The Opening Scene

[That person]

One of my favorite parts of any given Snyder film is the kickass opening scenes. Regardless of the quality of the actual movie, the first few minutes are always spectacular.
For reference, here's what I could find on YouTube:
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[YT]14vTrFyHO94[/YT]
So, how do you envision the film starting? If we're in the business of pointless speculation, how do you think Snyder envisions the film starting?

 

[El Payaso]

I think of Clark Kent im Africa.

 

[Mr. Thing]

A similar opening to Watchmen but telling the story of Krypton's last hours and the baby Kal-El leaving the planet would be kinda cool.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

 

[KalMart]

Here's a loose idea I had a ways back for an opening....

Start the movie in the streets Metropolis...the top of a skyscraper explodes, hurling Lois Lane over the side, screaming, towards the ground below. Go with Lois' POV...the wind screaming by as she falls, debris everywhere, frantically flailing and looking around. Then some of the larger chunks of concrete seem to vaporize in mid-air, as if hit by a strong blast of heat. She's starting to spin out of control when out of the corner of her eye, she sees something......weird. A flash of colors...red, blue...a strange shape that looks like it's coming towards her...an almost human-like shape...is it another person thrown from the building? What are those colors...why is it flying towards me...oh my God I'm going to die...etc. Then as the strange object comes near her...and she's just moments from hitting the ground...she screams out again.....and.....

Cut to black......The Superman logo onscreen....

Then open up again in Metropolis...."three days earlier"....a cab pulls up to the curb and out leaps Lois Lane, rushing towards a small crowd of other reporters and cameras surrounding a police officer...she's there to get the scoop, but finds out there's already some tall guy in glasses that she's never seen before who says he's from the Daily Planet too...interviewing some cops and bystanders. She doesn't think much of him, but she's a bit put off by being beaten to the punch. She gets him back by stealing a cab from him...but when she arrives back at the Daily Planet...there's that friggin' guy again...already there in the office! WTF? It's then that he's introduced to her by Perry as Clark Kent, the newly-hired reporter.

And so on...and we'll get back to that opening scene where Supes saves and meets Lois for the first time. Something like that....starting with a heart-pumping action sequence but still not letting the cat out of the bag completely.

Then, when we come back the that very same part of the story shortly afterwards, we actually see it, literally, through the eyes of Superman....as if we're eating lunch at the corner bar & grille, explosions start to go off around the city, we see the building with Lois on the TV or what have you....slip out the back...then we take to the air, above the skyscrapers then zipping down towards the falling debris and Lois, taking out large chunks with heat vision until we get to her right before she hits the ground.

Then cut to her opening her eyes...and that's when we first see Superman in full shot, as he holds her in mid air and gently brings her down safely to the ground, as a crowd of stunned onlookers gawk in disbelief. They don't know who he is...and just based on the movie, we don't really know who he is either...but there he is...like something out of mythology. The only thing with that is that we don't see that first shirt-rip and takeoff...but we get that a little later when the story reveals that he and Clark are the same person (i.e.. not through an origin storyline). I had this idea of him covering a skyscraper under construction as a reporter, then going up the construction elevator to avoid witnesses...and as he reaches the top, the doors open, and we get our shirt-rip, and he runs out across the support beams, shedding articles of Clark clothing as he runs towards one solitary beam that extends over the cityscape...so that first takeoff (even though not the first time he flies) is a big running leap...maybe a little slo-mo as he changes posture from a hurdle to an extended fist in mid-air...then shoots away like a rocket with a tremendous sonic boom.

 

[DorkyFresh]

this is how the movie should start (keep in mind the tone of the opening to the latest Star Trek movie while reading this)...

I hope the movie opens and ends like this. Bear with me guys, this is gonna be an epic post.

Opening scenes:

Cue TITLE SCREEN

 

[BH/HHH]

this is how the movie should start (keep in mind the tone of the opening to the latest Star Trek movie while reading this)...



Cue TITLE SCREEN

That woukd rock, infact I love how that scene cointinues with the image of the ship turning into a bullet imagine that done in film

 

[DIRECTOR]

I think of Clark Kent im Africa.

why is CK in Africa

 

[Wheels]

^
Read Birthright.

 

[Astrodust]

I didn't like a lot of Birthright but the beginning was alright. The whole Lex being a victim thing was dumb and his level of genius was unrealistic and would never work on film. Building a portal in high school that can open wormholes can only work in a comic book.

 

[DorkyFresh]

certain parts of Birthright were great (beginning and end) but others were off (Lex revealing Clark's heritage, Lex's holographic army, etc.)...you're right, Astrodust, when you said that stuff would only work in a comic book. however, the beginning and ESPECIALLY the ending were friggin' fantastic!

 

[Sebastos]

this is how the movie should start (keep in mind the tone of the opening to the latest Star Trek movie while reading this)...



Cue TITLE SCREEN

We have a winner.

 

[Astrodust]

certain parts of Birthright were great (beginning and end) but others were off (Lex revealing Clark's heritage, Lex's holographic army, etc.)...you're right, Astrodust, when you said that stuff would only work in a comic book. however, the beginning and ESPECIALLY the ending were friggin' fantastic!

