The opening sequence of a film is meant todraw an audience intothe world of the story. There can be eye-popping events, intense dialogue, or complete silence, allowing viewers to understand what is going on.Many point toThere Will Be Blood’s opening scene, which is without dialogue but full of vibrant images, as a great example of how to set the stage for a film without requiring words. Of course, the opening sequence can also be used to confuse or throw audiences off from what is really happening.
Regardless of how it’s employed, it’s the real initial impression fans will get about a movie, minus trailers and sneak peeks. It’s how the filmmaker and screenwriter want fans to settle in and make them feel right away. Some are more memorable than others, and then there are the ones that are instantly captivating. Here are the best ones of the2020sso far.
10’Nope' (2022)
People eagerly awaited Jordan Peele’s follow-up toUs,and when 2022’sNopearrived, it was met with generally favorable reviews and applauded for its suspense and performances. Audiences barely had a chance to get into their seats before they were whisked off to a ranch in the California mountains. Gorgeous landscapes are in the background as Daniel Kaluuya’s Otis Jr. goes and sees his dad, Otis Sr., played by Keith David.
Horses are trained on the ranch and used in Hollywood productions. As the father and son are chatting on the ranch, metallic objects begin falling from the sky. Otis Sr. is struck and doesn’t utter a word. Otis Jr. realizes something might be wrong when he can’t get a word out of his dad. He then sees the horror that one of the metal objects struck his dad in the head. As a mad dash to the hospital occurs, audiences buckle in for what is a wild ride. Not for nothing, the second scene of the film, which introduces Steven Yeun’s character, iseven more disturbing.
9’John Wick: Chapter 4' (2023)
John Wick: Chapter 4
Following the events ofJohn Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, it was clear that there was still more story to tell with the famous assassin. The opening scene ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4resonated with fans as both a memorable one but also one that they could feel in the movie theaters. It starts with a bloody rope strung up and the pounding thud of a fist punching it. Those punches can be felt by anyone watching, as the bass feels boosted.
It isn’t revealed who is throwing the punches as the scene is intercut with exterior shots of the sun rising in New York City. It shows the underground tunnels of New York, as Laurence Fishburne’s The Bowery King begins to speak. The cuts back and forth to the hand punching the rope and Fishburne’s character walking through the tunnels is topped off by exuberant dialogue, one that feels like a promoter hyping up a boxer. After Fishburne lights a choreographed fire that blazes, it illuminates to show Fishburne holding up a black suit and asking Keanu Reeves if he’s ready. Wick turns around and the fourth movie begins. The intensity and heaviness of film is already set in placeafter just one scene, cueing to the audience that they are in store for more bloody action.
8’Sound of Metal' (2019)
Sound of Metal
Though it technically had its world premiere in 2019,Sound of Metaldidn’t have a wide theatrical release until November 2020. The audience can feel the sweat and the smoke in the air as the film begins. Olivia Cooke’s Lou is at the microphone, and Riz Ahmed’s Ruben is shirtless behind the drum kit. We see that he has ear protection in as the heavy set begins. She’s singing and he’s drumming, and that’s their lives. Ruben wails away on the drums, nailing note after note in harmony with Lou.
Sound of Metal, the Amazon release by Darius Marder, brings viewers so close to the action, they can basically breathe in the atmosphere of grunge. The scene is incredibly loud, by design, to show just how much strain Ruben puts on his ears. The film features a star performance from Ahmed as a rocker who loses his hearing. It’s apparent that, if this is his lifestyle, something could go wrong. Marder makes the audience understand the kind of strain he endures night in and night out right from the jump.
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7’Talk to Me' (2023)
Talk to Me
The uneasiness starts early inTalk to Me. Frantically searching for his brother Duckett, the camera follows Cole from behind as he walks into a packed house party in Australia. The music is blaring and the strobe lights are going. People are in the pool and having a raging good time. Cole leaves messages for Duckett on his phone before he’s told by people at the party that his brother is out of control in the bedroom.
Clearly knowing something is wrong, Cole breaks through a locked door and enters the room. Duckett is shirtless and starts talking about their dead father. That’s when the tension ratchets up even more to set the stage for this critically-acclaimed horror film. Theincredibly effective one-take, a consistent tracking shot without cuts, pulled off by cinematographer Aaron McLisky and directors Danny and Michael Philippou is followed by a cut to black, leaving the audience to sit in the horrible silence of what just occurred.
6’RRR' (2022)
The cards before the opening scene ofRRRlet audiences know the time and place that the film is set. It’s the early 1900s when India was still under British rule. Viewers are then whisked away to a forest in Adilabad, where a British governess is visiting a village. A young girl is singing while entertaining her as the rest of the village, including villagers, soldiers, and people traveling with the royalty, all watch the girl.
