The opening shot of a film is, just like the closing shot, one of the most important to get right, because while the final shot leaves the viewer with a lasting impression, the opening shot can be a way to grip viewers and let them know what they're going to be in for. The best and most memorable opening shots are either visually iconic or technically elaborate for sure, though a couple on this list are memorable for their sheer, impactful simplicity that goes on to define the rest of the feature. Get an opening shot wrong and a director can lose their audience almost immediately, but when they get it right, we're really nothing but putty in their hands. Granted, there are so many amazing shots that picking 10 doesn't really do the form justice, but these picks best encompass the iconic aesthetic potential for those opening seconds (or in some cases, minutes) of a movie. Oh, and any crazy movies that were shot in a single take, such as Russian Ark, are exempt from being included, amazingly impressive though they are. Here are the 10 best opening shots in cinema history.
10. The Dark Knight
The opening shot of Christopher Nolan's comic book masterpiece The Dark Knight might only last 20 seconds - ranking as the shortest on this list - but as anyone who saw the film in IMAX will know above all else, it is a striking, awe-inducing image with which to propel the film forward. Opening across the Gotham City skyline, the helicopter shot closes in on a skyscraper, tension building as we remain unsure whether this is just a generic establishing shot or something more. Just then, the window explodes open, and the opening scene, depicting The Joker's daring bank heist, begins. With Hans Zimmer's ominous Joker theme playing in the background, Christopher Nolan manages to deliver an opening shot that's not just beautiful to look at, but also suspenseful and then at its end, also surprising. It's no surprise that neither Inception nor The Dark Knight Rises, striking though they were, couldn't muster up openings as brilliantly beguiling as this.