Top 10 Most HATED Movie Intros

“Super Mario Bros.” (1993)
This infamous adaptation of one of the most iconic video game series had a lot of issues, from its poor writing to its infidelity to its video game source material. It’s no wonder this 90s adaptation was a box office flop. By far the worst part of the film, however, is its exposition-rife beginning. Don Castellaneta in a bad Brooklyn accent explains how the world split into two dimensions after the meteor killed the dinosaurs. In fact, some of the surviving dinosaurs go off to establish—we kid you not—Dinohattan. And then we get to see a fully human baby Daisy hatching from an egg. Yeah, we’re going to pass.

“Scream 4” (2011)
We hate to admit it, but there is such a thing as being too meta. In this opening scene, Ghostface calls, Facebook-stalks, and kills two characters, Jenny Randall and Marnie Cooper. A very typical if indifferently executed horror movie trope—except, as it turns out, these are characters of “Stab 6,” an in-universe sequel. The characters watching “Stab 6” then get killed by characters of “Stab 7,” which are viewed by the characters of—finally—“Scream 4.” This meta film-within-a-film-within-a-film serves to satirize Hollywood’s penchant for endless sequels and remakes. “Scream 4” is viewed as better than its sequels, but this routine starter is less clever than lazy.

“Justice League” (2017)
The greatly-anticipated “Justice League” unfortunately suffered from a clash of directorial visions. This is apparent in the film’s awkward opening scene, which begins with a kid interviewing Superman, and the superhero’s cornball explanation on the meaning of his “S” symbol. Although it’s nice to see Superman taking time to make a kid happy, the scene seems to serve no purpose other than to call back to the classic Superman we all know. It also contradicts and walks back on Zack Snyder’s grittier take on Superman in earlier films, which had inspired controversy. We’ll have to pass.

“Mortal Kombat Annihilation” (1997)
It’s the cheesy special effects that did it for us. And the poor editing. And the stilted acting and writing—you get the idea. No one will accuse this film of being a masterpiece for the ages, but its opening scene is definitely a bewildering eyesore. In this scene, villainous Outworlders have come, with the Emperor announcing his intentions to invade and conquer the earth in seven days. The Earthrealm’s warriors fight against them, but with one major casualty: Johnny Cage, who did warn us this would not be good. Another video game adaptation misfire, we’re only glad that it’s a comedic one—if unintentionally.

“Cats” (2019)
“Les Misérables” may have survived the gritty and overly literal approach to adapting a stage musical, but this musical about talking and singing British cats should not have even tried. In this scene, we are introduced to the world of the Jellicle cats when young cat Victoria is dumped in an alley by humans. Talk about letting the cat out of the bag. Victoria is adopted by the rest of the Jellicle cats, who are preparing for the Jellicle Ball. Director Tom Hooper took the uncanny valley route with CGI-induced skin-tight fur bodies, tails, and humanoid hands. It’s strange and off-putting. And, unfortunately, it only gets worse from here.

“Halloween: Resurrection” (2002)
The beginning of this “Halloween” sequel is indeed a tough one to take. Laurie Strode, now a patient in Grace Andersen Sanitarium, has learned that she has failed to kill the real Michael Myers, her victim being an innocent paramedic. The real Michael Myers has returned for Laurie and kills her. Not only is it a cheap fate for such a major character, the execution is lousy as well. It turns out that Jamie Lee Curtis, chagrined that the writers were not allowed to kill Myers per clause, agreed to come back for “Resurrection” on the condition that her character get axed. Perhaps this was for the best, as “Resurrection” is deemed one of the worst films of the franchise.

“The Last Airbender” (2010)
We wish we could blame the Fire Nation for this. M. Night Shyamalan’s film adaptation of the iconic animated series has too many sins to count. But by far the worst of them is the exposition-dump of an intro scene. Unlike the succinct economy of the original series, the film’s intro includes not only a text scrawl but Katara’s droning voiceover narration that goes on and on. Even after Aang is found in the iceberg, the film’s tendency for needless exposition and explaining its complicated lore continues. The lackluster acting and the disappointing special effects does not help matters either.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019)
Speaking of legacy characters being done dirty, this death was particularly egregious. After surviving the events of “Terminator 2” and destroying Skynet, Sarah and her son John retire to Guatemala. Their idyll is quickly ended when a random T-800 sent by Skynet easily kills John. Screw you, too, movie. This is a reboot, clearly, but the wanton dispatch of a major character to make way for another Chosen One…is not the way to do it. Sure enough, “Dark Fate” suffered a dark fate in angering fans and becoming a box office bomb. At least the de-aging technology here is impressive.

“Alien 3” (1992)
This poor woman can’t catch a break, and neither can we. After the events in “Aliens,” Ellen Ripley and her crew enter hypersleep onboard the spaceship “Sulaco.” But once they crash-land on Fury 161 and are rescued by officers, Ripley learns the hard truth yet again: She is the only survivor out of all her crew. It’s a bleak opening to be sure…and it just so happens to be the same one as in “Aliens.” That’s right, Ellen is once again in the same position as she was in the previous movie. Even more problematic, fan favorite characters such as Newt and Hicks are dead, and for no good reason. It’s a bad beginning for Ripley and fans alike.

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (2023)
Where to begin with this one? In this prologue, a young Indiana Jones is taken prisoner by the Nazis while trying to retrieve the Lance of Longinus—only to discover it’s the Archimedes’ Dial that’s the real treasure. From the dark lighting, the execrable dialogue, the fact that young Indy is the survivor of both hanging and a bomb…it’s a mess. The de-aging technology is not as bad as it could have been, but coupled with Ford’s gruff Grandpa voice, it’s also a miss. “Dial of Destiny” doesn’t get much better from there, and became a box office flop. It’s quite a poor beginning and end for this legacy character.


Which other opening scenes gave you grim premonitions of the film’s dark fate? Let us know in the comments down below!