A nice bit of foreshadowing can make any movie even more fascinating to watch. These subtle clues about events yet to come will often go over the heads of the audience the first time around, but can be exciting tonotice upon a rewatch. After all, these brief moments can prove that the filmmakers knew exactly what they were doing all along, having thought about exactly how the film would end from the moment it started.
Some iconic movies, however, take this idea even further.Every once in a while, a film is made that subtly reveals key details of the ending within the very first sequence. A carefully constructed opening scene has the ability to hint at where the film may be heading, even if viewers don’t realize that it is all being laid out right in front of them. While they may be overlooked on their first viewing, these opening scenes creatively reveal how the movie is going to end, transforming the finale into a satisfying, full-circle moment.
Citizen Kane
Cast
Directed by and starring Orson Welles in his feature film debut, Citizen Kane tells the life story of Charles Foster Kane, a self-made business tycoon partially based on William Randolph Hearst. The film tells the story of Kane’s rise and fall from power, narratively framed by the sensation caused by death at the beginning and end of the film. Besides Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorehead, and Ruth Warrick also star.
Any dedicated fan of cinema will surely be familiar with the groundbreaking 1941 Orson Welles film,Citizen Kane.Often hailed as the greatest film of all time,Citizen Kanetells the complicated story of a wealthy, powerful man named Charles Foster Kane, all the way from his humble beginnings to his death. Much of the film is driven forward through the work of Jerry Thompson, a reporter tasked with finding the meaning of Kane’s cryptic final word, “Rosebud,” after his death.
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Particularly astute viewers, however, will notice that much ofCitizen Kane’s ending is revealed within the first few shots.The opening scene reveals not only the sad, lonely state of Kane’s death (despite his massive riches), but the meaning of his famous last word.Kane spends his final moments looking at a snow globe which closely resembles his childhood home during the winter. His lasting fascination with what the snow globe represents serves as a subtle clue that “Rosebud” was the name of his childhood sled, a symbolic tie to the humble life he had likely come to miss.
Skyfall
Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film, featuring Daniel Craig as 007. Released in 2012, the film follows Bond as he investigates an attack on MI6, guided by M, portrayed by Judi Dench, while contending with internal pressures and a new authority figure, Gareth Mallory, played by Ralph Fiennes.
Daniel Craig’s third time starring as the iconic British agent, James Bond, certainly started out with a bang. In the exciting opening scene ofSkyfall,Bond is inadvertently shot, causing him to plunge into a nearby river.As he sinks into the murky water, a dreamlike opening credits sequence begins. This is where the filmmakers truly got to show off their creatively, hiding a massive bit of foreshadowing not simply in the opening scene, but in the mystifying credits sequence.
While viewers may initially dismiss this as just another unsettling visual, this carefully planted detail is actually a sublte hint that M will not surviver to the end of the movie.
Throughout the sequence, the names of the actors and crew members are shown atop a wide-ranging showcase of borderline hallucinogenic imagery.Interestingly, when the credit for Judi Dench’s recurring role as M is shown, the background morphs into a dark, mysterious graveyard. While viewers may initially dismiss this as just another unsettling visual, this carefully planted detail is actually a subtle hint thatM will not survive to the end of the movie,which would otherwise come as a massive shock because of her consistent appearances in the series.
American Beauty
American Beauty, released in 1999, is a drama film directed by Sam Mendes. It follows the life of Lester Burnham, played by Kevin Spacey, a disillusioned suburban father undergoing a profound midlife crisis. Annette Bening co-stars as his ambitious wife, Carolyn. The film explores themes of beauty, desire, and existential ennui within the confines of American suburbia.
The 1999 Best Picture-winning film,American Beauty, weaves a complex web of characters just trying to live their life.Even with the multilayered nature of its story, however, the film’s conclusion likely came as quite a shock to most audiences. After finally sharing a genuine interaction with Angela, his daughter’s best friend, the protagonist, Lester, is suddenly shot in the back of the head, killing him instantly.
