10 Awesome Opening Scenes In Otherwise Terrible Action Movies
These movies got off to a great start, but it was all downhill after the first scene.
A strong opening scene is important in all types of movies, but it could be argued that they are most vital to a good action flick. Action films are supposed to be exciting, thrilling, and intriguing, so what would be the point of starting one with a 45 minute shot of a person doing their taxes?
There have been some absurdly good opening scenes in action movie history. The initial escape in Baby Driver, Maximus' sword battle from Gladiator, Deadpool jumping off the bridge. All of these scenes got their films off to an insanely hot start.
However, none of those scenes are going to be on this list. Why? Because the movies they're from turned out to be actually good.
A great intro doesn't always make for a great film, as the following ten flops all display. They all absolutely peaked with their openings, as those involved failed to keep up the quality over the following 90 minutes or so.
At least they all have these scenes to fall back on, although they do just illustrate how rubbish everything else is.
10. Nazis On A Train - Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny
Poor Indiana Jones.
15 years after the beloved hero was burnt to death in the dumpster fire that was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, his charred remains crawled out of the flames only to be squashed by a stupid dial instead.
The Dial of Destiny attempted to give the whip-cracking archaeologist the send-off he deserved, but all it did was make everyone realise that that had already happened with The Last Crusade in 1989.
Worse than the idiotic plot, the underdeveloped characters, and the boring car chases, was the fact that the opening to Dial of Destiny was classic Indy.
Set aboard a train during World War II, this scene pits Dr. Jones and his friend Basil Shaw against his most famous nemesis: the Nazis. It's up to a de-aged Harrison Ford to escape this tricky spot, which he does in his usual ass-kicking way.
The train scene takes all of the excitement from the opening of The Last Crusade and ramps it up a notch. It's fast-paced, thrilling, and full of charm; everything a good Indiana Jones opener should be.
If only the cameras had stopped rolling here.