Off On The Wrong Foot
A movie only gets one chance to make a first impression. As the theater goes dark and the opening moments unfold, audiences are ready to be hooked—but some films manage the exact opposite. Whether through baffling creative choices, awkward exposition, or scenes that immediately raise red flags, these movies stumbled right out of the gate and left viewers wondering if the next two hours were really worth the ride.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
The final installment of the Skywalker saga sets a jarring tone with its opening crawl. Rather than building on narrative threads from The Last Jedi, the text abruptly announces, “Somehow, Palpatine returned”. This was a bewildering resurrection that wasn't even shown on screen.
STAR WARS: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) - Opening Crawl [4K] - (OFFICIAL) by Rey Skywalker
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (Cont.)
Apparently, it was a planned cross-promotional marketing strategy. Director Abrams then thrusts viewers into a chaotic beginning where Kylo Ren discovers things with visible bewilderment that mirrors the audience's confusion. The scene establishes a precedent for the scattershot blockbuster to follow.
Postal
Released just six years after the September 11 attacks, Uwe Boll's 2007 film adaptation of the controversial video game opens with something truly unthinkable. Any guesses? Yup, a parody of the tragic terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Postal (2007) - Opening Scene by Grave Knox
Postal (Cont.)
The scene features Asif and Nabi calling Osama bin Laden to verify their heavenly rewards, before deciding to abandon their mission and redirect to the Bahamas. However, unaware of this change of heart, passengers attempt to retake the plane and accidentally crash it into the South Tower.
Postal (2007) - Opening Scene by Grave Knox
Halloween: Resurrection
Halloween: Resurrection commits one of horror's greatest sins in its first few minutes. Despite Halloween H20 providing closure to Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode character with a satisfying confrontation against Michael Myers, this movie reopens old wounds for all the wrong reasons.
Laurie Strode's Death (Halloween Resurrection) by The Shape
Halloween: Resurrection (Cont.)
It reveals Laurie decapitated an innocent paramedic, Michael, who was dressed in his clothes, not the killer himself. Adding insult to injury, Laurie is then unceremoniously killed. This disrespectful disposal served no purpose beyond freeing Curtis from her contract and signaled creative bankruptcy.
Laurie Strode's Death (Halloween Resurrection) by The Shape
Terminator: Dark Fate
After years of false starts, Terminator: Dark Fate arrived with a bold promise: a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day that would erase the franchise's increasingly tangled timeline. Fans hoped it would recapture the magic that made James Cameron's originals sci-fi landmarks. Instead, the film stunned audiences within minutes by dismantling one of the series' most important relationships. In a controversial opening sequence, a digitally de-aged T-800 tracks down and kills a teenage John Connor on a quiet beach, abruptly ending the character whose survival had driven the entire saga. For many viewers, it felt less like a fresh start and more like the franchise pulling the rug out from under its own legacy.
Opening | Terminator: Dark Fate [Open Matte] by Flashback FM
Terminator: Dark Fate (Cont.)
This shocking murder happens just moments after the events of Terminator 2, effectively nullifying that film's triumphant ending and rendering Sarah Connor's entire journey meaningless. For longtime fans, it felt like a betrayal of Cameron's vision rather than a worthy continuation.
Terminator: Dark Fate / Opening Scene (John Connor's Death) by MovieTime
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
So, the invasion scene of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation is widely criticized for its poor quality, with cheap visuals, awkward acting, and weightless and poorly choreographed action. In this sequence, Shao Kahn invades the Earthrealm through a portal, quickly overpowering the defenders.
Opening (Raiden vs Shao Kahn) | Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) by Flashback FM
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (Cont.)
Johnny Cage, a key character from the original movie, attempts to save Sonya Blade but is abruptly killed by Shao Kahn, who snaps his neck on screen. This death happens during the opening moments, giving Cage barely any screen time and making the moment feel unearned.
Opening (Raiden vs Shao Kahn) | Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) by Flashback FM
For Your Eyes Only
A bald man stroking a white cat (played by John Hollis and voiced by Peter Marinker) is unceremoniously dumped into an industrial smokestack by Roger Moore's 007. This inglorious demise for Bond's greatest nemesis feels both comical and farcical, establishing a vindictive tone.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY | Opening Scene – Roger Moore | James Bond by James Bond 007
For Your Eyes Only (Cont.)
