bonham2
* 4-Feb-2023(#1)Raiders of the Lost Ark is as close to perfect as any action movie can be, but the intro might be the best intro in any movie ever.
We start with our hero cloaked in shadows, telling us he's not perfect, combined with a beautifully atmospheric and creepy score by the greatest movie composer ever (John Williams). One of his followers attempts to rob/attack him from behind, which is when we get the coolest intro to a main character ever. Indy disarms him with his whip and then he moves into the light. We hear how dangerous the cave is and learn pretty early that his competitor, who was real good, didn't make it out. We see how smart and cautious he is by avoiding multiple traps all while building tension. Then we get to see him improvise under pressure as the cave literally crumbles under him while he escapes. He gets double crossed by the excellent Alfred Molina (pre Doc Ok fame). As he escapes one of the most iconic scenes ever with the boulder, we learn about his main nemesis and learn that Indy wants to preserve the artifacts that he hunts instead of making a profit. There is another chase scene which the hero narrowly escapes only to finally hear the score reveal the main hero theme. Oh, and we learn that the guy had absolutely no fear at all...except for snakes.
If it's not the best intro to a movie, please tell me a better one.
shadyfozzie
4-Feb-2023(#2)Saving private Ryan's beach scene
Baby driver opening car chase
bonham2
4-Feb-2023(#3)shadyfozzie wrote:> Saving private Ryan's beach scene
> Baby driver opening car chase
Ooh, Saving Private Ryan is a really good one. I didn't think about that. My two other thoughts were Star Wars A New Hope and Pulp Fiction. Obviously, Pulp Fiction's intro doesn't rise to the level of the others, but I do love the conversation between the two Diner robbers ending with "Any of you fudging pigs move, and I'll execute every fudging last one of you." Classic intro. The first Star Wars intro is fantastic, introducing Vader, Leia and the droids with a big space battle. It's pretty great. The only thing keeping it from Raiders level awesomeness is the fact that we really don't get introduced to the main protagonist until after this scene.
Bishop
4-Feb-2023(#4)Baby Driver is awesome, I also think Dark Knight's intro is awesome.
BlueJava
4-Feb-2023(#5)Friday when the Jehovah witness came to the door and woke Craig up is the best intro ever.
theJaw
4-Feb-2023(#7)I’ll always love The Mask of Zorro’s intro scene.
egg
4-Feb-2023(#8)Can't think of any. In my experience movies usually start off really boring. Although come to think of it, I liked the clock tower story at the start of Benjamin Button more than the main plot. The scene with the mom on her death bed also made me cry. But I ended up quitting the movie in the first hour.
I saw the Baby Driver opening on yt once, and it was pretty cool.
The intro to the original Star Wars is pretty famous. Comes in swinging, that's for sure.
shadyfozzie
4-Feb-2023(#9)A few more:
Inglorious Bastards (so much tension)
OG Scream w/ Drew Barrymore (mostly cause she dies in like the 1st 10 minutes)
Deadpool
Avengers: Infinity War
UP aka the saddest opening of all time
Orlandu
* 5-Feb-2023(#10)The Lion King is pretty classic. Pretty much tells you all you need to know without a single word.
Fellowship of the Ring was really well done, too. Really gave the sense that you were about to watch something epic.
The Transformers (animated) movie did a great job of showing the horror of Unicron and had an absolutely dogin' intro theme.
The GI Joe (animated) movie also opened with a great theme song and a jetpack battle around the Statue of Liberty. I honestly don't know how they could have opened that movie any better.
nonamesleft
5-Feb-2023(#11)@Bishop Very cool how your Link icon changes color like that.
KCPenguins
* 5-Feb-2023(#14)Some great ones mentioned, Saving Private Ryan is probably my favorite of those listed.
One of my favorites is Once Upon a Time in the West. Classic Sergio Leone. Would have been even more epic had Clint Eastwood been available to film the intro. Really love Shane's intro as well showing my western bias.
I also want to list a zombie movie as so many have great intros. 28 Days Later stuck out from memory (The Walking Dead), but I forgot about the infection explanation intro. 28 Weeks Later was also phenomenal. From movies, I'd go 28 Weeks Later, but I really like what The Walking Dead intro did with the 28 Days Later plot.
Jaws also had a great intro, and 2001: A Space Odyssey had the Dawn of Man scene.
theJaw
9-Feb-2023(#23)I also dug the Gravity intro scene. Even before the movie’s inciting incident, there’s an immediate sense of dread brought on by the vast emptiness of space. But at least we had Clooney’s smooth-as-butter voice there with us.
razeak
15-Feb-2023(#24)Jaws. Hands down. No contest.
The hook in that movie is the GOAT.
bonham2
15-Feb-2023(#25)razeak wrote:> Jaws. Hands down. No contest.
>
> The hook in that movie is the GOAT.
It's hard to argue with that one. Such a great movie and a great intro.
KCPenguins
15-Feb-2023(#26)razeak wrote:> Jaws. Hands down. No contest.
>
> The hook in that movie is the GOAT.
It's been said a 1000 times, but the fact that they had so many issues with the mechanical shark that caused them to show it way less than they wanted lead to the movie's greatness.
Sid_Ceaser
16-Feb-2023(#29)Raiders is the greatest film of all time IMHO. Perfection from first frame to last frame, including a man eating a fly.
I'm also a big fan of the intro to Lethal Weapon 2. No joke. That thing just cuts on an action scene already in progress. Great stuff.
bonham2
16-Feb-2023(#30)Sid_Ceaser wrote:> Raiders is the greatest film of all time IMHO. Perfection from first frame to last
> frame, including a man eating a fly.
>
> I'm also a big fan of the intro to Lethal Weapon 2. No joke. That thing just cuts
> on an action scene already in progress. Great stuff.
>
Which intro was that? Was that the bomb in the car under the building or was that LW3?
Anyway, I agree about Raiders. I think it is absolutely the perfect action/adventure movie. One of my only problems is the "fake-out" of Marian's death. She is clearly shown to be in the basket in the back of the truck that blows up.
Best1989
16-Feb-2023(#32)Yeah, I also prefer Last Crusade. Raiders is a fine movie though.
jgrant78
17-Feb-2023(#33)Saving Private Ryan and Inglorious Basterds would be at the top of my list, but that Scream opening may honestly be my favorite. Some friends and I were in college at the time and went to watch it on a whim. We all freaked out when Drew Barrymore was killed off like that and it did a great job setting a tone that anything could happen.
Sid_Ceaser
17-Feb-2023(#34)bonham2 wrote:> Sid_Ceaser wrote:
>> Raiders is the greatest film of all time IMHO. Perfection from first frame to
> last
>> frame, including a man eating a fly.
>>
>> I'm also a big fan of the intro to Lethal Weapon 2. No joke. That thing just
> cuts
>> on an action scene already in progress. Great stuff.
>>
>
> Which intro was that? Was that the bomb in the car under the building or was that
> LW3?
>
> Anyway, I agree about Raiders. I think it is absolutely the perfect action/adventure
> movie. One of my only problems is the "fake-out" of Marian's death. She is clearly
> shown to be in the basket in the back of the truck that blows up.
>
LW2 starts where they are in the car chasing after some bad guys. It shows the 2 on the screen and then you hear Riggs screaming and the 2 zooms at the camera and it instantly cuts to Riggs and Murtaugh in pursuit. So good. Such a fast transition.
