Finding Nemo. Early heartbreak when Nemo’s mother dies followed by the beauty and wonder of the coral reef when Nemo swims through it for the first time.
This will sound crazy, but the first 15 minutes of one of the “Night Of The living Dead” remakes was great {can’t remember it’s name}. The first 15 minutes is of a suburban neighborhood slowly realizing that Zombies are on the loose.
Eventually, the movie becomes nearly unwatchable as the survivors hide out in a mall.
But, those first 15 minutes were scary as heck !
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Deadpool. (Starting from the opening credit sequence.)
That’s what I was thinking. That spectacular pre-title sequence was much better than the main movie…except…
I wanted it to end with Bond returning to the hotel room and the waiting girl as if nothing much had happened.
Tomorrow Never Dies
Obviously everybody has their own opinion, but I’m wondering if you actually mean Serenity. There wasn’t a crash-landing in the first 15 minutes, unless you’re referencing the “barn swallow” maneuver to get the Mule back on Serenity.
Even if that’s the case, though, I’m not sure how you’d consider the rest of the movie to be a significant drop-off.
Here’s how I once heard a speaker at an SF convention panel describe the opening of SW:ANH: We see a spaceship come into view . . . and every fan says, “Now that’s a spaceship! That’s perfect! That’s exactly what a spaceship should be!” And then . . . we see an even bigger one chasing it!
My Favorite Wife.
To Be or Not to Be. In fact, the first five minutes of* To Be or Not to Be *are a brilliant start to a brilliant film (I mean the 1942 version, of course).
Return of the Secaucus 7.
That is the 2004 re-make of Dawn of the Dead.
The long pre-credits sequence of Raising Arizona, completely encompassing the unlikely romance between Hi and Ed, their inability to have kids and then them embarking on the kidnapping. Any other film would have spent half the entire runtime just on that.
1776. “I can just…imagine.” And then “Sit down, John!”
Also, The Sound of Music.
Cliffhanger. It went from fun outing to “I don’t want to die” (maybe in less than 15 minutes). I wasn’t scared of heights until after watching that sequence.
I’ve got to put in a plug for my favorite movie Silverado. The total silence straight into an awesome gun fight. Then the score picks up to one of the most awesome scenery shots for the opening credits. I’m not sure where the 15 min mark is, the linked video doesn’t get there but the move is awesome all the way through the second gun fight which is probably close to 15 min before the character development and plot starts.
The opening sequence of Kubrick’s Lolita was very, very good. It made you feel as though maybe Kubrick was actually able to direct human interaction in a way that did not result in the characters becoming mannequins. The rest of the movie, though, was just a lot more uncomfort than I could deal with.
Pretty much every porno I’ve ever seen. Then they kinda get derivative.
UP tells a better love story in those minutes, without word, than the entire Twilight saga does in four films.
The opening of Goldeneye was pretty awesome, IMO.
Super Troopers. While the movie itself is pretty funny, the first 10-15 minutes of it are the funniest 15 min I’ve seen. Man, im cracking up just remembering it now.
Just remembered the opening scene in the much-reviled Heaven’s Gate. That college yard filled with reeling waltzers is just amazing to watch. It cost a lot of time and treasure to get that scene, and it is only three or four minutes long, but it is almost worth the price. Again, the rest of the film, pretty painful, as I recall.
The first part of Wall-E (maybe it was more than 15 minutes) did a good job portraying a lonely robot.