10 Movies That Peaked Too Soon

You won't find many people arguing that Pixar's Up is anything less than a very, very good - if not great - movie, but it's also fair to say that its opening sequence is so masterfully executed that the rest of the film didn't stand a chance of living up to it.

The universally-acclaimed "Married Life" opening montage depicts the love story of protagonist Carl Fredricksen (Ed Asner) and his eventual wife Ellie.

Despite living a rich life together, they're left devastated by Ellie's miscarriage and their constant attempts to save for an adventure being derailed by unexpected life expenses. To top it all off, just as they finally plan their journey in old age, Ellie falls ill and dies.

The montage's largely wordless presentation and the universality of its emotions allowed it to become a pop-culture phenomenon in its own right - hell, it even has its own Wikipedia page.

And though the rest of Up is a thoroughly charming and heartfelt movie, it still pales somewhat compared to that heart-swelling, almost impossibly brilliant opening 11 minutes. Audiences naturally hope for the movie to get to that level again, but it never does.