There are few things more important to a good movie than a good opening scene. Often enough these initial portions of a flick set the tone for the rest of the movie: if we watchers are bored by what we see here, chances are good we'll be bored by the rest of the film as well.

Here's a list of films that - in my opinion - not only understand this principle, but go above and beyond merely entertaining with their introductions.

Goldeneye: Still my favorite James Bond movie, Goldeneye's introduction not only brings in the slick new Bond in the form of Pierce Brosnan but introduces the first other 00 agent in a film, 006. The two infiltrate a Russian facility and set it to blow, an event which culminates in the supposed death of 006 and Bond's high-octane escape in a plunging plane.

Jurassic Park: The movie starts off great before we even get to see any of the dinosaurs. All that's needed to make this scene great is a rapidly-bucking containment pen, a worker slowly getting dragged to his death and Muldoon's frantic screams of 'SHOOOT HEEEER'. The fading vision of the man's hand slipping out of the crook of Muldoon's arm is a nice touch, too.

Star Wars: The vision of the star destroyer pursuing the tiny blockade runner is one that will stay with moviegoers for the rest of their lives, especially since it's followed closely by the first appearance of the looming Darth Vader. Classic.

Ghostbusters: It's surprising how effective this intro scene with the librarian shuffling about her duties is. Watching everything move about in the background, unbeknownst to her, is really neat - especially when she finally comes face-to-face with the glowering poltergeist.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: All of the Indiana Jones movies have good intros, but the best by far is Indie's teenage flight across a circus train. Not only is it action-packed and fun, but it establishes a lot of little tidbits in Dr. Jones' character, including his love of whips, his hatred of snakes and how he got his iconic hat.

Saving Private Ryan: It starts with an old soldier in a graveyard, true, but as soon as the guns opened up on Normandy and troops started to fall, you knew this was going to be a cinematic experience to remember.

The Dark Knight: The rest of the movie is awesome as well, but it's all set up by this introductory scene. Not only is the bank robbery really well pulled off, but the gradual execution of one clown after another, culminating in the Joker's dramatic unmasking, really sets the scene for the brutality of the rest of the flick.

Independence Day: The rest of the movie might get a bit goofy, but the opening image of the enormous shadow eclipsing the surface of the moon and heading straight for Earth is as dramatic as it gets.

X-Men 2: Nightcrawler might not have been all that horribly amazing through the REST of the movie - I liked the character, but definitely not as an action star - but his initial teleporting attack on the White House is awesome.

Learn more about this author, Matt Bird.
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