Best Movie Openings

[Jim H]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUVBRrBl-yc

[Pilgermann]

Can't find clips but I love the beginning scenes of Aguirre, the Wrath of God, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West, Vertigo (titles included), and Blade Runner.  Oh, and Halloween has great titles and opening scene, too.  Plenty of other good ones but that's all I have in mind right now.

[Vik]

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

[Rev. Powell]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.  It's very iconic and much parodied with the sliding under the descending wall and grabbing the hat, etc.  I remember coming into the theater expecting nothing as a kid and seeing it and being blown away. 

[Hammock Rider]

 I thought the beginning of Golden Eye was great, what with the bunji jumping off the damn and then the escape by riding a motorcycle off a cliff and then free falling into the airplane. Amazing! It was one of the best Bond openings of all time!

[Vik]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.  It's very iconic and much parodied with the sliding under the descending wall and grabbing the hat, etc.  I remember coming into the theater expecting nothing as a kid and seeing it and being blown away. 

Yeah first time I saw that movie younger ... aw man

[The Burgomaster]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.  It's very iconic and much parodied with the sliding under the descending wall and grabbing the hat, etc.  I remember coming into the theater expecting nothing as a kid and seeing it and being blown away. 

I never had the "blown away" experience when I saw this for the first time.  By the time I saw it in the theater, it had already been out for about a year (it was actually in its SECOND run at the theater where I saw it . . . it played there for several months, went away for awhile, and then came back for another run).  I had seen so many clips of it on TV and heard so many people talk about it that it was pretty stale and anti-climactic when I finally got to see it.  I've always regretted not seeing it sooner . . . I probably would have had a much better experience.  I'm such an idiot.

[Doggett]

I loved the opening to Batman Returns. The music, the design, the darkness of it. Throwing a baby into the sewer !!! I was sold right away and it still remains my favourite film ever !

The first 15 mins of Judge Dredd is the only part that seems like the comic.

I thought the opening of Gremlins 2 was great with the arguing WB cartoon cheracters and really set the whole goofyness tone of the film.

Pan's Labrynth's opening was just dark and magical and drew me in.

[Mr. DS]

I've always loved the beginning to Back To The Future where Marty heads to Doc's place before school only to find out he's late for school.  The whole skateboarding scene that follows rules. 

[indianasmith]

In 1998, I went to see SAVING PRIVATE RYAN the day after it opened.  The beginning sequence - the modern day cemetery, followed by the assault on Omaha beach reduced me to tears and made me feel like someone had kicked me in the stomach at the same time. 

It is perhaps the most effective opening to any war movie ever made.

[Mofo Rising]

Not a great movie by any means, but I've always had a soft spot for the opening of Hideous!

Basically, it's two guys working at a water treatment plant, pulling garbage out of the intake grate. They start talking about the weirdest stuff they've ever found. Then they pull something hideous out of it. It's just so wonderfully grounded. It's like an episode of Dirty Jobs that morphs into a b-movie.

[JaseSF]

I really like the opening to Return of Swamp Thing. It's the best thing about the movie...too bad it's kinda downhill from there.

[Sleepyskull]

I just watched it but Scream (1996) has one of the best openings I've ever seen.

SPOILER


I love how Drew Barrymore was killed right off despite being a big star.

[Jim H]

In 1998, I went to see SAVING PRIVATE RYAN the day after it opened.  The beginning sequence - the modern day cemetery, followed by the assault on Omaha beach reduced me to tears and made me feel like someone had kicked me in the stomach at the same time. 

It is perhaps the most effective opening to any war movie ever made.

Good one.  It's so good, in fact, that the rest of the movie can't ever make it to that level again, though the final battle comes close. 

[Allhallowsday]

I like the VERTIGO opening too, a film I've grown to love.  For Pilgerman: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7sznnL0NZ0