The Opening Scene In A Movie Is Vital – Here Are 18 That Apparently Nailed It

"Immediately gets you on the edge of your seat."

An opening scene for any film is vital. It can completely set the tone of the movie, or get us hooked, intrigued, and engaged right away.

NBC

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community for their favourite opening scenes, and here's what they came up with:

1. Star Wars

20th Century Studios

"The slow pan along the underbelly of a Star Destroyer."

—jessethecowgirl

2. Drive

FilmDistrict

"The opening heist scene is a brief one, but it is based on arguably the best-written and most logical chase script in film. It has the captivating mix of contemporary and retro aesthetics, with a soundtrack that reflects the film's mood and enhances the emotion."

—tabrezkaiserjr05

3. Top Gun

Paramount Pictures

"My dad had a whole video screen and sound system set up in our basement during the '80s and '90s and his go-to 'blast his friends with sound' was the opening of Top Gun. When the floor shook upstairs we knew he was showing off."

—katecolton498

4. Black Widow

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

"The Nirvana cover is so good!"

—louisayres

"You only get snippets of what Natasha and Yelena went through in the Red Room but it's enough to send chills down your spine."

—ravenbard

5. Blade

New Line Cinema

"Wesley Snipes – *Chefs kiss*."

—vikitheobald

6. The Invisible Man

Universal Pictures

"It was intense from the jump."

—patricks27

7. Inglourious Basterds

Universal Pictures

"We could pick a few Tarantino options but the opening scene with Hans Landa and the farmer is genius. The way it switches language, the rising tension when you know the family are under the floorboards. Then there's the shocking murders and the way it sets up the later, equally excruciatingly tense scene when Shosanna is forced to face Landa again in Paris. Exceptional."

—joeyjg

"For the curious, that was inspired by the opening scene of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)."

—prolix

8. Inception

Warner Bros. Pictures

"To this day I wish I could watch the opening again for the first time. The sense of amazement and awe a couple of minutes in as the water starts bursting inside, and you figure out where they are, just cannot be recaptured once you know what's happening."

—etconner

9. The Lion King

Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

"It was the first film that I remember sitting in the audience and just thinking 'wow' when the title came up. 'Circle of Life' is iconic for a reason."

—cma365

10. Watchmen

Warner Bros. Pictures

"The whole sequence set to 'The Times They Are A-Changin'."

—deebee2118

11. Scream

Dimension Films

"It can’t be beat, what an unexpected and scary way to start a movie."

—sadieladiegirl

12. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Paramount Pictures

"Rarely does an opening scene so clearly and completely define the main character."

—markh63

"In the first 10 minutes, he’s almost shot, bitten by a spider, whips his way over a pit, dodges poison darts, steals a golden statue, has it stolen, the thief gets impaled, then he outruns a giant boulder (iconic), has the statue stolen again, outruns pursuers, swims to a plane and escapes,– and then we learn he’s afraid of snakes. What an introduction!"

—jmacxjr

13. The Dark Knight Rises

Warner Bros. Pictures

"The plane sequence at the start was incredible."

—hollycc

14. Trainspotting

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

"'Lust for Life' provides the perfect start to a perfect film."

—solongandthanksforallthefish1

15. Human Traffic

Metrodome Distribution

"The opening credits of the 1994 Criminal Justice Bill raves/riot played to Fatboy Slim's 'Build it Up, Tear it Down', fantastic opening."

—solongandthanksforallthefish1

16. Saving Private Ryan

DreamWorks Pictures

"I suppose it's not technically the opening scene, which would be the walk through the cemetery, but the beach landings that it leads directly into left me absolutely breathless. WOW!"

—harrydude82

17. Top Gun: Maverick

Paramount Pictures

"For those of us who were there for the original Top Gun, the 'GONG' sound at the beginning is iconic. When it happened in the second movie the whole theatre went 'YEAH!' and started clapping etc. It was awesome."

—catnelsonl

18. Us

Universal Pictures

"What do you want from an opening scene? Intrigue, engagement, atmosphere. The opening scene of Us has all of that. It completely sets the tone for the whole movie, and immediately gets you on the edge of your seat."

–casualgem30

What's your favourite opening movie scene ever? Let us know in the comments below!