Due to legal disputes with Thunderball producer Kevin McClory over the rights to iconic villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the filmmakers found a spiteful workaround to kill off the character without officially naming him. Some viewers consider it “out of place and disappointing”.
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE | Bond meets Blofeld by James Bond 007
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny
Harrison Ford's fifth outing as the iconic archaeologist faced an uphill battle with its prologue set during WWII. Unlike the preceding films directed by Spielberg, James Mangold's attempt at de-aging the 80-year-old Ford created an uncomfortable disconnect between the actor's youthful appearance and his unmistakably aged voice.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | Train by Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (Cont.)
The scene unfolds under a blanket of near-total darkness, a choice many viewers suspected was designed to hide the limitations of the film's de-aging effects. Unfortunately, the dim lighting also obscures much of the action, making an already shocking moment even harder to follow. Rather than feeling like a triumphant return to the franchise's roots, the sequence left many fans wondering whether some pieces of cinematic history are better left untouched.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny | Train by Walt Disney Studios Malaysia
Dune
In Dune, Virginia Madsen's Princess Irulan dominates the frame in extreme close-up, delivering a monotonous monologue about Arrakis and its importance to the universe. Lynch's adaptation of Frank Herbert's sci-fi epic begins with what might be cinema's most ponderous exposition dump.
Dune (Cont.)
Her inexpressive face and flat delivery make the already complex worldbuilding even more impenetrable. This directs us towards the film's fundamental inability to translate Herbert's dense novel to the screen. It tries to cram massive amounts of terminology and backstory into a few minutes.
Dune [ 4K - HDR ] - A beginning is a very delicate time - Intro by Princess Irulan (1984) by
Madame Web
Words visibly come out of Tahar Rahim's villain despite his mouth clearly not moving, while other characters speak lines that don't match their lip movements at all. This technical sloppiness occurs at the beginning of a whopping $80 million production.
Opening Scene | MADAME WEB (2024) Movie CLIP HD by JoBlo Movie Clips
Madame Web (Cont.)
Director Clarkson, despite her proven talent on acclaimed series like Succession, delivered an opening that includes some of the most blatant post-production dialogue problems in recent memory. Critics found this part forced, with attempts to make action scenes “fun” coming off as desperate.
Opening Scene | MADAME WEB (2024) Movie CLIP HD by JoBlo Movie Clips
Alien 3
Fincher's directorial debut was doomed here. After the emotional investment audiences placed in the survivors of Cameron's Aliens, the third installment kicks off by killing beloved characters Newt and Hicks off-screen during hypersleep. This leaves Ripley as the sole survivor of the Sulaco's crash.
Alien 3 - Autopsy Scene (HD) by Captain Darrow
Alien 3 (Cont.)
The callous disposal of these characters was pretty egregious. Michael Biehn (who played Hicks) threathened to sue 20th Century Fox for using his likeness without permission. This creative decision not only alienated fans but signaled production troubles. Fincher has disavowed the movie entirely.
Alien 3 - Autopsy Scene (HD) by Captain Darrow
Waiting…
Rather than easing viewers into the diner's world or giving its characters a chance to make a memorable first impression, the film dives headfirst into a string of awkward attempts at shock comedy. The jokes feel more desperate than daring, generating secondhand embarrassment instead of laughs. With talented performers like Justin Long and Ryan Reynolds leading the cast, the uninspired opening feels like a waste of comedic potential from the very first scene.
Waiting... (2005) | "Cardinal Rule of Food" by John Smith
Waiting… (Cont.)
While workplace comedies like Office Space found humor in relatable frustrations, Waiting… sets itself as content with the lowest common denominator. For some people, this start feels awkward and slow, with humor that can come across as crude and repetitive.
Waiting... (2005) | "Cardinal Rule of Food" by John Smith
Birdemic: Shock & Terror
The amateur production values are immediately apparent: the footage was clearly shot on a consumer-grade camera, with poor framing that frequently cuts off traffic signs and other visual elements. Basically, a four-minute drive from the protagonist's perspective becomes an endurance test.
Birdemic Look Back | Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010) by 316 Reviews
Birdemic: Shock & Terror (Cont.)
A test where viewers are subjected to a seconds-long music loop that quickly becomes maddening in its repetition. The scene speaks nothing about the character or story, serving merely as padding to reach feature length. Additionally, the sound quality is frequently criticized as uneven.
The Official BIRDEMIC: SHOCK AND TERROR Theatrical Trailer by BirdemicShockTerror
