10 Best Opening Shots In Cinema History

4. 2001: A Space Odyssey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-QFj59PON4 Though Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi opus continues to be an extremely divisive film, there's no arguing against its sheer artistry, and no better is that exemplified than in the film's opening shot, which depicts the sun rising. It might seem like a simplistic choice for a list like this, but it's only apt that Kubrick's film about mankind's potential begins by depicting the very thing that ensures we're all here. It's visually beautiful, and of course backed by the iconic Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra, which has become an iconic piece of music, one wrestling fans will remember as Ric Flair's entrance theme. 2001: A Space Odyssey forever changed the landscape of cinema, as far as its potential to astound and not merely to entertain; without it, we probably wouldn't have other visionary works like Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life.