Morning shows the day - these movie opening sequences had me invested from the get go

Everyone knows the famous adage, the first impression is the last impression. And this holds true for movie opening sequences as well. One of the most immersive and powerful forms of media, movies have the power to transport audiences into the story and make them feel one with the characters. Therefore, the opening movie sequences of any film hold a lot of importance. A strong starting scene attaches audiences to the film, makes them want to see more, and sets the theme and tone of the movie. Here are eight such films, whose opening shots are now considered classics in themselves.

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The Godfather, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and other films with great movie opening sequences

1. Scream

Directed by Wes Craven, this famous horror and slasher classic is a classic for a reason. The movie focuses on a small town where a group of high school students are being killed by a masked serial killer. While the premise is straightforward, what makes the movie so memorable is its movie opening sequences that feature a dedicated performance by Drew Barrymore. The opening scene focuses on a teenage Casey (Barrymore), making some popcorn while alone at home and enjoying herself when a mysterious caller calls her and begins a lighthearted conversation. Casey also entertains his chatter until he begins to describe things about her and ultimately forces her to play a horror trivia game to save the life of her boyfriend, who is tied and gagged in her backyard. The whole sequence is iconic as it sets the tone of the movie, makes the audience aware that the movie is meta and addresses horror movies directly, and keeps the pace tight. The ultimate scene where Casey’s parents come home to see their daughter’s gruesome body near a tree is horrifying. The movie was also able to shock audiences with its tight execution and the murder of a star like Drew Barrymore in the first scene itself.

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2. 2001: A Space Odyssey

One of the foremost sci-fi movies, this epic movie directed by Stanley Kubrick is set on a vast scale, and its vastness covers the entire gamut of human history. The first scene of the movie makes this point clear, as it is shot in a beautiful manner and has heavy symbolism. While the rest of the movie is all about spacecraft, crews, and interstellar space and travel, the first few moments of the movie are somber and silent until a big moment occurs. In a unique fashion, the movie begins with a blank screen for a few minutes, and the viewers can only listen to some haunting and jarring sounds. The start of the movie tells a whole story in itself and focuses on the time immemorial story of the evolution of man. The scene is set in prehistoric Earth, where a group of hominins live their lives and are driven away from another rival group as they try to get to a water source. However, everything changes when a giant, dark slab of an alien monolith makes an appearance, and the prehistoric creatures are able to civilize themselves and thus create the growth of man. The film’s unique introduction therefore subverts all the expectations that viewers had about how a film is supposed to start and makes them ready for an interplanetary adventure like none other.

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3. Up

Directed by Pete Docter, this animated comedy-drama by Pixar Studios has one of the most emotionally heavy movie opening sequences of all time. The movie is all about a cranky old man, Carl, who travels to South America with a bubbly youngster, Russell, in order to fulfill the wishes of his late wife, who wanted to travel the world. But the beauty of the movie is that it begins with a stunningly emotional sequence about how Carl met his love, Ellie, and the two bonded together as friends before eventually marrying each other. One of the heartbreaking parts of the whole introductory scene is when Ellie is unable to become a mother, and the two live their lives by themselves, trying to save money for traveling. However, the sequences beautifully show the complexity of life, as whenever they have enough money to travel, something comes up, and they have to break their bank in order to fix it. The somber and sensitive depiction of the ups and downs of life and the passing away at old age is done realistically and with a lot of empathy. This opening sequence and its accompanying background score are two of the most poignant scenes in all of Pixar’s movies, and their beauty is that they are completely dialogue-free, which makes an even deeper connection with the audiences.

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4. Saving Private Ryan

One of the most realistic movies on war, this epic movie is directed by Steven Spielberg, and from the first shot itself, the viewers can see the technical mastery that has gone into making this movie. The film was appreciated widely for its graphic and realistic depiction of combat scenes, and the movie opening sequences of the film prove that point. The opening scene focuses on a large squadron of US soldiers storming Omaha Beach. Immediately, there is a lot of chaos, ruckus, and a cacophony of noises as soldiers get killed or injured left and right, and the ones who are alive continue to forge bravely. The scene is highly effective as it does the primary job that any good war movie should do—it brings the viewers directly into the scene of the battlefield and makes them feel all the destruction and bloodshed of a war. The movie has a simple premise whereby a group of US soldiers have to locate Private James Ryan and bring him back safely as all his other brothers have died in war. Set amidst World War II, the movie’s opening shots highlight the destruction that the war caused and bring an emotional depth even in all this chaos as it makes the viewers focus on how lives with meaning were lost at a moment’s notice and at random. The opening scene also creates gravitas for the soldier’s subsequent mission in the movie, which makes their later sacrifices all the more emotional and heavier.

