10 Worst Opening Scenes In Otherwise Perfect Movies

Alien 3 probably isn't a movie that you were expecting to see on this list, given that a lot of people think it's the absolute worst, but given that I consider it to be an understated masterpiece - praise be to David Fincher! - it rightly earns a place in the rankings: dark, original and beautiful in all its morbid aesthetic, it's a undervalued entry in the franchise. A real shame about that opening scene, though, huh?

Because after all its production issues, Alien 3 clung to an ideas that it's impossible to forgive; it's the cinematic equivalent of a slap in the face.

Following on from the events of Aliens, after Ripley, Newt and Hicks manage to escape certain death, board a ship and put themselves into cryosleep - much in the same way that Ripley does at the end of Alien - Alien 3 kicks off on a bum note to end all bum notes: a stowaway Facehugger kills Newt and Hicks as they sleep, removing them from the story before they've even got a chance to do anything.

It's the sort of narrative move that, at the time, nobody could understand - and one that, today, has helped to cement Alien 3's reputation as a terrible film. I get the hate, and the killing of Newt and Hicks was blasphemous, but the film that follows thereafter is so wonderfully nihilistic and interesting that I have allowed myself to get over it.

I know, I'm a traitor.

Which other great films have iffy starts? Share any more down in the comments.