggy Pop’s pounding 'Lust For Life' and that searingly nihilist voice-over.
19. Jacking In...
The Movie: The Matrix (1999)
The Opener: The burbling green-screen electronics and back-alley noir intrigue, but it’s Trinity’s graceful time-and-gravity-defying kick to the chops that makes us sit up and really pay attention...
"Holy gods, how did she do that? In leather? And, more to the point, will she do it again?" Masses of action freaks, computer geeks and moody metalheads are instantly hooked. Shame about the sequels.
Print Comments (22)
1: ThrashGordon says
You like, totally missed Bufallo Soldiers.
Posted: Mar 18th 2009 // 2:25AMAlert a moderator
3: Neil1972 says
The Godfather - "I believe in America...."
The Wild Bunch - ants, scorpions, bank robbers, the temperance union, 10-minute shoot-out.
Apocalypse Now - helicopters, explosions, The Doors, "Saigon, s**t I'm still only in Saigon."
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 9:29AMAlert a moderator
4: johnnysam says
....uhm, you forgot "The Sound Of Music." Best opening ever....still gives me goose bumps!
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 12:14PMAlert a moderator
5: DJFOX2000 says
Quantum of Solace's opening is conceptually brilliant- throwing the viewer straight into the action and while many of the stunts are very impressive the overall sequences is nothing but a failure.
Filmed in a succession of super extreme shakycam closes up, edited in a mad stroboscopic fashion- it throws the primary rule of any action sequences- "geography" out of the window.
At points you have no idea who is chasing who, and you quickly stop caring- its like watch a film is fast forward.
It takes everything that progressively became wrong with the Bourne Films and takes it the next level!
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 1:44PMAlert a moderator
6: DJFOX2000 says
Talk about omissions from the list- where's the opening to "Once Upon a Time in the West"? Surely that deserved a mention?
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 1:45PMAlert a moderator
7: Repoboom says
Those are some pretty cool openings and though there are so many great ones I will have to suggest an amazing one you missed.
Raising Arizona Has one of the greatest openings in movies.It is informative and hilarious
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 2:25PMAlert a moderator
8: johandav says
There's another one that should have gotten a mention. I'll give you a hint . . . "Rosebud". The death of the title character and then that great newsreel.
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 4:33PMAlert a moderator
9: tacs3 says
The Coen Bros' "Raising Arizona" and "Shoot to Kill" (yeah, that Sidney Poitier thriller) still stick to my ribs after all these years.
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 5:42PMAlert a moderator
10: mattrix33 says
Snyder`s Dawn of the Dead remake has the best opening to a film in ages.
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 5:47PMAlert a moderator
11: Buried At Sea says
you should clearly extended this to 50 best. Rules of Attraction? Shaun of the Dead? WATCHMEN!!!!
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 8:40PMAlert a moderator
12: Apathygrrl says
I want to put in a nomintion for Ginger Snaps! Best... School... Project... EVAR! If you haven't seen it, do it!
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 9:09PMAlert a moderator
13: Brendan519 says
I know it's a TV show, not a movie.... but how about the opening sequence of LOST's pilot? The plane crash scene is so terrifying, so jarring, and Shannon's (Maggie Grace) screams perfect the atmosphere of terror and helplessness.
Posted: Mar 19th 2009 // 10:33PMAlert a moderator
14: hemicuda1982 says
Let's see...
The opening credits of 'Watchmen' holds more of a storyline than the entire 'Matrix' trilogy.
'Dr. Strangelove.' 'Children of Men.' 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.' 'Super Troopers.'
All brilliant, memorable, and thoroughly good opening credit sequences. None made this list, but a mostly still-shot of Scarlett Jo's rear does...
Don't get me wrong, its a wonderful rear, but not at the expense of movies that earned their right to such a list.
Posted: Mar 20th 2009 // 12:14AMAlert a moderator
15: SusanC says
Another vote here for the awesome opening sequence of "Once Upon a Time in The West": "Looks like we're one horse shy." "No, looks like you brought two too many." (Boom! Boom! Boom!)
Posted: Mar 20th 2009 // 12:51AMAlert a moderator
16: IGPNicki says
Goodfellas is your number one movie moment? Really?? Personally, I would've liked to have seen Contact on the list, or Watchmen- both of which had brilliant opening sequences.
http://www.igp-scifi.com
Posted: Mar 20th 2009 // 6:03AMAlert a moderator
17: ThrashGordon says
haha ooops, got that scene confused, ignore my post, Its been a while since I've seen that film!! Was referring to the tank scene fiy, which is not the opening scene... or anywhere near it. :(
Posted: Mar 20th 2009 // 3:03PMAlert a moderator
19: red157 says
I'm sure I'll want to say Watchmen once I've actually seen it (God bless being 17 when cinema's suddenly decide to ask for your age) but I'd like to suggest a truly c**p film which is nevertheless worthy of addition. Final Destination 2. In any of the subsequent 80+ minutes and all the deaths included, it doesn't even come close to raising anything approaching excitement (In other words, it's awful), but the opening is still terrific.
Posted: Mar 27th 2009 // 11:46PMAlert a moderator
20: joehelms says
Did not care for Quantum - but Thunderball - my deepest condolences on your loss..
Posted: Apr 9th 2009 // 9:52PMAlert a moderator
21: Agent69 says
The Dark Knight over Raiders? and no Godfather. Ridiculous. TDK fanboyism is really irritating.
Posted: Nov 26th 2009 // 5:41PMAlert a moderator
22: ColouredPurple says
As long as Goodfella is number 1 I can't complain. Bes. into. Ever! Up has a very good into though too
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