People Are Sharing The Movie Openings So Good, They Were Literally Glued To Their Seats, And Not One Answer Is Wrong

    Pixar really loves destroying us in the first few minutes.

    Hannah Marder
    by Hannah Marder

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Recently, we asked the BuzzFeed Community what movie nails its opening scene. Here are some of the best responses!

    1. Up

    Carl and Ellie marry and are going to have a kid but then Ellie miscarries. They start a Paradise Falls fund but grow older and Ellie gets sick
    Pixar

    "Up, or as I like to call it, the only movie to make me curl up in the fetal position and sob before I even understood the plot of the film."

    —mg190262

    "Up is definitely the best movie introduction. It shows the sweetest love story and really makes you care for Carl and understand why he's so bitter at life without Ellie. If the introduction weren't done as well, you wouldn't have reason to care about a random grumpy old man."

    —christinab44a37045e

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Pixar / Via youtube.com

    2. Finding Nemo

    Marlin swims into the cave calling for his wife and finds Nemo's egg, telling him it'll be alright
    Pixar

    "Pixar does devastating openings so well. It establishes Marlin's character and why he's so protective right away, as well as making you extremely invested in Nemo."

    —hannahmarder

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Pixar / Via youtube.com

    3. Scream

    Dimension Films

    "Horror fanatic right here! I'll always love the opening scene of Scream. I know I watched it when I was still fairly young, but it's still suspenseful to me twentysomething years later. Now that I'm older, I think it was amazing how Wes Craven used Drew Barrymore, who was already a household name in the industry, and killed her off within the first 10 minutes! Who would have seen that coming?! Love Neve Campbell, but I always wonder how Drew would have been as the Sydney character."

    —agl512

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Dimension Films / Via youtube.com

    4. Jaws

    Universal Pictures

    "Chrissie Watkins getting thrashed around by the unseen shark while screaming for help, then suddenly everything is calm again after she gets pulled underwater while the guy is passed out on the beach. The mellow sound of that buoy dinging and the surf lapping on the shore after those frantic screams…even as a kid, it blew me away because we hadn’t even seen the villain yet; we just knew he was out there and he was terrifying."

    —dig_if_you_will_a_picture

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

    5. Mamma Mia!

    Sophie singing "I have a dream" then sending letters to Sam, Bill, and Harry
    Universal Pictures

    "Seeing her on a boat singing...and then she sends letters that cause three random men to leave their busy lives and come to this island."

    —mystifier

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Universal Pictures / Via youtube.com

    6. The Prince of Egypt

    DreamWorks Pictures

    "I get chills just thinking about Ofra Haza’s singing in 'Deliver Us.'”

    —eivor1612

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    DreamWorks Pictures / Via youtube.com

    7. The Lion King

    Disney

    "I was only 11 when it came out, but I remember how the beautiful animation of the opening sequence combined with the epic music of 'Circle of Life' got everyone in the cinema completely captured immediately. That enormous THUD as the song ends still brings me out in goosebumps."

    —emmak26

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Disney / Via youtube.com

    8. Booksmart

    Molly listening to an affirmation that says she's ready to dominate the day because she's a champion, and she should visualize what she wants and look down at those who have doubted her, because fuck those losers
    United Artists Releasing

    "The affirmation. OMFG. Also, the dancing."

    —steinbeck32

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    United Artists Releasing / Via youtube.com

    9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

    Marvel

    "Shang-Chi had me right from the first moment. The dance fight between Wenwu and Jiang Li, the beauty of Ta Lo, everything. I was absolutely in love."

    —constanvee

    "That brilliant martial arts dance from the beginning had me hooked and I was not disappointed with the rest. Love that movie!"

    —merriweatherjones

    Watch a piece of the scene here (or go see the film in theaters!!):

    View this video on YouTube
    Marvel / Via youtube.com

    10. Birds of Prey

    Harley tells of her childhood, when her dad abandoned her then brought her to a school run by nuns who spanked her, but she wasn't an establishment kind of girl and hit back
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "Birds of Prey had me hooked from the first moment. It's so well made, and you can see the difference a female director makes when it comes to writing Harley Quinn."

    —kameliabrench

    "I was hesitant at first because of how bad Suicide Squad was, but from the moment Harley started narrating, I knew this was going to be a story about her. Not about her relationship with the Joker, not about showing the audience a sexy Margot Robbie, but about Harley Quinn as a person."

    —milk_hater

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

    11. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

    Galadrial narrates the creation of the rings, which were given to elves, dwarves, and men, and the how Sauron created one evil ring to rule them all
    New Line Cinema

    "I had already read the book and so I knew it was going to be good, but the voiceover and everything…wow. The trilogy is basically perfect, and the start got me hooked."

    —placeholderiguess

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    New Line Cinema / Via youtube.com

    12. Avengers: Infinity War

    Loki tells Thanos he will never be a god, then Thor trying to scream as Thanos kills Loki and then he sees Loki dead
    Marvel

    "When Thanos killed Heimdall and Loki in the first few minutes, I knew it was gonna be a roller coaster of a movie."

