"WOW!" Moments in the Movies (1 Viewer)

[Douglas*A*R]

I enjoyed the movie, too. Except, there seemed, at least to me, to be a big plot hole right at the end. In every mortal sin but one, John Doe himself exacted capital punishment. If Doe really saw himself as a righteous distributor of God's retribution, wouldn't he want to see to Mills execution as well, instead of leaving him to a justice system that Doe obviously didn't see as adequate?

Also, of the two, I preferred the original ending where Mills shoots Doe once, walks off, and the credits roll. I prefer the aftermath to be left to my imagination.

 

[rick stein]

Wow great answers so far.I have to go with the end of the original planet of the apes.All of star wars.When i was a kid there was nothing like it and i loved it.Titanic blew me away when i saw it at my local thx theater.In fact it is that movie that pushed me over the edge from minimal home theater nut to maximum home theater fanatic.Its a sickness i cant control and i love it.

 

[Brian Dobbs]

The Matrix - Neo saving Trinity while she is jumping out of helicopter while it crashes into the building.

The Matrix Reloaded - Neo flying in to save Morpheus and The Keymaker as the two semi trucks collide head on. WOW.

Also, Neo flying to save Trinity and the entire Burly Brawl fight.

The Matrix Revolutions - Ok this might be cheating a little, but it's the scene in the trailer where there is a thousand Smiths all lined up in the rain.

Jurrasic Park - T-Rex chase scene with the jeep.

T2 - When Arnold jumps on the front of the truck the T-1000 is driving and starts shooting him with the machine gun right in his face. That is just hardcore.

 

[Dana Fillhart]

Many great moments listed. With what I see here, I am SO tempted to take as many of those great moments as I can find on DVD and create a montage of clips to fill up two whole hours (or more - the travelling gnome...ROFLMAO!


I will add more as I think of them...

 

[Pete-D]

No particular order, I guess I'll stick with the more "modern" films cause otherwise there would be too many here to list.

Jurassic Park: Seeing that Brachiosaurus at the beginning. It's kind of an interesting scene in that it works on two levels, because the characters in the movie are wowwed by seeing a genetically created dinosaur while the audience is wowwed by seeing them see a CGI created dinosaur, and CGI really came of age at that moment.

The Sixth Sense: The ending. Wow. Great build-up. One thing I would give Sixth Sense over other "shock ending!" movies is that it was entertaining the whole way through and the clues where naturally woven into the story. It's like having a magician do a magic trick, but having him do it right infront of your face with no mirrors, curtains, smoke, or anything.

The Matrix: The opening sequence with Trinity. I think sometimes when you're with an audience, you can feel the audience "stir", like that "holy sh-t, did I JUST SEE WHAT I THINK I SAW?" type feeling. I don't think anyone expected The Matrix to be anything more than a filler sci-fi movie en route to get their Phantom Menace tickets. But 5 minutes into this film I could tell you it was going to be a pop culture phenmenon. The lobby shoot-out sequence is still IMO the best action sequence from either Matrix films.

I LOVE that silence as they get into the elevator and the marble column just collapses. So damn cool. When Morpheus takes Neo through the fields of humans (especailly the shot of the baby with all the tubes and needles in him/her) was shocking too.

Empire Strikes Back: Too many moments, but if I had to pick a few of course the "Luke.... I am your father!" line and the Han-Leia kiss at the end. Great stuff.
Rocky: The training montage and the fight scenes. They just "work".

The Godfather: The ending of Godfather, the shot on Michael Corleonge as the door closes is just haunting.
Terminator 2: When the T-1000 comes up from out of that domino floor.... wowza. The fight scenes with Arnie and the T-1000 where so inventive and different.

Return of the Jedi: Often gets ragged on, but I thought this movie actually had several of the most memorable Star Wars moments. Jabba the Hutt and Princess Leia in her gold-bikini (hullo!), the Emperor taunting Luke and his lines are totally classic, Luke charging at Vader after he finally loses control, the Endor space battle is still the most awe-spiring space battle ever to be shot.

E.T.: When E.T. and Elliot start to fly, I mean c'mon. Your heart is made of ice if that doesn't make you tingly inside.

 

[Dalton]

Instead of re-listing many of the great moments already listed(i agree with so many of them), I would add:

The final battle in Excalibur where Arthur and his knights battle Modred's numerically superior forces and just when it seems like all could be lost Lancelot comes to the rescue to the sound of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The calls of the knights yelling "Lancelots with us!" gives me goosebumps everytime (just like so many scenes already mentioned in this thread).

 

[Chucky P]

Les Diaboliques When Michel Delasalle's body stands up in the bathtub!


The X-Files Movie When The Well-Manicured Man is killed by the car bomb.


Back To The Future "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."

Poltergeist The clown scenes, the face tearing scene, the explanation of what happens to you when you die ("Now, some people die, but they don't know they're gone."),
the rescue, the giant head that comes out of the closet, the never ending hallway, the house implosion, the last shot from the motel.

BTW I really like Poltergeist.

