10 Movies That Should've Scrapped Their Opening Scene

7. Babylon

If nothing else, Damien Chazelle's Babylon begins with a scene which immediately lets the audience know they're not in for a classy look back at Hollywood's Golden Age, but at the same time, it's a poo joke.

Babylon's opening sees protagonist Manny (Diego Calva) attempting to help transport an elephant to a debauched mansion party, climaxing with the elephant taking a massive dump right over both one of the labourers helping move the animal and the camera lens itself.

Again, it's a signal for perturbed audience members to immediately take their leave, but beyond being eye-rollingly crude, it simply adds further bloat to an already overlong 189-minute movie.

Cutting this scene and beginning with the ribald shenanigans at the mansion makes for a far punchier opening, while also trimming four minutes off that elongated runtime.

Much as Babylon is one hell of an ambitious big swing from Chazelle, it's also ultimately a testament to post-Oscar filmmaker indulgence, as is made abundantly clear by that opening elephant bowel movement.