Suddenly, a pack of hungry dogs emerges from the forest alongside the governor, whose horse makes thunderous strides, and he returns with a number of deer he has just hunted. It’s clear that he is in charge, as the villagers all look frightened of him. The governor admires his wife’s tattoo, which was done by the young girl. She remarks that she’d like to take her home. One of the governor’s workers tosses some coins on the ground in front of the girl’s mother. Initially thinking they are tipping her for her daughter’s work, she takes it and thanks them. But when they stride off with the little girl, the gravity of the situation sets in.RRRtells the story of how Indian revolutionaries aimed to rise up against this kind of tyranny. The period epic is widely considered one of the best films of the past five years, withits dynamic action sequencesand elaborate dance scenes.
5’A Quiet Place Part II' (2021)
A Quiet Place Part II
A Quiet Placewas a smash hit in 2018, making $341 million globally. A sequel was announced shortly afterwards, and fans had to wait an extra year to see it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But once they were able to, the first scene ofA Quiet Place Part IIbrought them tothe day the Death Angels arrivedon Earth. The film opens at a youth baseball game where viewers see John Krasinski and Emily Blunt’s Lee and Evelyn Abbott and their kids cheering.
In the sky, a meteor is seen hurtling towards the planet. Shortly after the crash of the object, panic sets in. It’s clear to anyone who watched the first film that this is the onset of the invasion of the creatures that have changed Earth forever. Krasinski wrote, directed, and starred in the film, which made just shy of $300 million.
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4’Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023)
Killers of the Flower Moon
There is a lot of backstory that is needed to understand where and whenKillers of the Flower Moontakes place. As such, Martin Scorsese opens his film by showing Osage Nation elders in Oklahoma burying a ceremonial pipe to honor a deceased elder. The next portion highlights the ground bubbling, looking like it might blow at any second. When it does, oil shoots up into the sky with numerousOsage members looking.
The next shot features those men jumping and dancing in the oil, covering themselves in it. The elation and understanding of what this means for them sinks in. They are about to be rich. Scorsese then uses old-time intertitles to offer up the backstory: that the tribe has gained wealth from the mineral rights of the land and oil. However, the money must be managed by a white legal guardian, which is a key point in the film. This opening sequence quickly shows how both free and held back the Osage Nation was.
3’Tenet' (2020)
Christopher Nolan is known to open his films with a punch. The opening sequence ofThe Dark Knighthighlights what kind of villain The Joker is. The same goes forThe Dark Knight Riseswith Bane. InTenet, it’s no different, as a high-stakes siege on an opera house in Kyiv unfolds. It’s clear people are staking out the opera house, as the building is shown from different angles both inside and out, and a man is sitting in a van looking at it. Just before the conductor is about to have the orchestra start, masked men rush onto the stage.
The audience is scared, and the police are en route to the building.John David Washington’s character is awokenfrom the back of the van, and he and others in the van fold in with the police who are raiding the building. This highly orchestrated scene ratchets up the tension as Ludwig Goransson’s score reaches new heights during the most manic moments. Something isn’t right during the scene, setting up the feeling audiences will have the entire film.
2’Barbie' (2023)
Greta Gerwig paid homage to one of the greats in her opening forBarbie.There are shots of different landscapes as the sun rises and Helen Mirren’s narration begins to discuss how little girls have always had dolls. The scene shows little girls in the desert playing with dolls on rocks. The dolls are basic, and the girls seem to be having an alright time, but not a special one. All of a sudden, a massive figure appears in the sky, blocking the sun.
It’s revealed to be Margot Robbie as Barbie, who is much larger than the little girls and dolls. Seeing her, one little girl takes her doll and smashes the other dolls as Barbie smiles. The obvious homage to Stanley Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odysseymakes the scene a great reminder ofGerwig’s appreciationfor one of the most well-known scenes in cinema history. Barbie is the monolith that these children are looking up to. It symbolizes the gravitas and weight that the doll has given to the world.
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1’Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)
Top Gun: Maverick
Fans wanted to know what Pete “Maverick” Mitchell was up to since the originalTop Gun, and they learned right away at the beginning of the sequel toTop Gun.Top Gun: Maverickbegins with video of naval fighter pilots driving on a tarmac prior to going up. The ’80s nostalgia is in full force, as it looks similar to scenes from the original. Crews count down as the planes get ready for takeoff.
It’s a stylish homage to the original and also shows us what Tom Cruise’s character is up to. He’s seen in a hangar using tools on a plane before putting on his decorated leather jacket and getting on his motorcycle. Maverick is heading back to base, and all pretty much feels right in the world. The next scene isan action-packed one, bringing fans and audiences right into the excitement that they’ve been looking for.Top Gun: Maverickstarts the way the previous film did and picks up right where it left off.
