Some great sci-fi movies waste no time at all, opening with scenes that immediately grip the audience and introduce them to the strange worlds where their stories take place. Sci-fi movies are often burdened with the need to do a lot of explaining in the first few minutes, but there are intelligent ways of doing this that don’t feel like a boring exposition dump.

Every movie has to introduce the characters and the story within the first few minutes, but sci-fi movies have the added responsibility of setting the rules of the world. When they can do all this without feeling slow or unoriginal, sci-fi movies can create unforgettable openings which immerse the audience in the world of the story.

7

The Matrix (1999)

The Matrix Delivers A Hit Of Action Before Getting Into The Details Of Its Unique Concept

The Matrix is known for its unique sci-fi concept, which has infiltrated the public consciousness ever since and been reinterpreted in countless ways. However, the first movie of the franchise starts off with a burst of action, introducing some of the brushes that the Wachowskis are painting with, and only hinting at the rich world of The Matrix without boring the audience with the weight of exposition.

The ending of The Matrix shows Neo finally unlocking the limits of his true power, but he’s nobody to begin with. By focusing on Trinity in the first scene, The Matrix quickly underlines how much Neo still has to learn, since he’s just as new to this world as the audience is. Ultimately, this opening scene makes it even more satisfying when Neo surpᴀsses Trinity’s powers in the finale. It also serves as a masterclass in worldbuilding, creating a mystery around the matrix that audiences want to uncover..

6

Men In Black (1997)

Men In Black Sets Up Its Two Characters Perfectly

Men in Black may be a great sci-fi action movie, but it’s also a hilarious buddy cop comedy. The opening sets up its two main characters in style, showing how they live in two completely different worlds, and how they’re at two completely different stages of their lives. The mismatch between the two characters is what drives so much of the narrative, as well as making Men in Black one of the funniest sci-fi comedies ever, so it’s important that the opening sets up the dynamic so clearly.

Men in Black starts with Agent K having to neuralyze his old partner, which turns out to be grim foreshadowing of his own fate. On the other hand, Agent J is introduced as an unorthodox New York City cop who far outshines everyone else on the force with his determination, athleticism and quick thinking. The pairing of Agent K’s tense confrontation and Agent J’s thrilling urban chase scene delivers some great action and intelligent character development before the future partners even meet each other.

5

District 9 (2009)

District 9’s Newsreel Style Works Perfectly

District 9 has a lot of exposition to get through in its first few scenes, because it wants to speed past the arrival of the aliens and first contact to get to the real story. There could be an entire movie in the story of how the prawns came to Johannesburg and where they came from, but District 9 creates a more immersive kind of story by quickly treating the presence of the aliens as a mundane fact of life and a political flashpoint.

Dsitrict 9 uses a documentary style to get audiences up to speed in an entertaining way. The newsreel footage and the interviews combine to create a sense of authenticity, but there are also a few hints of a mystery woven into the exposition. While District 9 sets the scene, it also suggests that Wikus has met a grim fate, and that he’s guilty of some egregious crime. Clever storytelling like this is one reason why fans have been struggling to wait for a District 9 sequel.

4

Gravity (2013)

Alfonso Cuarón Wastes No Time Plunging His Audience Into A Tense Thrill Ride

Gravity is one of the best space exploration movies ever made, even if its logical leaps and scientific falsehoods push it firmly into sci-fi territory. Alfonso Cuarón’s breathtaking thriller packs a lot of action into its short runtime, and it starts off with a bang to let audiences know what they’re in for. The first ten minutes of Gravity touch on many of the film’s great strengths, from its visually stunning outer space imagery to its intense, immersive action choreography.

George Clooney makes a memorable appearance at the beginning of Gravity, playing a more senior astronaut with unflappable composure and the confidence in his environment to playfully glide around in his propulsion suit. The moment that Kowalski eventually sacrifices himself to save Stone wouldn’t be so heartbreaking if not for these opening few minutes. The beginning also emphasizes how lost Stone would be without him, as she finds out all too soon.

3

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Godzilla Returns To Its Roots

Ever since Godzilla Minus One came out, a lot of the discussion surrounding the movie has amounted to people being in shock that such a thrilling monster movie could have been made on such a small budget. The upcoming Godzilla Minus One sequel is expected to have a boosted budget. The opening few minutes highlight the power of Godzilla Minus One, putting many big-budget blockbusters to shame with an exhilarating scene that shows a violent attack on a small Japanese military base.

Godzilla Minus One brings the iconic creature back to its roots as a metaphor for the destruction of the atomic bomb on Japanese soil, and the opening scene is a great example of how the Second World War colors the entire story. Just as Shikishima is haunted by what he witnesses on Odo Island, he later finds that many Japanese people are struggling to come to terms with the fallout of the war. Without the kinetic destruction of the opening few minutes, this idea wouldn’t hit as hard.

2

Jurᴀssic Park (1993)

Jurᴀssic Park Opens With A Teaser Of The Impending Chaos

Many of Steven Spielberg’s best movies feature unforgettable opening scenes, and Jurᴀssic Park is no exception. Just as he hooks his audience with the iconic rolling boulder scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark and the first kill in Jaws, Spielberg sets the scene in Jurᴀssic Park perfectly with a group of nervous guards trying to corral a velociraptor into its new enclosure. Without revealing too much of the dinosaur itself, Spielberg shows its terrifying power.

After the velociraptor kills the handler, Jurᴀssic Park sets up the basics of its plot, but it doesn’t waste much time before the main characters are together on Isla Nublar and the real fun can begin. The opening few scenes are a masterful exercise in economic storytelling, with the bone-chilling first sequence offering fans a brief taste of the unimaginable horror that’s to come.

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Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

The Legacy Sequel Sets Its Own Agenda

Blade Runner 2049 had a tough act to follow, to say the least, and the pressure was on after so many decades without a sequel. Denis Villeneuve’s legacy sequel’s first task was to justify its own existence as more than a commercial enterprise, and the first scene quickly banishes any such notion. It’s a relatively low-key opening to a movie that could easily have gone for pyrotechnics. Dave Bautista’s brief appearance helps make it a memorable scene regardless, as does the dialogue.

Blade Runner 2049 never seems too concerned with appealing to a broad audience or doing what modern blockbusters are expected to do. The opening scene offers some action, but the frantic fight scene comes at the end of an intelligently-scripted conversation that reveals the core of the story and the mysterious new character taking Deckard’s place. Blade Runner 2099 now has an equally daunting task, as a follow-up series to one of the greatest sci-fi sequels ever.