10 Greatest Opening Scenes In Sci-Fi Movie History

You don't have to look that far to find yourself a sci-fi picture to dive into nowadays.

But how many times have you found yourself sitting down to take in these seemingly intriguing movies about everything from aliens to post-apocalyptic worlds on a streaming service, only to realise within said film's disappointing opening scene that it's actually probably not worth the spare two hours you were once willing to invest in it?

Simply put, it's vitally important for a science fiction project - and any film for that matter - to grip viewers early on.

And this can be done with an exciting opening that either establishes a fascinating new world/universe you're about to explore or a concept so compelling you have no choice but to sit back and commit to the terrifying, wondrous, or mind-blowing feature heading your way.

Each and every one of these sci-fi classics all unquestionably did that and then some.

The following outstanding opening scenes masterfully thrust audiences into the futuristic, surreal, and/or astonishing ride of a lifetime via pulsating action sequences, mesmerising visuals, or shocking occurrences before they'd even been given a chance to get properly comfortable.

So, it's time to enjoy and take a closer look at the ways some of the greatest filmmakers on planet earth captured our imaginations within the opening moments of these glorious chunks of sci-fi.

After wondering what in the hell James Cameron had been cooking for the prior few years, the wonderful world of Pandora finally landed in theatres in 2009.

And within a matter of seconds, those watching on swiftly knew they were in for something special.

Now sure, there are those who are quick to argue whether the first Avatar even made that much of a cultural impact on our own planet in the wake of its box office smashing run in cinemas. However, there's no denying that the moments that followed Jake Sully's narration as the camera soared high above the trees were some of the most mesmerising of the 2000's.

Waking up from cryo and floating out into this new universe Cameron and the gang had beautifully crafted, within just a few gripping minutes viewers are swiftly informed why Jake was on this spacecraft - replacing his brother on the Avatar project - introduced to the gorgeous Na'vi homeworld for the very first time via awesome-looking rocket ship, and the cold but impressive RDA's planet-sapping technology successfully took many a breath away.

We certainly weren't in Kansas anymore. Cameron dumped viewers right into the middle of a bold new world, and brilliantly prepared them for a sci-fi adventure like no other.