Top 10 Movie Scenes We Wish We Could Watch Again for the First Time

WatchMojo

Some cinematic moments are so breathtaking, shocking, or revolutionary that nothing compares to experiencing them for the first time. Join us as we count down our picks for iconic movie scenes we wish we could erase from our memories just to experience their magic again! From jaw-dropping plot twists to groundbreaking visual effects that changed cinema forever.

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the cinematic moments we

00:12wish we could go back and see once more through fresh eyes. Since we're talking about iconic

00:17scenes we do have to issue a spoiler warning. 10. The Corridor Fight Oldboy

00:30Any movie could have a fight scene but the corridor fight in Oldboy staged in one continuous shot

00:35stomped on every action scene that ever came before it. The tight quarters and limited

00:40movement makes this one a particularly violent hand-in-hand battle.

00:47We are up close to the action in a way that's technically impressive

00:56and also really really visceral. This is just too realistic looking for comfort.

01:08We wish we could bottle the feeling you experience when you go into it without

01:11any prior knowledge but in terms of story and filmmaking it's an unforgettable scene.

01:179. T-Rex Escape Jurassic Park The detail and wonder of

01:24those impeccably designed digital dinosaurs is special enough but it's the moment of terror

01:29that affects us the most. From the second we first see those trembling glasses of water

01:34we know we're about to see something completely wild.

01:50The fearsome Tyrannosaurus Rex's escape is still in adrenaline rush as it attacks the overturned jeep

01:56and stalks our human characters like prey. It's hard to imagine this isn't actually happening to us.

02:01Before you knew how the dinosaurs worked this was the scene that made you truly believe

02:18those things were real.

02:218. Chess Burster

02:36Alien Sometimes the scariest scenes happen

02:39just when you think everything's fine. Kane, a crewman on the Nostromo space station,

02:44makes a sudden and full recovery after an alien attacks him and attaches itself to his face.

02:49And anyway, where are we?

02:50Right here.

02:51We're on our way home.

02:52Yeah, back to the old freezerinos.

02:54Oh, hold on, gotta have something to eat before we come back.

02:59I'm sorry, I need something to eat.

03:02We know better of course, but nothing could have prepared us for the first time we saw the

03:06creature's offspring explode from Kane's torso in a gory mess of blood and slime.

03:18The actors were just as shocked as we were.

03:20They had no idea what this thing would look like until the cameras were rolling.

03:24Now, when you see an alien movie, you sort of know that at some point a chestburster is going

03:29to make an appearance. Still, it'll never be quite as scary as that first time.

03:387. The Spinning Top

03:40Inception

03:40On its own, the image of a top spinning endlessly isn't all that significant.

03:45But when you know what's at stake for Leonardo DiCaprio's character at the end of Inception,

03:49it's a hotter topic of debate that rivals whether Jack could have fit on the door in Titanic.

03:53Is his character finally awake and truly seeing his children for the first time in years?

04:07Or has he become lost to his own dreams?

04:18If the top stops spinning, we'll know for sure.

04:21Of course, it's not that simple.

04:23The movie cuts to black before the top stops spinning.

04:26Or does the movie end before the top just keeps spinning?

04:30We'll never know.

04:456. Bullet Time The Matrix

04:48The Wachowski's techno-war thriller is almost a foundational text for how we engage with

04:52the internet in the 21st century.

04:54It's repackaging of philosophical concepts, first explored by Plato and Kant,

04:58has birthed entirely new ways of talking about politics, philosophy, and existence.

05:03You take the blue pill. The story ends.

05:07You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.

05:10You take the red pill. You stay in Wonderland.

05:14And I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

05:17But as cool as all that is, the Matrix is probably most famous for its stunning bullet time sequence.

05:23The shootout shows bullets moving through space in slow motion,

05:26while the camera itself seems to still be moving in real-time.

05:29It's an awe-inspiring showcase of the character's extrasensory perception,

05:43with the use of cutting-edge cinematic technology.

05:455. Stargate

05:56Any movie that's almost completely devoid of dialogue in its final act better deliver on story and visuals.

06:02Devoid of dialogue to sequence at the end of 2001 A Space Odyssey is a singular achievement in

06:07special effects and surreal storytelling.

06:16Astronaut David Bowman steers his ship towards a mysterious monolith floating in space around

06:20the planet Jupiter. He is suddenly ripped into an interdimensional gateway full of

06:24psychedelic lights and colors that culminates in his spiritual rebirth.

06:27The words don't really do it justice. It's weird, enthralling and full of meaning,

06:39continuing to dazzle new viewers since 1968.

06:534. The Shower Scene

06:54Psycho

06:55To us, violence on screen is nothing new. However, audiences in 1960 were used to tame,

07:01haze-code-honoring horror movies that left truly horrific things to their imagination.

07:06To them, Psycho was a rapture of terror. We don't just see Marion Crane's murder,

07:11we are in that shower with her.

07:18The shrill strings that play over the soundtrack are relentless,

07:22as the knife and that awful plunking sound effect with each stab. Fast and Furious editing gives

07:27the illusion that every cut of the film is a cut of the knife.

07:42Over 60 years later, it almost makes you shudder to think what a movie would have to do now to get

07:47that kind of reaction.

08:003. The Revelation The Sixth Sense

08:03M. Night Shyamalan's horror thriller about a child psychologist trying to help a boy who sees ghosts

08:08turns the tables on you in its final moments.

08:14It turns out that Dr. Malcolm Crowe is just another ghost. In that moment, M. Night Shyamalan

08:31became the master of the third act twist and you started to question everything you've seen.

08:36They only see what they want to see.

08:38Upon rewatch, it's almost unbelievable that it wasn't obvious the first time. But when you have

08:43no idea Malcolm's dead, the moments of drama between Malcolm and his wife and the manipulative

08:48editing and framing of certain scenes jumps out at you. It holds up, but it's impossible to recapture the

08:54genuine surprise.

09:082. Storming Omaha Beach Saving Private Ryan

09:12Vicero explosive and masterful, Steven Spielberg's opening scene is not your dad's war movie.

09:18Where war movies of the past felt distant from the action, the much-lauded D-Day

09:22sequence puts you right in the middle of the onslaught.

09:36It's not romantic or heroic so much as it is confusing, brutal, and terrifying.

09:41We're introduced to characters only to see them die immediately. The scene was a major undertaking.

09:47It cost 12 million dollars and required over a thousand actors to make a reality.

09:52Since its release, several filmmakers have cited the scene as a major influence on how they

10:06approach action set pieces.

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10:331. I Am Your Father

10:35Star Wars Episode 5 The Empire Strikes Back

10:38Darth Vader's revelation that he is Luke Skywalker's father must have had people hollering in the house.

10:43It twisted everything we thought we knew about the galaxy far, far away and made us question what

10:48separates the good from the evil.

10:50Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power.

10:58Join me and I will complete your training with our combined strength.

11:04But the moment has been referenced and parodied so much that there's no mystery around it anymore.

11:09This is a twist so culturally ubiquitous that even before you see a single Star Wars movie,

11:14you know it's coming.

11:152. Obi-Wan

11:37It's hard to even imagine what it would be like to hear the words,

11:39no, I am your father without warning. Must be nice.

11:49Which movie scene do you wish you could relive for the first time?

11:53Let us know in the comments down below.

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