Christopher Nolan's 10/10 Masterpiece Still Has The Greatest Opening Line In Sci-Fi Movie History

Published Sep 19, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release. He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years. Sci-fi movies are known for their big ideas, imaginative worlds, and rich characters, but they have also delivered some incredibly iconic and memorable opening lines. Terminator 2: Judgment Day begins with Sarah Connor's narration about the war against the machines. Mad Max: Fury Road opens with Max reintroducing the Wasteland as a world of "fire and blood." In both cases, they hail from movies by masterful sci-fi directors, James Cameron and George Miller. Denis Villeneuve is a modern maestro in science fiction, and he has made a compelling case for one of sci-fi's best opening lines with Arrival. His Dune adaptation has plenty of great quotes, even if it can't quite match Frank Herbert's incredible Dune opening. As great as those movies are, Christopher Nolan is responsible for an opening line that elevates above them. He's made several instantly iconic sci-fi movies throughout his career, with Inception and Interstellar getting most of the attention. Both have strong opening lines that hook the viewer early on, but The Prestige's opening line is even better and should be considered the best start for a sci-fi movie. The Prestige Challenges The Audience With Its Opening Line Jonathan Nolan wrote the script for The Prestige to begin with Michael Caine's Cutter saying a very simple, but incredibly important line: "Are you watching closely?" The meaning of the quote and how it ties into the entire movie is what makes it the greatest opening line in sci-fi movie history. The Prestige starts with this quote to tease all the magic and twists that are to come. Cutter follows this up by explaining the three acts of a great magic trick. First is The Pledge, where the audience is shown something ordinary. Second is The Turn, where the magician does something extraordinary with it. Lastly is The Prestige, where the magician must bring back what has vanished. While this is specifically about individual magic tricks, it speaks to the larger plot of The Prestige. There are many tricks and surprises that people in the movie can't solve or don't see coming. The fakeouts, switches, and deceptions that come throughout The Prestige are so good that Borden (Christian Bale) and Angier (Hugh Jackman) spend their whole lives trying to figure them out by watching closely. But it's not just the characters in the movie that make this line important. Nolan starts The Prestige with this line to communicate to every viewer that you need to pay attention if you want to see what is really happening. The clues are all there if you're watching close enough to piece together The Prestige's twists and ending. The Prestige Remains Nolan's Unsung Masterpiece Despite the brilliance of The Prestige's opening line within the overall landscape of sci-fi movies, Nolan's masterpiece still does not have the reputation it deserves. It is brilliantly constructed and executed, making its three acts as surprising as the magic tricks Borden and Angier perform. The performances by Bale, Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, and more are all terrific, too. The Prestige has started to become more beloved in recent years thanks to the overall rising viewpoint of Nolan as a filmmaker, but it is still uncommon for it to be considered a top-tier entry in his filmography. The Dark Knight, Oppenheimer, and The Odyssey have clear beloved reputations. Public perception around Interstellar has risen significantly in recent years, too, while Inception and Dunkirk are still held in high regard. Memento also holds a soft place in many people's hearts given its importance to Nolan's career. Almost everyone enjoys The Prestige, but when ranking Christopher Nolan's movies, it is more common than not for it to be outside the top 5. It deserves to be considered in the same breath as the director's more popular and award-winning works. It just goes to show that not enough people have been watching The Prestige closely to fully appreciate and celebrate the achievement it is, from its opening line until the credits.