Many of the best sci-fi movies lay their intentions out early with phenomenal opening scenes that grab the audience’s attention from the first minute. A good opening scene can introduce the characters and the world of a story, but it can also be used to set up the themes or the conflict.

There’s usually a lot of pressure on an opening scene in a movie, since people can switch off if they aren’t immediately interested or entertained. Simply proving a burst of action isn’t enough either, since it’s far more powerful when the opening scene of a movie is more meaningful.

10

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most influential sci-fi movies ever, and it brought a new level of prestige to the genre. Its ambition begins with the first sequence, which goes back to the dawn of mankind. This sets up a journey stretched across the millennia, as humans go from fighting in the dirt to traversing the stars.

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey‘s opening sequence uses a loose structure and plenty of wide sH๏τs, which gives the same impression as a nature documentary. It’s only when the iconic black monolith appears and the quivering music starts to rise that any sense of urgency and narrative thrust comes to the fore.

9

Men In Black (1997)

The first Men in Black movie opens by introducing K and the mysterious organization he works for in style. As he and his older partner apprehend an alien at a border crossing, Men in Black mixes a culture of government-skeptic ufology with something much more relatable for most people.

Men in Black‘s opening scene is immediately eye-catching, but it also takes on a deeper meaning as the story progresses. K ᴀssumes the role of the old hand after his partner retires, and he soon has to reckon with the reality of his obsolescence. Men in Black sets up his entire arc while delivering a quick jolt of alien-based horror.

8

Children Of Men (2006)

Alfonso Cuarón’s worldbuilding in Children of Men helps set the scene of a frighteningly realistic dystopia without having to resort to unnecessary exposition. The first scene is a great example of Cuarón’s approach, as he pairs a brief news report with an explosion in a small café, showing how the news relates to the film’s grimy vision of near-future Britain.

Children of Men takes place in a world that initially looks quite similar to contemporary Britain, but Cuarón’s use of long takes allows the audience to constantly scan the background for fascinating details. This makes the sudden explosion even more jarring, since there’s no real build-up.

7

Jurᴀssic Park (1993)

Jurᴀssic Park straddles a few different genres, but the opening scene emphasizes the elements of horror that run throughout the story. Muldoon directs a small army as they transfer a velociraptor into her new enclosure. What would be a relatively simple process in any other zoo seems like a military operation in Jurᴀssic Park.

Steven Spielberg’s best movies often start with something eye-catching, like the first kill in Jaws or the rolling boulder scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Jurᴀssic Park is no different, and this opening scene spells out the danger in clear terms. If a trained and heavily armed unit can’t contain the dinosaurs, the hopes of Spielberg’s heroes seem slim.

6

Gravity (2013)

Gravity is a space exploration movie that tips over into sci-fi territory after it takes too many logical leaps. The first scene captures the power of Alfonso Cuarón’s spacebound thriller with an exquisite long take. Cuarón sets the scene miles above the surface of the Earth, lingering on two astronauts for long enough to develop their relationship before tragedy strikes.

Gravity‘s opening scene creates an immersive atmosphere as soon as the camera focuses in on the astronauts. The perspective floats around their craft, but it only locks onto the inky blackness of the abyss as Stone detaches and starts tumbling out into space.

5

Ghost In The Shell (1995)

Ghost in the Shell is one of the best animated sci-fi movies ever made, and certainly one of the most influential. Its remarkable worldbuilding starts in the opening scene, as Major Kusanagi ᴀssᴀssinates a foreign diplomat before escaping with the use of her optical camouflage.

The film opens with a burst of stylized violence, which still looks shocking for animation 30 years later. There are also intriguing touches before the тιтle card that hint at the fully realized world of the movie, including Kusanagi’s cable ports in the back of her neck, the futuristic cityscape, and the mysterious rivalry between Section 9 and Section 6.

4

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Gozilla Minus One takes the Godzilla franchise back to basics, setting the story in the aftermath of the Second World War once again. The first scene acts as a prelude, with an explosive Godzilla attack that takes place during the war. Shikishima witnesses Godzilla wiping out an entire Japanese military base on a remote island.

Without doing anything particularly revolutionary, Godzilla Minus One makes its monster something worth fearing again. The clarity of the action scenes is a key factor, but Godzilla Minus One also does the difficult task of establishing its human characters quickly. The opening scene reveals who Shikishima is and who he must become.

3

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Denis Villeneuve aced the difficult task of creating a legacy sequel to Blade Runner, continuing the good work of the original while deepening its exploration into the nature of humanity. Blade Runner 2049‘s opening scene sets up a unique twist on the original. Unlike Deckard, K understands that he’s a replicant, but he still must go about his work.

Dave Bautista delivers a compelling performance in his limited screen time at the beginning of Blade Runner 2049. His acting chops defy the archetype of a wrestler-turned-movie star. Although he’s an imposing presence, he’s much more than just a wall of muscle, and his scene with Ryan Gosling captures the intriguing philosophical debate at the heart of the story.

2

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix‘s opening scene introduces the movie’s unique concept and its revolutionary style of action at the same time. There’s a lot of mystery that hangs over Trinity’s first fight scene, and this hooks the audience while priming them for the introduction of Neo, who acts as a conduit for the exploration into a strange new world.

The Matrix doesn’t immediately spell out the specifics of its simulation-theory concept, but it shows that there are portals between a digital world and a more concrete reality, or that certain people like Trinity can hack their own surroundings. Doing all this with a jaw-dropping fight scene is unforgettable.

1

Star Wars (1977)

The first Star Wars movie is stuffed with iconic scenes, beginning with the opening crawl that sets the scene. After a brief prologue, the camera pans to reveal a small spacecraft being pursued by a gargantuan Star Destroyer. The perspective emphasizes the David and Goliath scale of this conflict.

The opening scene previews the operatic spectacle of the entire franchise, with the orchestral music and the endless expanse of space creating a sense of grandeur. The franchise has tried to replicate the power of this first scene, and it’s likely that the upcoming Star Wars movies will continue this tradition, but the original is hard to top.