10 Greatest Opening Scenes In Sci-Fi Movie History

In typical Steven Spielberg fashion, the iconic director was able to conjure up ridiculous amounts of dread and anxiety with just a few hints at the monster within during Jurassic Park's legendary opening.

As the hilariously underprepared dino-wranglers attempt to safely move a deadly velociraptor from a container into a holding pen, things inevitably take a turn for the worst.

And the way John Williams' forbidding score combines with the overall atmosphere of fear and tension pervading through the risky transfer results in one of sci-fi cinema's greatest opening sequences.

As Bob Peck's park warden Robert Muldoon watches on, the dangerous lady within - one that is never fully revealed - soon turns an intriguing scene into the stuff of nightmares. Dragging her next meal into her cage, the way said bloke is effortlessly rag-dolled by the vicious raptor let viewers know early on that they definitely weren't dealing with Barney here.

The occasional glimpse of the blood-thirsty animal staring into the petrified souls of all who were trying to keep her from going on a rampage then finally gives way to a two-word command for the ages.

"Shoot(ing) her!" still wasn't enough to erase the terrifying ordeal both Muldoon's men and those watching on had been put through, however.