From my experience bad films come in two varieties; the ones that are bad from start to finish and the ones that before turning bad give you a glimmer of hope. The former is a remarkably predictable beast, a category normally only populated by films destined for one star from conception. Even the biggest hack of a director knows that you have to start strongly; whats the point in trying in last hundred minutes the if youve lost the audience after ten? To this end, most filmmakers put a lot of effort into making those opening minutes the best they can be. Voiceovers, styled opening logos, sudden bursts of action; anything to get the viewers interest piqued. This is such accepted wisdom (well, it does make sense, doesnt it?) that rarely does a film that starts iffy actually end up any good, let alone engaging you. Obviously this couldn't always work, but you can't knock a director for trying. Unless you write for a film website, in which case you can. Today I bring you eight such films. By all reckoning they are damn fine movies (yes, even number four), but somehow ended up with a shocking opening that had us tempted to up and leave.
