# Films whose first 15 minutes are utterly magnificent. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258 "2016-04-27T15:39:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/1 "2016-04-27T15:39:18Z")
Dances With Wolves. I love the rest of the film, but man that first 15 minutes. The John Barry score…everything. Fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/2 "2016-04-27T15:41:34Z")
Up will rip your heart out and stomp on it in the first fifteen minutes. And then…there’s actual dogfighting, with dogs, in planes. ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/3 "2016-04-27T15:42:31Z")
The beginning of _Saving Private Ryan_ was pretty intense. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/4 "2016-04-27T16:05:08Z")
I love the opening of The Exorcist. Really sets the mood for the rest of the film. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/5 "2016-04-27T16:05:35Z")
Big second for _Up_. Masterful story-telling. The beginning of _The Exorcist_ is a superb example of **Uh-oh-bad-shit-is-coming-down**. ETA: Ninja-ed on _The Exorcist_, of all things? **lost4life** , stop reading my mind. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![edwards\_beard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@edwards\_beard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwards_beard)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/6 "2016-04-27T16:06:54Z")
Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark both have great opening sequences ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/7 "2016-04-27T16:08:32Z")
**Fury Road** ’s first 15 minutes were epic. The rest of the movie was only ok, but the beginning couldn’t have don’t a better job of making the audience not care Mel Gibson wasn’t in it. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/8 "2016-04-27T16:23:18Z")
I always say that the first 20 minutes of **Monty Python and the Holy Grail** is one of the funniest movies ever made. Then it goes downhill. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/9 "2016-04-27T16:23:53Z")
It doesn’t quite fit the “15 minute” criterion, but the opening of **Contact** was mind-boggling. Or perhaps my mind is too easily boggled. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/10 "2016-04-27T16:24:59Z")
Patton. The speech probably lasts less than 15 minutes, but the movie continues on very well from that point. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/11 "2016-04-27T16:33:17Z")
Although the rest of the movie wasn’t the very best Bond film, the opening Day of the Dead sequence in _Spectre_ was awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/12 "2016-04-27T16:41:05Z")
On a similar note, the opening chase scene in \*Casino Royale \*made it pretty clear that the new Bond films were going back to the origins of the character. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/13 "2016-04-27T16:51:12Z")
I don’t know if I’d call it magnificent, but I think the opening sequence of The Fifth Element, with the older archaeologist and the younger one (who was keeping score of the number of times the older one called out, “Aziz, Light!”) in that building in Egypt was great. It set up the movie nicely and indicate there was a humorous element to it. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/14 "2016-04-27T16:56:18Z")
Koyaanisqatsi ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/15 "2016-04-27T17:10:43Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > On a similar note, the opening chase scene in \*Casino Royale \*made it pretty clear that the new Bond films were going back to the origins of the character. Nice one. And the black and white pre credits scene with a great credits song. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/16 "2016-04-27T17:12:09Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Dances With Wolves. I love the rest of the film, but man that first 15 minutes. The John Barry score…everything. Fantastic. I took a scriptwriting class which used this as a model of how to do an opening. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/17 "2016-04-27T17:13:59Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Nice one. And the black and white pre credits scene with a great credits song. I came in to say this. I love that scene. I would also say that the first fifteen minutes of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ were pretty outstanding. Did a fantastic job of succinctly setting the stage. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/18 "2016-04-27T17:14:15Z")
[Midnight in Paris](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605783/?ref_=nv_sr_2) Exquisite visual tribute to a city. ---
**Author:** ![YamatoTwinkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/cc9497/32.png) [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/19 "2016-04-27T17:16:04Z")
_Drive_’s opening 15 minutes is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-whose-first-15-minutes-are-utterly-magnificent/753258/20 "2016-04-27T17:22:11Z")
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