 

[Anthony Neilson]

DIRTY HARRY - Clint Eastwood munching on a burger while taking out his magnum.This moment deluded me into thinking elbow protectors looked cool. Of course, without the magnum,
you just look like a college lecturer.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH - That whole pre-credits sequence was the best Bond movie since DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.I should've left the cinema right there.
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST - The first ten (completely silent) minutes.
AUDITION - The last scene. They had to scrape me off the ceiling afterwards.
VIOLENT COP - the most poignant car-chase ever ! Trust me.
A.I - leaping thousands of years into the future for the final section ; that was brave and I loved it
BAD LIEUTENANT - Harvey's unusual approach to motoring offences
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)- Pointing Donald.
LAST TANGO IN PARIS - Brando at his wife's bedside. The greatest bit of screen-acting ever ?
THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 - gesundheit
SALVADOR - Jon Savage getting it
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA - Cockeye getting it (Ennio again)
LOST HIGHWAY - "I'm there right now" :frowning:
MARATHON MAN - Bathtime

No! There are so many ! Must . . stop . . now !

 

[Kevin Porter]

Moulin Rouge - Your Song and Elephant Love Melody.

Chicago - Cell Block Tango. I get chills everytime when everyone starts dancing and the camera swoops in and out.

Saving Private Ryan - D-Day scene

About Schimdt - The ending

The Matrix - The part between the WB logo and the credits. The whole movie was just one big wow. Even if my first experience viewing it was at 2:00 AM on a VHS in full frame.

 

[Matt Stone]

About Schimdt - The ending

Indeed! I liked this flick quite a bit when I saw it at the theater, but now since picking up the DVD it has become something I turn on every day. I love this movie!

 

[Neil Joseph]

Recent ones for me (must have been mentioned many times)...

- Matrix Reloaded's highway scene
- Terminator 2 & Sarah Conner's dream of nuclear holocaust

 

[Josh Sieg]

The Godfather - The baptism scene

8 Mile - The freestyle battles

 

[Seth Paxton]

- and then the 'chest-burster'. 'nuff said.

Oh hell yeah. I left the theater freaked out and that was THE scene that stuck with me.

Also, for me the one big moment in Jaws originally was seeing that overhead shot of the shark next to the boat...I thought Oh shit are they screwed. Of course the Indy speech is the classic moment, but it was that other moment the first time through.


I remember being VERY jazzed when Luke showed up in Jedi garb at Jabba's. Just the fact that he was there and appeared to be in full effect by that point, you knew shit was going down.

Yeah, as a book fan I knew I was in for something great when I saw that FOTR prologue.

And after amazing me for one film they still had me stand up and take notice when the Balrog/Gandalf fell into that huge cavern.


Trainspotting - Renton walking on the bridge at the end. The music, the dialog, the emotion...wonderful. It's one of my top 10 all-time and that's a big reason why.


For my first list I only added scenes I saw at the theater, but when I first saw Casablanca at home that final speech by Bogart said to me "Oh, this is why its one of the greatest films ever." In a similar manner in Kane the opening snow globe dropping sequence pulled me in intensely.

Perhaps my favorite dramatic moment period is when Judah Ben-Hur shows up and gives Messala that dagger. Even before he steps out of the shadows I always choke up and say "Now it's your ass Messala." The long road back makes it all the more satisfying and even though the lesson of the film is to let go of hate and revenge I still love to see him get his every time.


You know it got played out, but the first time I saw "He slimed me" in Ghostbusters I laughed my ass off. What a great moment.


Man, just reading all these moments and thinking back on my own favs gets my heart racing. This is why films are like crack, those special moments keep you coming back through endless streams of crap hoping for just another hit.

 

[Seth Paxton]

I can't believe I forgot these also

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Phoebe steps out of the pool to the Cars song "Moving in Stereo"

Oh yeah, and not just because of Phoebe but also the way it was shot and that song. I mean she is hot, but the scene is one of the hottest "basic" nude scenes ever because of how it is presented.




Oh, the very best "Wow" moment...when I realized that I have all my favorite moments on DVD or LD and can now go enjoy them all at my convenience. The perfect antedote for the financial investiment blues of home theater.

 

[Paul Mason]

In no particular order

Pulp Fiction - Bruce Willis shooting Travolta as the poptart pops up.

Reservoir Dogs - Stuck in the middle with you

The Thing - testing the blood

King Kong - appearing in the theatre

Fight Club - many many moments, but the opening and closing shots are probably the most impressive.

Grosse Point Blank - the gunfight in the Ultimart store, with the kid playing Doom oblivious

From Dusk til Dawn - the opening, the moment the first vampire turns (I genuinely had no idea that was coming, thought it was a Taratino crime movie)

Silence of the Lambs - the FBI turning up at the wrong door

The Hitcher - when he kills Jennifer Jason Leigh - "they can't kill her, she's the romantic interest" I thought

Final Destination - the plane exploding, the bus hitting the girl

Big Trouble in Little China - the 'flying' swordfight

probably about 55 others that I'll remember later

 

[Magnus Nord]

So many but i'll just say two.