Viewers with great memories will recall that this is not actually the first time that the idea of Lester’s death is brought up in the film.The very first scene is set up as a home movie of sorts, depicting a private conversation between Lester’s daughter, Jane, and her new boyfriend, Ricky.In this scene, Jane remarks that she feels as though Lester should be “put out of his misery,” before coldly agreeing when Ricky offers to kill him. This scene, which could be viewed as humorous at first, takes on a whole new meaning when Lester’s death finally comes.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet star in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as Joel Barish and Clementine Kruczynski, a couple who rediscover their love after erasing each other from their memories. The 2004 drama is written by Charlie Kaufman, directed by Michel Gondry, and includes Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, and Tom Wilkinson in its cast.
The Oscar-winning 2004 science fiction drama,Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless, features an impressively complex script, one which constantly forces viewers to reevaluate what they have just seen.The overarching narrative of the film follows Joel (played by Jim Carrey), a man who decides to undergo a procedure to erase all memories of his ex-girlfriend, Clementine (played by Kate Winslet), after finding out she just had the procedure done as well. After the procedures are finally completed, viewers watch as Joel and Clementine meet “for the first time” all over again.
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However, it is important to note that this is not the first time the audience sees Joel and Clementine meet. The film begins with this same scene of the pair meeting after going to the same beach, restaurant, and train station. When it is first seen, viewers believe that this is the first time the characters have ever seen each other. Over the course of the film, it is gradually revealed that these events actually happenafterthe majority of the film, and the scene is meant to depict Joel and Clementine experiencing a new beginning to their relationship.
The Thing
A team of researchers set out to study an alien spacecraft found in Antarctica, where they also discover an alien body on the site. The alien buried in ice is actually alive and has the ability to imitate human form. The group must find a way to distinguish who the real person is from The Thing and stay alive. John Carpenter’s 1982 film is a remake of 1951’s The Thing from Another World and stars Kurt Russel as the hero RJ MacReady.
John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic,The Thing, is a chilling tale of paranoiaset on a glacier in frigid Antarctica.The film follows an isolated team of American researchers being slowly killed off one-by-one by a mysterious alien entity that perfectly mimics the appearance and personality of its victims. While the reveal of the creature’s abilities does occur prior to the ending of the film, this discovery is still a crucial plot point. Interestingly, it was actually openly declared within the opening scene.
The Thingbegins with a harrowing scene depicting two Norwegian researchers using a helicopter to pursue a lone sled dog, clearly intending to kill it.
When their chase leads them to the American base (where most of the film will be set), the pilot of the helicopter begins frantically yelling in Norwegian before he is suddenly killed. Any viewers who speak Norwegian would immediately have the pivotal reveal spoiled by this scene, as the pilot is openly telling the Americans that the dog is actually the murderous creature in disguise, fully explaining what the entity is capable of.
The Sixth Sense
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller about a young boy who can see and communicate with ghosts. Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who tries to help Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, while grappling with his own personal demons. The movie features a twist ending that has become iconic in pop culture.
M. Night Shyamalan is known for putting major, unexpected plot twists in his movies, but the climactic reveal ofThe Sixth Senseis easily the most well-known of them all. The acclaimed film stars Bruce Willis as Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist working with the most unusual patient he has ever encountered; a child who claims to be able to see and interact with the dead. The shocking twist is ultimately that Malcolm was dead all along, revealing why his young patient was the only person who ever directly interacted with him.
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Although the twist amazed audiences around the world, the opening scene ofThe Sixth Senseactually makes it feel somewhat unsurprising when the viewers know what to expect.The film begins with a distressed former patient breaking into Malcolm’s home, culminating in the patient shooting both Malcolm and himself.The audience is never shown what happened to Malcolm in the immediate aftermath of the violent event, with the film simply jumping ahead to a few months after. When the twist is revealed, it becomes clear that Malcolm did not survive the attack.
Reservoir Dogs
Quentin Tarantino’s feature-length debut Reservoir Dogs is an ensemble movie starring Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Chris Penn, and Edward Bunker. The 1992 film centers around a group of criminals who begin to suspect one of them is an undercover cop when their supposedly perfect diamond heist goes wrong.
