Movies that had a strong opening...

I’m not sure how much interest this topic will garner from the group, but after watching the film Grim Reaper, I found myself wanting to gauge your thoughts on cinema in general—or perhaps even literature. Specifically, I am curious about those stories that start with incredible momentum, only to lose steam halfway through, feel somewhat unfinished, or conclude with an ending that simply fails to live up to the initial setup.

For me, a prime example would be Grim Reaper. It begins brilliantly... an introduction featuring a truly chilling murder, a secluded college campus setting, and an atmosphere that pulls you toward something increasingly dark and bizarre, yet the narrative gradually loses its grip and weakens as it approaches the finale.

Rather than a standard murder mystery where an unimaginable crime or series of crimes is being uncovered—think along the lines of Se7en—it actually functions in the exact opposite way.

brisksailor3 said:I'm not sure how much this will interest you all, but after watching the movie Grim Reaper, I wanted to get your take on films—or even stories—that start off strong but then just sort of lose steam along the way? You know, the ones where they feel unfinished or the ending just doesn't live up to the setup.

For me, that was definitely Grim Reaper. It starts out so well... you have this terrifying murder right at the beginning, an isolated college campus setting, and everything is building toward something even darker and more bizarre—but then it just kind of fizzles out toward the end.

Instead of a standard murder mystery where some unthinkable crime is lurking behind the scenes (think something like Se7en), it actually ends up being the exact opposite.

I'm right there with you. I had that exact same feeling when the credits rolled. Like, what the heck? It started off so good—tense, mysterious, really pulling you in. But the ending felt like such a letdown, just a weak little story about why the protagonist is afraid of a dog. 🙄

By the way, I really dig your username. 😍

Trust her with a razor-sharp blade 😬

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

The movie kicks off feeling like some nasty little mashup of "duel" and "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" tailored for the turn of the millennium... just two kids messing with a black van driven by some guy in a hat.
Then, right around the halfway point, that mysterious guy absolutely crushes his car, only to bounce back, morph into this massive, insect-like monstrosity, and take to the skies.
I want my money back.

wearytinker8 said:Jeepers Creepers (2001)

The movie kicks off as this intense mashup of duel and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre tailored for the new millennium—just two kids messing with a black van driven by some guy in a hat.
Then, right at the halfway point, that mysterious guy gets crushed by a car, only to bounce back, morph into this massive, winged monster, and take to the skies.
I want my money back.

I actually thought the beginning was pretty solid. That music? Seriously creepy. But once they head over to the police station, everything just kind of falls apart—and that old lady was easily the worst part of an already bad experience. The ending wasn't just bad; it was laughably terrible. And don't even get me started on those eye sockets. 🙄

Man, I didn't even make it to the end... I shut it off the second that thing started flying.
So, I have no clue how it wrapped up, nor do I actually care.
The most ridiculous part? There's a sequel where this winged freak attacks a school bus full of meathead jocks using shurikens made out of human body parts.
Beyond stupid.

2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick features one of the most incredible opening 20-minute stretches in cinema history, but it loses momentum fast, eventually devolving into what I'd argue is the worst movie ever made.

redowl90 said:2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick features one of the most incredible opening 20-minute stretches in cinema history, yet it quickly loses its footing, ultimately devolving into what feels like the worst movie ever made.

😲

redowl90 said:2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick features one of the most incredible opening 20-minute stretches in cinema history, yet it falls apart so quickly that it ultimately becomes the worst movie ever made.

😳 😳

Man, I don't even know what to say... Life really does have a way of writing its own stories.

😉

A topic that actually started off on the right foot... 😁

I was lurking on this thread for a bit, but nothing really jumped out at me
now I'm back to catch up on the comments and it all came flooding back to me

"The Ninth Gate" by Polanski....
Look, I watched it through a different lens a few years ago—just focused on the plot and all those mystical vibes and whatever else. It was incredibly tense and honestly amazing. But then, out of nowhere, everything just went completely off the rails once that guy started breathing fire and that dragon showed up and blah blah blah

Halloween 6 starts off strong—it’s creepy, engaging, and honestly pretty fun for a while. But then the ending just hits the gas too hard. It rushes through everything, leaving the plot points I actually cared about completely unresolved and feeling totally pointless.

redowl90 said:2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick has one of the absolute best opening 20 minutes in cinema history—but then it just totally falls off a cliff, making it the worst movie ever made.

🤣 🤣 seriously? the worst movie EVER?
those are some big claims right there—☕

Full Metal Jacket

Michael Rivera63 said:Full Metal Jacket

Honestly, "Jacket" and "When Stranger Calls" from '79 are basically the same thing in that regard...
you're glued to the couch for the first 30 minutes, then the tension just completely tanks, leaving you with about an hour of pure, unadulterated boredom, only for things to get great again in those last 20 minutes...

redowl90 said:2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick has one of the best opening 20-minute stretches in cinema history, but it falls off a cliff so fast that it ends up being the worst movie ever made.

How on earth can messing with a calm Hal and an agitated Bowman be a bad thing?
For me, the movie doesn't even really start until they head toward Jupiter. Those first 20 minutes are just pure artistic posturing... The rest is easily the most intense two hours ever put to film.

wearytinker8 said:The first 20 minutes are just pretentious art house filler.

Honestly, for me, the real "artistic pretension" is that part where the colors go flying at the screen. Even now, I get a migraine just thinking about how much of a disaster that sequence was.

Lost in translation—the first fifteen minutes while they're filming the commercial were actually pretty funny, but the rest of the movie just put me to sleep.

UNDERMIND
To me, one of the most intense and mysterious thrillers out there. The plot just leaves you craving answers... I don't think I've ever waited more impatiently for an ending. Then comes the letdown—there isn't even an explanation! 😠