20 Greatest Opening Movie Scenes Of All Time

By Ewan Paterson / February 6, 2022

2. Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a special case, because not only does it have a great set of opening credits - one that features Harrison Ford's iconic emergence out of the shadows - but a fantastic opening scene too.

Raiders has everything you'd want in an adventure movie, and the opening sequence has it all and more, including death traps, golden idols and giant boulders.

There's the famous moment Indie returns for his hat, the standoff with Alfred Molina's Satipo and the collapse of the ruin itself. The film isn't exactly short on death-defying action sequences, but there's a reason the opening remains its most impactful sequence.