The Top 15 Opening Scenes of Movies

25/10/2022

I have a special leather black notebook which I take with me whenever I go to see a movie. During the movie, I take notes which I then turn into a full-length review after the movie. Within the first five minutes of the movie, I have usually taken half a page worth of notes which will be the majority of notes I take for the whole movie. In these first five minutes, I can usually figure out a rough estimate of the rating I will give the movie. Therefore, these first five minutes are so important and can either make or break the movie.

The opening scenes are integral to setting up the movie and introduce us to the main characters or concepts. In today's article, I'm going to be giving you my top 15 opening scenes of movies. Of course, this is not based on my knowledge of every single movie ever made; this is purely based on the movies I've seen (and the opening scenes that were memorable enough for me to remember).

Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios

#15: TOP GUN (1986)

To kick off our countdown is a classic opening scene from a classic movie. Top Gun from start to finish is pure fun and the opening scene reflects that. As we hear the start of the incredible anthem, the opening credits show off what big names are a part of this film. We then kick into Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" as the pilots take off and land on an aircraft carrier. Not to mention, we got a perfect recreation of this scene in 2022's legacy sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.

#14: AIR FORCE ONE (1997)

Some movies don't wait to get straight into the action: they plunge us into the middle of some huge battle or heist and then do the explaining later. Air Force One abides by this rule. At the start of this movie, it is hard to know who the goodies and baddies are. This is a common recurrence throughout the whole movie following set on the hijacked aeroplane of the US president.

#13: IN THE HEIGHTS (2021)

Movies aren't the only form of entertainment that need exciting opening sequences. My favourite musicals have some astounding overtures or first songs. The movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's first musical, In the Heights, stays true to the original musical with an opening song sharing the name of the musical. The exhilarating dance number introduces us to the main characters all the while showing off the best of the singing, dancing and acting that will be continued throughout the movie.

#12: TOY STORY 3 (2010)

Here's a movie that many may not have expected to make an appearance. I recently wrote a re-view of Toy Story 3, a movie that is in my opinion the greatest family movie ever made. The opening scene of this movie is certainly memorable. We have seen Andy play with his toys many times, however, this was the first time we have seen playtime from Andy's imagination. This fun and action-packed scene sees Woody and the gang trying to stop Evil Doctor Porkchop from taking over the world with a fun train chase scene, puns that are so bad that they're funny and moments that are heavily inspired by other movies and pieces of pop culture. Throughout this scene, we are also spoilt by Disney's animation department which only seems to improve with each movie. This scene inspires children to the play they can accomplish with whatever collection of toys they have (big or small) with a little assistance from their imagination.

Credit: Pixar Animation Studios

#11: THE LION KING (1994)

Here's another movie musical. The Lion King opens by showing off Disney's fancy new animation technology. We get to see Disney's perspective on the animal kingdom with all sorts of creatures on this planet all the while underscored by Elton John's "Circle of Life". It is clear that a lot of effort was put into creating this stunning opening scene.

Credit: Walt Disney Animation Studios

#10: CASINO ROYALE (2006)

Some movie franchises know how to do opening scenes. The James Bond franchise has had some incredible movies (along with some not-so-incredible movies) with some similarly amazing opening scenes. These opening scenes always put us in the centre of one of 007's daring missions before rolling the opening credits featuring some captivating animations underscored by a new Bond song by some popular artist at the time. There are many great opening scenes but my favourite is Casino Royale. It perfectly introduces us to this more gritty and dark version of the Bond story with a flawless reveal of Daniel Craig's 007. This is all followed by one of my favourite Bond songs ever!

#9: CHICAGO (2002)

Here's yet another musical opening scene. This opening scene introduces us to the incredible jazz score, phenomenal singing and exceptional dancing that will continue throughout the film. Plus, during this scene, the audience gradually figures out what happened to Velma Kelly's dance partner before it is revealed later on.

Credit: Miramax

#8: STAR WARS: EPISODE IV - A NEW HOPE (1977)

The Star Wars opening scenes are iconic. The drum rolls of the 20th Century Fox fanfare, then the words "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...." before the giant yellow 'STAR WARS' title. The opening crawl always gives us enough context to get us hooked and throw us straight into the action. All of these opening scenes are highlights of the movie but nothing beats the original. Plus, this opening is made all the better by the newer Rogue One: A Star Wars which ends moments before this film kicks off.

Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

#7: MUSIC AND LYRICS (2007)

This is a bit of a different opening scene from the other action-packed openers on this list. Music and Lyrics opens with a hilarious music video. Featuring Hugh Grant whipping out his best 80s dance moves, this movie knows how to captivate its audience.

#6: CARS 2 (2011)

Cars 2 is a bit of a controversial movie. It came out when I was a kid and I thought it was the best thing to ever appear on this planet. I was the film's target audience at the time so I think my opinion is pretty valid. Cars 2 is basically animated James Bond with talking cars. The opening scene of this movie sums up what will be seen for the rest of the movie. You just have to watch this opening scene to know what I mean.

#5: SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)

It's hard to know where this opening scene ends. Saving Private Ryan plunges us straight into the action and doesn't cease for almost the entirety of the movie. The movie doesn't slowly introduce the violence that follows but gives us its worst in the opening seconds of the movie. This film knows how to capture the harsh realities of war and the opening scene encapsulates that. Technically this isn't the first thing audiences see. There is a small prologue set in the modern day but the beach scene is about as good as an opening as you get.

Credit: Dreamworks Pictures

#4: INDIANA JONES AND THE RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

This is a movie scene that almost everyone can recognise even if they haven't seen the movie. Raiders of the Lost Ark takes its time to show Harrison Ford's face as the titular character but then does so in a faultless reveal. What follows this reveal is ten minutes of pure Indiana Jones shenanigans. This opening scene gives us a taste of what we will experience in the movies to follow. Not to mention John Williams' fantastic score that plays in this scene.

Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

#3: THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

The Dark Knight is not only considered one of the best Batman movies of all time, not only one of the best superhero movies of all time, but one of the best movies of all time. The Dark Knight is a great movie and this opening scene sets that up. This scene also reveals Heath Ledger's terrifying Joker in one of the best character reveals in cinema.

#2: JURASSIC PARK (1993)

Here's another franchise that knows how to do opening scenes. I adore the opening scenes of the Jurassic movies; they are the parts that I look forward to the most in new movies and generally turn out to be my highlight from the movie. I love these scenes so much that I wrote a whole article ranking all of the opening scenes (read it here). The opening scene of the original Jurassic Park is pretty amazing but didn't quite make it to the top of that list so won't make it here either. This movie doesn't show us a full dinosaur until mid-way through the movie with the raptor which is partially seen in this movie but not fully shown until towards the end of the movie. The scene helped to build the suspense that will carry on throughout the whole movie.

Credit: Universal Pictures

#1: JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018)

Here is what I think is not only the greatest opening scene but one of the greatest scenes in cinema. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is probably one of the weakest Jurassic movies in the franchise. However, this scene is amongst the best stuff we have seen over the thirty years of these movies. As we've seen many dinosaurs throughout the numerous movies, this opening scene doesn't hesitate to show us a full-sized dinosaur. Yet, it still holds the suspense whilst the scene builds up to show these dinosaurs. The scene sets up the plot for the film but leaves us with questions that are answered later on. However, this scene also leaves us in anticipation of the next Jurassic World movie. Even after watching this scene many times, I still get excited just thinking about it!