The Art of Opening Scenes: A Deceptive Prelude

The Deceptive Allure of Opening Scenes

Incredible opening scenes can be deceptive, with some first scenes lying about how good their movies will be after. While the opening scene of a movie should be gripping enough to draw viewers in, it shouldn't be the only compelling part of the entire film. There are plenty of films that put a lot of effort into making their opening scenes magnificent but fall short during what comes after. While these movies may not be the worst releases, they certainly prove disappointing.

Abbie Cornish as Sweet Pea, Emily Browning as Baby Doll, and Jena Malone as Rocket in Sucker Punch

A good opening scene should give the audience an idea of what the rest of the movie is going to be like. When the beginning of a movie is better than the actual plot, there is a problem. Movies such as Saving Private Ryan and Inglourious Basterds have wonderful opening scenes that pull the audience into the story from the start. However, these films keep viewers engaged all the way through — unlike movies that drop the ball after a great beginning.

The Magnificent Beginnings and Disappointing Endings

The opening scene of Sucker Punch accurately describes the title of the film. Baby Doll is taken to a psychiatric ward after her step-father murders her mother and abuses her and her little sister. After the accidental death of the sister, for which Baby Doll is blamed, the step-father bribes a hospital orderly into admitting her. The opening scene feels so surreal with its use of slow motion and an eerie version of Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)' playing in the background. While the rest of Sucker Punch maintains this atmosphere, it feels weak compared to the intensity of the opening.

Emily Browning as Baby Doll with a folded towel in her hands being escorted by three men down a hallway in Sucker Punch.

The opening scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron showcases the dynamic of the Avengers after New York. The banter between the characters and the seamless way they infiltrate the Hydra base is so much fun to watch. It's exactly what viewers expect from a superhero movie. After that, though, Avengers: Age of Ultron ultimately turns out to be a weak sequel to its predecessor. The camaraderie seen within the first few minutes soon dissolves, and the rest of the film falls flat because of it.

Ultron's metal body in Sokovia in Avengers Age of Ultron

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opens with a team of researchers trying to collect a bone sample from Indominus rex on Isla Nublar in the midst of a stormy night. The scene is so suspenseful and well-executed. Seeing the T. rex illuminated by flashes of lightning is unnerving, as are the silent deaths of the submersible team. The rest of the film can't live up to the tension created in the opening scene.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's Indoraptor

The Harsh Reality of Disappointing Sequels

A film about an illegal arms dealer, Lord of War begins with the life of a bullet. The camera angle is from the perspective of the bullet as it is made and then shipped away to a war-torn country. The scene ends when the bullet is fired into the head of a child soldier on the streets. It's a magnificent opening for Lord of War, which is all about the morality of arms dealing, both legally and illegally. Ending the opening scene with the death of a child is a hard-hitting tactic. Unfortunately, the remainder of the film does not live up to the message of the first few minutes.

Nicolas Cage as Yuri Orlov in Lord of War

The opening scene of 2011's Green Lantern is perfectly unsettling. The audience watches as three beings crash-land on the planet Ryut, where the Parallax is imprisoned. As the Parallax is made up of fear, it makes sense that its awakening is horrifying to witness. The survivors accidentally stumble into its prison and are killed as the Parallax feeds on their fear to the point of destroying their bodies. The scene encapsulates what makes the Parallax such a terrifying villain. The rest of Green Lantern is a well-known disappointment, but its opening scene may lead viewers to think otherwise.

The Parallax feeds in Green Lantern

The opening scene of Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets shows the transformation of the International Space Station into the titular city. Beginning with astronauts from various countries on Earth and ending with alien species, the members of Alpha greet everyone who comes with a handshake. It's a heartwarming scene, as many movies involving aliens depict either them or humans as hostile. The camaraderie is nice to see, even though the rest of the film is a letdown.

Aliens in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' opening sequence