Donnie Darko

The cinema-scene, very strong.

Blade Runner

Roy Batty final speech.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Re-reading this thread (as I do from time to time), just wanted to include one or two that fit the criteria, and enjoy a few more.

Back on Page 1, Tim mentioned the Binary Sunset in Star Wars. Easily one of the greatest moments in film. For all of it's (rightly deserved) vaunted visuals, it's the heart of the saga that gives it so many mentions in this thread. And this scene is the very center of that beating heart.

I wanted to add two fight scenes from the same film, for sheer visual virtuosity.

Equilibrium - Fighting the Sweeper Team (it wasn't really a fight, was it ) in the Nethers to protect the dog. Even after years of great action scenes and all the shootouts I've seen, after Woo and The Matrix and the 80's, I still gasped in awe at the top-down shot. Truly awesome.

Equilibrium - The next major action sequence that begins with the words "He's a sense offender." Uses the handguns and doesn't fire a shot. Just beautiful. I should really watch that again.

And...

Gangs of New York - Yes, it's scenery-chewing, but it's by a master. When DDL is on-screen, the film is hypnotizing, plain and simple.

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition - Boromir's last stand, with the added scenes and GREAT music, is one of the best and most moving sequences in a film that embodies what this thread is about. Sean Bean would have seen a nom if the EE had made it to theaters. His tragic/heroic final moments were powerful.

Nemo has been mentioned

Hulk - Like the film or not, the desert chase culminating in Hulk turning back into Bruce, surrounded by cops, and telling Betsy "Yes it was." is GREAT action, GREAT cinema, and incredible!

Tarzan - Deep Canvas is a technique that should be heralded, but it's been lost among the 3D animation craze. The chase scenes in Tarzan truly capture the worlds "rollercoaster" are are some of the most incredible images seen, in any film, and are a monument to the magic of "traditional" animation taken to a new height.

More to come (as always),
Chuck

 

[Holadem]

T3: Ahnuld and the Coffin. An image of terror and death.

Chopper, THEN chopper...

The ending.

--
Holadem

 

[Scott D S]

I agree wholeheartedly with many of the sentiments expressed in this thread (Lord of the Rings, Matrix, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan, etc.) As for some of my other favorite WOW! moments:

Godfather Part II - the final shot is, in my opinion, even more powerful than the first... I had a knot in my stomach for an hour after watching it (the quick shot of DeNiro as Vito holding Baby Michael's arm out the train window helped too)... the music is excellent and deserved its Oscar... this film also contains my favorite dissolve of all time (Michael on the left side of the frame wishing good-night to his son... dissolve to young Vito on the right side of the frame observing his newborn son Santino)

Everyone Says I Love You - 3 scenes: Ed Norton and Co. in the jewelry store singing "My Baby Just Cares for Me", the dancing Groucho Marxes singing "Hooray for Captain Spaulding" in French (and I thought to myself, as a Marx Bros. and Woody Allen fan "Holy shit! I can't believe they're doing this!") and Goldie Hawn singing "I'm Through With Love" and then dancing with Woody Allen along the Seine River both on the boardwalk and in the air... I had a lump in my heart for 3 days after seeing this!

Schindler's List - the girl in the red coat walking amidst all the carnage during the liquidation of the ghetto while Schindler and his companion watch from atop a hill on horses... also the ending "Just one more person, Stern!" (This was spoofed on Seinfeld by an Emmy-nominated Judge Reinhold )

Shawshank Redemption - last 20 minutes... do I really have to explain why?... pure magic and indicatave of the possibilites of cinema (okay, that might be overdoing it a bit)

Mission: Impossible - the climax aboard the train (this was the first movie I ever saw with friends from school... I was in the 6th grade and the last 20 minutes or so had me transfixed)

Deconstructing Harry - a good Woody Allen movie but I love the opening credits (credits intercut with Judy Davis walking up to Woody's apartment with a load of jarring jump cuts)... I also like the song "Twisted" by Annie Ross which accompanies it

Who Framed Roger Rabbit - the Daffy Duck/Donald Duck piano duet (I love the Bohemian Rhapsody)

The Abyss - not only the Bud/Lindsay drowning and resuscitation but the first time water rushes into Deepcore traping people inside their quarters and Bud trying to rescue them (his titanium ring saving his ass)

X-Men 2 - the opening with Nightcrawler in the White House (helped by the music - I want to say it's Mozart's "Requiem" but I'm not sure)

The Blues Brothers - the car chase in the mall - haven't seen anything like it before or since (and probably never again because it would be too costly)

 

[Kachi Khatri]

Great listings...Here's few more..

T1 - when the terminator emerges from the wreck in full cyborg form (James Cameron said that this scene was the first that he envisioned and was the basis for the whole movie.)

Predator - the entire finale is awesome..Arnie's combat with the Predator in the night.

Face Off - when Nicolas Cage, Castor Troy realized his face was off.

Mad Max: The Road Warrior ...The final chase scene.