I like the idea of Clark traveling but Birthright's beginning was too dark and preachy. They would need some humorous moments to lighten the tone. I just don't know if Snyder really knows how to balance humor and a serious story. Someone needs to tell him that it's okay for the audience to laugh once in awhile.

 

[DorkyFresh]

yeah...out of all the things i worry about, his sense of humor is my biggest one. he hasn't shown much humor in his movies and the humor that's in there is twisted or dark humor. i haven't seen his owl flick, but i can't imagine that the intended comedy hit very hard.

 

[BestGirl]

I like the idea of Clark traveling but Birthright's beginning was too dark and preachy. They would need some humorous moments to lighten the tone. I just don't know if Snyder really knows how to balance humor and a serious story. Someone needs to tell him that it's okay for the audience to laugh once in awhile.

I'm less worried about Snyder's sense of humor than about Goyer's. None of BB's jokes worked for, that I can recall anyway. The sentimental moments felt corny as well.

 

[DorkyFresh]

well to be fair...Nolan's sense of humor isn't exactly light either. i just hope that Snyder draws a lot of inspiration from the new Star Trek movie.

 

[KalMart]

well to be fair...Nolan's sense of humor isn't exactly light either. i just hope that Snyder draws a lot of inspiration from the new Star Trek movie.

And gives Clark an allergic reaction?

 

[DorkyFresh]

well....there IS Kryptonite

 

[Astrodust]

Nolan and Snyder both draw their inspiration from dark places. Goyer too I guess. I still think Bay and Nolan would of been a better pairing. Bay has experience in blockbusters and can do action better than Snyder imo. Most of his action scenes aside from some from Transformers is pretty coherent and well filmed. He also prefers to use real life settings and effects when he can. And he knows how to make his films fun though some of his humor can be juvenile. I just think with a tight script he and Nolan would of complemented each more so. He made fighting robots look realistic. Snyder made a WW2 scene look like an Xbox game. Bay also handles colors really well to suit the film. The only problem is his film making can be really sloppy which affects his storytelling. Snyder has the same problem but at least with Bay we know what we are getting.

 

[DorkyFresh]

well, let's hope that this is indeed Snyder's most realistic movie in terms of style. i thought Dawn of the Dead was pretty realistic but it always felt either saturated or desaturated, color-wise. i really hope that Snyder steps up his game, ups the ante, and tries to make the movie as accessible to the general public as possible.

edit: i don't want Michael Bay near Superman. i used to like his action but i've become numb to his sequences and he puts ZERO focus on acting. at least the acting in Snyder's movies is solid at the very least.

 

[Sam]

this is how the movie should start (keep in mind the tone of the opening to the latest Star Trek movie while reading this)...

While this is a nice opening, i would like to see something different on this movie. I would like to see a different structure used on this reboot to make it unique and apart from Donner movie. A non-linear type of origin told.

Would be cool if the audience discover Superman original at the same time Superman get to know his background on screen.

So i would start with the rocket falling from sky. Then the opening credits show his childhood and teenage years in some kind of family album. Then cut to Clark Kent as adult and in a turning point of his live and the story of the movie begins.

And then, when Clark finds about Krypton, his home planet and his parents.. boom! The audience will know at the same time of the character what happened, how he came to here, who were these civilization, etc

 

[Doc Ock]

All I want is some kind of Kryptonian sci-fi epicness and I will be happy!

 

[DorkyFresh]

While this is a nice opening, i would like to see something different on this movie. I would like to see a different structure used on this reboot to make it unique and apart from Donner movie. A non-linear type of origin told.

the narrative can be linear while the movie still establishes itself apart from the Donner series. this movie will distinguish itself from them through the style and the way they handle the characters and most likely the plot.

Would be cool if the audience discover Superman original at the same time Superman get to know his background on screen.

i wouldn't mind seeing this, but i just don't see how you could go as in depth with Jor-El and Lara's sacrifice the way Birthright portrayed it unless you simply show it at the beginning of the movie.

So i would start with the rocket falling from sky. Then the opening credits show his childhood and teenage years in some kind of family album. Then cut to Clark Kent as adult and in a turning point of his live and the story of the movie begins.

personally, that doesn't sound very exciting to me. the rocket falling from the sky also reminds me of the intro for 'Predator' hehe

And then, when Clark finds about Krypton, his home planet and his parents.. boom! The audience will know at the same time of the character what happened, how he came to here, who were these civilization, etc

again, it's a cool idea...but it leaves little room for fleshing out the destruction of Krypton.

 

[Nemeres]

I'd like a set of news clips with rough amateur footage of Superman rescuing people and interviews with them. Give it the feel of a documentary starting out, so we get an idea of a third-person's view on Superman.

Then the montage would give way to an actual narrative sequence, an action sequence or whatnot, long enough so we feel like we're becoming witnesses ourselves, then bam, the credits.

Or if not that, I'm pretty partial to what JJ Abrams did in his script, and start out with the climax of the film and then flashback to how it all started out. It's always a way to keep the audience riveted and interested throughout.

 

[terry78]

Basically the destruction of Krypton done with a music score overlap with no sound effects, done both in regular motion and slo-mo when need be. All this is done before the opening credits, if any. I know Megamind kind of already did it, but hey.