    —zxasww91

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Marvel / Via youtube.com

    13. The Social Network

    Mark tells Erica she should be more supportive because if he gets into a final club he'll take her to lots of cool things and she breaks up with him
    Sony Pictures Releasing

    "I went in thinking, 'Ugh a film about Facebook…how boring,' but that scene in the bar with the back and forth between Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara was just WOW."

    —lesleyt460b211e5

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Sony Pictures Releasing / Via youtube.com

    14. Inglourious Basterds

    Hans Landa says "You're sheltering enemies of the state" to the farmer as the Jewish family hides below the floorboards
    The Weinstein Co.

    "Inglourious Basterds by far. It built up the tension masterfully, while still giving us some creepily charming moments from Christoph Waltz."

    —decoramore

    "Think what you want about Tarantino, but that first scene is just amazing."

    —jaswid

    Watch the full scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    The Weinstein Co. / Via youtube.com

    15. Black Widow (technically not the first scene, but the opening credits)

    as Natasha, Yelena, and other girls are pulled roughly by soldiers out of a van, a man says "Remove all the defects"
    Marvel

    "That opening song was really dark and the cover of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was simply amazing!"

    —dat_flowerpot

    "Black Widow also got me pretty quickly as well, due to how different it was, then to throw in that wild opening credit sequence...Brilliant."

    —constanvee

    Watch the opening credits here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Marvel / Via youtube.com

    16. The Departed

    Frank says "no one gives it to you – you have to take it" then tells Colin to come by L street if he wants extra money, then later kills a woman and man and says "jeez...she fell funny"
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "I don’t know how to describe it but everything about the start of that movie was just perfect to me, and I knew I was going to love it. It’s still one of my favorite movies."

    —cruelsummer89

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

    17. Crazy Rich Asians

    a racist hotel worker suggests Eleanor and her family stay in Chinatown — later, the owner of the hotel reveals to the worker that Eleanor has bought the hotel
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "Eleanor putting the racist hotel worker in his place like that? Iconic behavior. Set up the movie perfectly."

    —rachell11

    "I totally agree! What an amazing way to kick off such an empowering and feel-good movie!"

    —mavmag

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

    18. X-Men

    Magento's mom screaming as she's torn from him and Magneto being held back screaming, then bending the metal of the gates
    20th Century Fox

    "Young Magneto [is] torn from his parents, who are being dragged to the concentration camps in Nazi Germany, and in his rage and grief bends the metal fences, sobbing, until he's knocked out. That scene always gives me shivers and I don't think it gets enough credit."

    —laura37911973

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

    19. The Dark Knight

    The Joker is picked up holding a clown mask on the street — the people doing the robbery job with him debate why he's called the joker
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "The Dark Knight has an absolutely unbeatable intro. The entire Joker heist was so well done."

    —wherelostcharactersgo

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

    20. The Other Guys

    Danson asks Highsmith why he's on top of a car and Highsmith says he makes poor decisions then shoots out the window of his car
    Sony Pictures Releasing

    "An epic OTT car chase with The Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. Sadly, the iconic moment when they 'aim for the bushes' isn't in the first five minutes, but it's made even funnier by the setup."

    —hbinkyk

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Sony Pictures Releasing / Via youtube.com

    21. Deadpool

    credits naming characters like the comic relief and a british villain and god's perfect idiot (with a people magazine cover of ryan reynolds) as we go through an action scene in slo-mo and see someone's purse with a Green Lantern card in it
    20th Century Fox

    "I just rewatched it today and remarked to my friend how that opening scene so perfectly sets the tone of the movie. You know what you're signing up for, and you know it's going to be hilarious, violent, meta, and fantastic!"

    —olliemolly

    Watch the credits here:

    View this video on YouTube
    20th Century Fox / Via youtube.com

    22. Goodfellas

    Henry asks Jimmy if he hears something then they open the trunk to show a bloodied man
    Warner Bros. Pictures

    "You start in the car with the three leads, no idea of what’s going on. Then they pull over, open the truck, all three characters tell us a bit about what we can expect from all three of them in the next hour, then the iconic line: 'For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.' TITLE CARD. *Chef’s kiss.*"

    —cassandrarudy15

    Watch the scene here:

    View this video on YouTube
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Via youtube.com

    23. And finally, Drive

    the Driver says "You don't need to know the route. You give me a time and a place, I give you a 5 minute window. Anything happens in that five minutes and I'm yours. ... Anything happens a minute either side of that and you're on your own"
    FilmDistrict

    "The opening is like its own little movie with a build up, suspense, and its own twist ending."

    —mg190262

    [It's] intense right off the bat with hardly any words spoken, and [with] Kavinsky's 'Nightcall.' Epic!"

    —purplepaperplane

    Watch the scene (minus the opening dialogue above) here:

    View this video on YouTube
    FilmDistrict / Via youtube.com

    Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.