Quentin Tarantino established himself as a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood with his 1992 feature debut,Reservoir Dogs.The iconic crime film follows a team of criminals who reconvene at their hideout after a heist goes horribly wrong, leaving the surviving members determined to figure out who is to blame. Near the film’s ending, Mr. Orange, who had been slowly bleeding out for much of the movie, reveals himself to be an undercover police officer, and that he was the one who thwarted the group’s plan.
The film opens with the group of criminals having breakfast together at a diner.
While it is not overtly stated, Mr. Orange’s true identity is hinted at in the film’s seeminglyinconsequential opening scene. The film opens with the group of criminals having breakfast together at a diner.When it comes time to pay, it is revealed that one member did not leave a tip, prompting Mr. Orange to immediately rat out the guilty party.Though it may seem like a throwaway line, this brief moment is a clever piece of foreshadowing of the reveal that Mr. Orange sold out the team’s plan to the police.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley. Set in 1959, Shutter Island follows two U.S. Marshalls - Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) as they are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital specializing in psychiatric care.
Martin Scorsese boggled the minds of his audiences with his 2010 psychological thriller,Shutter Island, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo.The twist-filled film follows Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio), a U.S. Marshal sent to investigate the strange events unfolding at a remote psychiatric facility, alongside his new partner, Chuck Aule (Ruffalo). The shockingtwist ending ofShutter Islandis that Teddy was actually a patient at the facility all along, and the entire investigation was a ruse designed to help him reconnect with his true identity.
This dramatic reveal is not only one of the most surprising, but also one of the most heavily foreshadowed twists in modern cinema.The first act ofShutter Islandis filled with carefully disguised hints about what is really happening on the island.One such hint comes during the opening sequence, when Teddy and Chuck first arrive. Upon being asked to remove their weapons, Chuck is unable to get his firearm out of its holster, despite his best efforts to seem experienced. This brief action reveals that Chuck is not actually a federal agent, but a doctor at the hospital.
The World’s End
The World’s End follows five friends reuniting to attempt a legendary pub crawl from their youth. As they journey, they inadvertently become humanity’s last hope against an otherworldly threat.
With a script written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, one could certainly assume that the 2013 science fiction comedy,The World’s End, would be stuffed with clever bits of foreshadowing from beginning to end.This third film in theCornettotrilogy features a group of old friends reuniting to recreate a bar crawl they had done many years before, only for the plan to take a grim turn when they discover a mysterious race of aliens is taking over their hometown.
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The World’s Endbegins with the protagonist, Gary (Pegg), excitedly recounting the story of the group’s original bar crawl decades earlier.Upon revisiting this opening scene, however, viewers will discover something rather intriguing; the details Gary describes about the original bar crawl could also be used to describe the entire plot of the movie.Though the specifics may have changed from one crawl to another, Gary’s memory accurately reflects all the chaotic events that unfold throughout the film, laying out the full plot for the audience in the first few minutes.
The Prestige
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, The Prestige follows the lives of two stage magicians in Victorian London. Once colleagues, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden become hated rivals after a tragedy involving Angier’s wife tears them apart. The two magicians each go on to have their own lives and careers while competing to see who can pull off a seemingly impossible teleportation trick. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Angier and Borden.
In rare cases, the beginning of a film can spoil the ending without having to say a single world.This is the case forThe Prestige, the 2006 psychological thriller from Christopher Nolan. The film highlights the intense, bitter rivalry that grows between two magicians in Victorian England. Matters rapidly escalate as one of the magicians develops a trick that appears to allow him to teleport himself, and the other becomes increasingly desperate to explain how this could be possible.
Ultimately,it is revealed in the film’s endingthat the trick is only possible because the magician has an identical twin. This solution is hinted at by the very first shots of the film.The Prestigeopensfirst with a series of identical top hats, before switching to a shot of identical birds in a small cage. Both of these visuals subtly clue the audience into what is really going on before them.
