Which films immediately grabbed you from the very first frame?


I could list at least 20 or more but I will just list my top 4:

Watchmen:



Followed by its opening credits:

Immediately come to mind for me:

2001


Naturally, SW...


I love the music they chose for Conan, the 80’s LOTR epic movie.


Heavy Metal!


Superman...iconic music and credits

Those are great picks Raw Kryptonite!

Someone here, maybe in a SW thread(?) mentioned how bland soundtracks are now, and they were right. I’ve been thinking about it a lot when watching movies. We don’t get much like the music in these movies now, something iconic, that carries over as an easy reference to the movie they came from. That Superman theme has been included in a lot outside of the movie. They influence other music. Kind of sad. The Avengers movies theme music has a distinct tone, but still not a full piece. LOTR...same. You know them when you hear them, but they don’t live on their own. They use regular music for the association now, like the GotG soundtrack.
The last really iconic orchestral soundtrack I remember is Danny Elfman’s Batman...and most of his stuff since sounds a little too much like it.

Another great one. I actually used to play this soundtrack as a kid and fantasize that I was Indiana Jones.

What is so impressive about this opening title sequence is that it gives the impression that it's just one long continuous shot.

Speaking of long continuous opening shots, the film Gravity stands out here, I think it's something like 25 minutes long unsurprisingly, Youtube doesn't seem to have that entire sequence, which starts from several hundred meters from the space shuttle, down to individuals performing extra-ship activities, to a debris collision and it's aftermath. Here is a small sample of it though:



Don't get me started with Birdman

Absolutely Love "Inception" and the opening scene is awesome to me. Not to mention Marion Cotillard is in it and is absolutely Gorgeous and Sexy!!!

S!Blade<><

Boy some really good ones here, but I'll submit the opening scene of X2 where NIghtcrawler was after the president was a pretty intense way to kick off a great movie.

Bueller, Bueller?



Pretty much any John Hughes(RIP) movie from the 80s and early 90s had a great intro.


Oh, and Ghostbusters--one of the most perfect films ever made.

One more: Opening scene of the Star Trek reboot. I remember watching that and going out loud "Holy $#@(" and I think my wife and I both had tears in our eyes with Kirks dad sacrificing himself and trying to save everyone else, with the birth of James happening concurrently.

"Your father was captain of a starship for 12 minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mother's, and yours. I dare you to do better."

Agreed on the opening to the first JJ Abrams Star Trek. It was very well done.

Deadpool

In the end, not a great movie as there was so much missed potential...but an excellent intro.

Have to Love "Batman, The Dark Night Rises"

S!Blade<><

Dark knight rises intro but no Dark Knight intro?



Also golden eye. I love the bond intros where they build up to a big stunt then BOOM credit music starts!

Of course, this one:
(The Final Countdown)

Terminator.

Not so much for the action, but the music and the scrolling letters across the screen. I was hooked.

I didn’t even need to see any of the movie, the music alone made for a brilliant intro.

Patton






[video:youtube]https://binged.it/2MPKX9v[/video]

I always thought this intro was pretty sweet, and something I had thought about even before the movie came out:

Another by John Milius, this time with a score by Basil Poledouris.

Great thread Panzer. I always love and appreciate when a movie grabs you for one reason or another and engages the viewer right out of the gate. Those kinds of movies usually end up being excellent in their entirety.

I have to add The Hunt for Red October to this list. One of my favorites and it definately commands your attention and interest as soon as it opens.

Starts at 2:35



Another favorite of mine is Passion of the Christ. Its one of the few truly transporting movies I've ever seen.





Another all time favorite of mine is The Mission. I can't find a decent clip but it basically starts with some natives peoples in South America lashing a priest to a cross and shoving him off into a river. Immediately following this somber yet profound spectacle is Ray McAnally as a Cardinal in a silent monologue. I can't find a clip that does it justice. The Mission also has one of my favorite sound track of all time by the one and only Ennio Morricone.

I've always loved the opening of The Firm with Tom Cruise. This movie is one of those movies like Shawshank Redemption that I can just keep watching repeatedly.



A Few Good Men also has a great opening from the Cuba scene to straight into the horn music and rifle drill.

Most of the ones I would pick are already listed, but here are a few that might not immediately come to mind.

The entire opening scene from Inglorious Basterds (this is just part):




And the opening of Cliffhanger:

Part 1:


Part 2:

+1 for Inglourious Basterds! How did I not think of that one??

Contact

Alien



War Games


Beavis and Butthead Do America
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I agree with Master about Goldeneye; it was actually the first movie that came to mind. That said, I actually like the intro to Casino Royale a bit more. The black and white makes you realize that there is something special going on.


Another one of my favorite intros is for The Replacement Killers. This is Antoine Fuqua cutting his teeth. Just disregard any voice-overs; they're not part of the scene.

Brilliant!

S!Blade<><

Life of Brian

Great thread Panzer !
A few high on my list

The Shining


Full Metal Jacket


Snatch


Train Spotting - language and highly questionable lifestyle


Cheers,
Slug

Many of my favourites have already been mentioned, like Star Wars, the Hunt for Red October, the first Abrams Star Trek, but how has nobody mentioned Top Gun?
Tense music, a little bit of text, then awesome 80s rock and F-14s launching off the catapult.

Hi guys. We're confusing opening scenes with title scenes sometimes.

Empire of the Sun.



The Last Emperor

Forgot about the spaceman in the Corvette in the opening of Heavy Metal. Must be where Elon Musk got his inspiration.


Wheels