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5. Beverly Hills Cop

Directed by Martin Brest, this buddy cop action comedy is one of the most iconic movies of the 1980s. The movie is about a street-smart and witty detective from Detroit, Axel Foley (played by the talented Eddie Murphy), who must visit Beverly Hills, California, and solve the murder of his best friend. The opening shot of the film is a classic as it captures the mood and the way of life in Detroit, which will later be in stark contrast to the glamorous lifestyle of Beverly Hills. Accompanied by classic songs like The Heat is On by Glenn Frey and Neutron Dance by The Pointer Sisters, the movie opening sequences are full of action and have an edge of comedy, which defines the movie throughout. The viewers see Axel in the back of a truck as a plainclothes police detective who is in the midst of a sting operation; however, the viewers don’t know that yet and believe him to be one of the criminals. The first shot therefore highlights Axel’s unorthodox methods of police work. As his sting operation is foiled by uniformed officers, a high-speed chase begins between the criminals’ truck and the police cars as they create a rampage through Detroit. The action is high-octane and makes the audience ready for the later scenes that are going to come in the movie. While a dangling Eddie Murphy points to the comedic nature of the movie. This one is a true-blue 1980s classic opening shot.

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6. The Godfather

One of the greatest movies of Hollywood, this gangster movie directed by Francis Ford Coppola is a riveting movie from start to finish. Based on the novel by Mario Puzo, the film is about the Italian-American gangster family, the Corleones, and its patriarch, Vito Corleone. The movie covers the ins and outs of how the mafia is run within a traditional mobster family and focuses on the transformation of Vito’s youngest son, Michael, who changes from a reluctant outsider to a ruthless mafia leader. The influential movie has many memorable scenes, and its opening shot is extremely iconic in pop culture. The movie opening sequence begins with a man who speaks in an Italian accent and says the powerful opening line, “I believe in America.” He sits in a darkly-lit room across from a man and tells the story of how he found fortune in the country but is now seeking justice as his daughter was brutally beaten by a couple of boys for resisting their advances. The man across the table asks him what he wants, and the Italian-American then says in his ear that he wants them dead. Then, the camera pans to show Vito Corleone’s face, who is superbly played by Marlon Brando. The opening scene is full of suspense, intrigue, and quite power as Vito speaks in a respectful but firm tone and asks the man to show him respect and call him the Godfather. In the end, the man has to kiss the hand of Vito and bow and acknowledge him, and the scene therefore shows viewers the power that the mafia leader possesses.

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7. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford, this action-adventure movie is about an archeologist Indiana Jones (Ford), who must recover the lost Ark of the Covenant from biblical times and compete with Nazi Germany forces and a rival archaeologist, who is guiding the Nazis so that they get unlimited power from the Ark. The film is the first in a series of installments and set the tone of the movie and introduced viewers to the character of Indiana Jones. Filled with exotic lands, treasure-bearing caves, sandy deserts, and long-lost secrets, the movie is a classic 1980s film and has one of the best movie opening sequences. The first few shots of the movie focus on Indiana Jones as he leads a group of people deep within the jungles of an unknown region and has a map with him. While some of the people try to fight with him, he brandishes them with a whip and travels deep into a tunnel and comes across a golden artifact, but not without first saving himself from booby traps. However, once he lifts the artifact, the cave begins to cave into itself, and the remaining sequence is all about Indiana Jones heroically getting out unscathed. The starting scene, therefore, sets the tone of the movie, as it has all the classic adventure elements—a rolling boulder, a chase through the jungle, the natives, and a prized artifact in a buried temple.

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8. The Silence of the Lambs

Based on a novel by Thomas Harris, this psychological horror thriller is the first horror movie to have won the Best Picture award at the Oscars and is one of the most iconic horror movies. Starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, the movie is about a young FBI trainee, Clarice (Foster), who must investigate the case of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill, who gruesomely skins his victims. In order to understand his mindset, she has to interview the psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer, Hannibal (Hopkins), who gets inside the mind of Clarice. The movie has an eerie feeling throughout, and its opening shots hold a lot of symbolism. The first few scenes focus on Clarice training ardently in the nearby forests of the FBI training center, before she is called to meet the Behavioral Science Unit chief, Jack Crawford. The scene is telling as Clarice is diminutive and walks across an entire floor of masculine and heavily built men. She also enters into a lift, where only men are present, and she is the only woman. Throughout the scene, a lot of people stare at her, but Clarice walks with a resolve. Therefore, the first few shots present to the audiences a strong female character who is in a male-dominated field but knows how to hold her own. In the subsequent scene, Crawford builds the tension further as he instructs Clarice to be careful while interviewing Hannibal and lays out the details of the Buffalo Bill killer; these moments build tension and force the viewers to know more about the killer and look forward to the meeting of Clarice and Hannibal. One of the subtle but powerful movie opening sequences.