A great ending can almost save even some of the worst films from total oblivion – making you either question everything you have seen up until that point or perfectly wrapping up the narrative with a neat little bow. A great opening , however, is something that can truly make or break a movie. Those first few minutes are essentially an audition for the movie to impress its audience and intrigue everyone for what is about to come.
Whether it’s setting the tone through shock and excitement or introducing us to a key character with engrossing dialogue, a great opening isn’t just about spectacle: it’s about storytelling. Here are 26 openings that effortlessly grabbed the viewer’s attention and left them wanting more. 26.
Shogun Assassin (1980) Here’s a rarity – a movie opening that was made famous by the opening song of an album. Liquid Swords , the seminal second studio album by Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA, uses practically the entire intro of the violent samurai film Shogun Assassin – a spliced-together telling of the first two Lone Wolf and Cub films intended for Western audiences. Visually, the opening scene – a series of shots of the titular assassin at work – isn’t overly remarkable, but the voice dubbing by Gibran Evans is what has created its cult status.
The naivety and vulnerability that Evans manages to evoke not only raises the movie’s stakes but merges its brutality, atmosphere, and mythic storytelling. 25. Blade (1998) After a brief sequence depi.
