00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the films that hit their
00:11peak early on.
00:12We're looking at movies that were both positively and negatively received.
00:16As long as its introductory scene is the movie's highlight, then we're considering it.
00:27Number 10 – Ghost Ship
00:38Believe us, this is the most obscure movie on our list.
00:41The relative obscurity of this campy horror flick, produced by Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis,
00:45better known for directing Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, probably owes to the fact
00:49that, well, it's not particularly well-liked.
00:58In fact, its Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads, with a plot as creaky as the boat, Ghost Ship
01:02fails to deliver the scares.
01:04That said, if Ghost Ship had managed to sustain the cheesy chills of its first scene, it might
01:08have stood a fighting chance as a cult classic.
01:10We won't ruin the surprise, but we can promise that you will not be able to predict where
01:14it's headed.
01:19Number 9 – X-Men Origins Wolverine
01:34The opening entry into a trilogy that's vastly improved with each successive installment,
01:38the first standalone Wolverine film gets off to an encouraging start.
01:41While previous X-Men films had hinted at Logan's dark, painful past, Origins takes
01:45the franchise's best lessons in introducing its central character.
01:53The first X-Men began in a concentration camp, X-2 opened with a jaw-dropping White House
01:58set action sequence, and this film expertly depicts the tragic origin story of Hugh Jackman's
02:03iconic Canadian mutant.
02:05Unfortunately, the rest of the movie fails to live up to its first scene, becoming a
02:08critical and commercial flop.
02:10Later on, it made for an easy target for Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool.
02:25Number 8 – The Empty Man
02:31The only movie on our list to have taken a serious hit from the COVID-19 pandemic, David
02:35Pryor's The Empty Man was released to relatively little fanfare in October of 2020.
02:40And that's a shame, as its literally chilling first scene almost works as a horror short
02:44film in itself.
02:45Set in 1995, and preceding the rest of the events of the film by over 20 years, the scene
02:49depicts a mountaineering trip to Bhutan that goes, like, as wrong as it possibly can.
02:59A chance encounter with an ancient shrine unleashes a mysterious, terrifying curse on
03:04the unsuspecting hikers.
03:05While it takes a hot minute for the scene to hit a narrative payoff, it's definitely
03:09worth the wait.
03:23Number 17 – Miami Vice
03:33Director Michael Mann had previously produced the TV show of the same name, and upon being
03:37encouraged by star Jamie Foxx, revived the quintessentially 80s cop drama as a feature
03:42film.
03:43While the new Miami Vice was critically derided at the time of its release, it has since been
03:46positively re-evaluated, becoming a modern-day cult classic in the process.
04:00Vice follows in its predecessor's tradition of being a pleasure for the senses.
04:04Mann's use of digital cameras offers the film a visceral, immediate vibe that almost
04:08makes the viewer feel like they're in the midst of the action.
04:11The whole film certainly has its moments, but is strongest before being weighed down
04:14by a clunky, somewhat convoluted plot.
04:28Number 6 – Drive
04:40This artsy, meditative action-thriller is chock-full of stuff to love.
04:44One of Oscar Isaac's first major screen roles, a beautifully brooding lead performance
04:48from Ryan Gosling, and shockingly violent elevator fight scenes.
04:52Sorry, we can't really show you that last one.
04:54In any case, the first scene of Danish director Nicholas Winning Refn's American filmmaking
04:59debut stylishly sets the tone.
05:05A badass Gosling instantly commands the viewer's attention as the film's unnamed protagonist,
05:10a highly principled career criminal who's very, very good at what he does.
05:14Drawing from the films of Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Schrader, Refn immediately
05:18let audiences know that this wasn't quite Fast and Furious.
05:29Number 5 – Purple Rain
05:31Look, we're not saying that the rest of Purple Rain isn't deserving of heaps of
05:42praise.
05:43It's just that its first scene is a blast of energy that perfectly captures Prince's
05:46spirit as a pioneering force of pop culture.
05:49Even if, for some reason, you're not a fan of the purple one, you can't help but marvel
05:53at the sheer showmanship on display.
06:02Director Craig Brewer, helmer of such films as 2011's Footloose remake and the Eddie
06:05Murphy vehicle Dolemite Is My Name, has sung the praises of Purple Rain, particularly highlighting
06:11then-recent film school grad Albert Magnoli's direction, calling him
06:15a hands-on editor with a bold vision.
06:25Number 4 – Trainspotting
06:27Audiences' introduction to Ewan McGregor and future Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle's
06:41mainstream breakthrough immediately told them everything they need to know.
06:45Trainspotting is quite literally off to a running start, memorably and electrically
06:49soundtracked by punk legend Iggy Pop's late-70s anthem, Lust for Life.
07:03McGregor's breakneck internal monologue outlines his and his fellow addicts' apathetic,
07:07nihilistic mindset, illustrating their inability to conform to even the most basic societal
07:12expectations.
07:13We get a clear, intuitive sense of our leads, as well as of Boyle's characteristic kinetic
07:17filmmaking style.
07:18If nothing else, you're assured that you're in for a wild ride.
07:32Number 3 – Scream
07:45Arguably director Wes Craven's magnum opus, is it fair to say that Scream boasts possibly
07:49the best horror movie intro of all time?
07:51While the jury's still out on that one, there's no denying that it was immediately
07:55iconic.
07:56Following Casey Becker, one of the Ghostface killer's first victims, the scene expediently
08:00sets up Ghostface's modus operandi, as well as Craven's goal of obscuring the slasher
08:05genre, which he felt had gone stale.
08:13Scream screenwriter Kevin Williamson has since stated that this scene was inspired by Janet
08:17Lee's Marion Crane and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
08:20That is to say, casting a major star, in this case Drew Barrymore, and killing her off early
08:25to throw audiences for a loop.
08:39Number 2 – Top Gun Maverick
08:54Even the most cynical movie lover would find themselves at the edge of their seat from
08:57the outset of this long-delayed legacy sequel.
09:00True to his character, Tom Cruise's infamous Pete Maverick Mitchell reminds audiences of
09:05just what made him such a bad boy to begin with.
09:07Maverick's initial mission is to prove that the fictional Dark Jet planes meet expectations.
09:12Clearly it doesn't end there.
09:20Against the odds, and the wishes of his superiors, Cruise's character manages to take the
09:24vehicle to Mach 10.
09:25When this scene is on, you already know that Maverick will come out on top, you just want
09:29to know how he's going to get there.
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09:50Number 1 – Jaws
09:58With the help of a legendary, instantly recognizable score, an abundance of filmmaking prowess
10:03from a young Steven Spielberg, and captivating performances, Jaws is a stone-cold classic
10:08that begins in only the way a stone-cold classic can.
10:12Spielberg uses cinematic language to its full potential, proving that he not only had the
10:16goods that define a master of the art, but a long, bright future ahead of him.
10:30This iconic introduction would work even without dialogue.
10:33You could show it to folks who don't speak English, and they'd likely have an idea
10:36as to what's going on.
10:37Jaws is the rare blockbuster that starts strong and then keeps the momentum going.
10:46Which movie do you find kicks things off just right?
10:49Don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below!
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