Movies with a Twist at the Beginning: Films That Defy Expectations from the Start

Who doesn’t love a great plot twist? The kind that takes you by surprise, turns everything upside down, and leaves you glued to your seat until the final credits roll. But while we often think of twists as something that comes at the end of a film, there’s a special kind of brilliance when a movie throws a curveball right at the beginning. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most notable movies where the big twist isn’t waiting for you at the end it hits you right from the start.

When Characters Die Early: Shocking the Audience Right Away

One of the most jarring experiences as a viewer is when the film’s supposed main character is killed off almost immediately. We’re used to following a protagonist for the entirety of the film, so when they meet an untimely demise at the beginning, it’s a complete shock. This technique doesn’t just pull the rug from under us it flips our expectations of the entire narrative.

In the 1996 film Executive Decision, the audience was led to believe that Steven Seagal, an action star at the height of his popularity, would be the movie’s leading hero. However, within the first 45 minutes, his character is killed during a mission. The twist is that the actual protagonist is Kurt Russell’s character, and the film’s dynamics completely shift after Seagal’s abrupt departure.

Similarly, Alien uses this tactic with John Hurt’s character, Kane. In a shocking scene, the infamous chest-burster sequence leaves the audience stunned as Kane meets his gruesome fate early on. Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi masterpiece sets the tone for an unpredictable horror movie that continues to twist and turn right until the end.

Reverse Storytelling: The Twist That Ends at the Beginning

Reverse storytelling is another clever device filmmakers use to challenge our expectations. These films start with the ending and move backward, making every scene feel like a twist as the layers of the narrative are peeled away.

Christopher Nolan’s Memento is a prime example of this. The film opens with Leonard Shelby (played by Guy Pearce) seeking revenge for his wife’s murder. However, we quickly learn that his condition short-term memory loss means the story unfolds in reverse, with the audience discovering the truth alongside him. The twist here is that what appears to be the beginning is actually the end.

Another film that employs this method is Irreversible, directed by Gaspar Noe. The film tells its disturbing story in reverse chronological order, making each scene more unsettling than the last. The twist isn’t just the structure it’s the gradual realization of the horrific events that have transpired.

Clones and Conundrums: Sci-Fi Twists That Reveal Too Soon

Sometimes, a sci-fi film reveals its big secret early, forcing the characters and the audience to deal with the fallout for the rest of the movie. Moon, directed by Duncan Jones, delivers a huge twist within the first third of the film. Sam Bell, a solitary worker on a lunar base, discovers that he is a clone one of many. Instead of saving the twist for the end, the film explores the emotional and psychological consequences of this revelation in real time. The rest of the movie dives deep into questions about identity, mortality, and free will, with the twist serving as the jumping-off point rather than the climax.

Genre Shifts: When the Movie Changes Course Midway

Genre-bending is another effective way to twist the audience’s expectations, sometimes so suddenly that it leaves us reeling. Take Psycho, for instance. Alfred Hitchcock’s classic starts as a suspenseful thriller, following Marion Crane after she steals money from her employer. However, after she’s murdered in the infamous shower scene, the film shifts entirely into a psychological horror. Hitchcock doesn’t just change the protagonist he changes the entire genre, making Psycho one of the most ground breaking films of its time.

Another notable example is From Dusk Till Dawn. What starts as a gritty crime thriller about two criminals on the run suddenly turns into a vampire horror movie halfway through. The shift is so unexpected and abrupt that it feels like you’re watching two different films spliced together, which is exactly what makes it so entertaining.

Unexpected Protagonists: Swapping the Lead Mid-Story

Movies like 1917 also use early twists to surprise the audience, but in a more subtle way. In this World War I epic, the film’s opening leads us to believe that the main character is Lance Corporal Tom Blake. However, Blake is unexpectedly killed off, and the focus shifts to his companion, Lance Corporal William Schofield. The abrupt death forces the audience to recalibrate their expectations, as Schofield becomes the unexpected hero of the story.

This kind of twist plays with audience expectations, especially in genres like war films, where the assumption is that we’ll follow a central figure from start to finish. By removing that comfort early on, the film creates an atmosphere of unpredictability and suspense, keeping viewers on edge.

False Twists: Misleading the Audience Before the Truth Unfolds

One of the cleverest ways to throw off an audience is with a false twist leading them to believe one thing, only to completely reverse it later. Knives Out masterfully does this by revealing early on who is responsible for the crime. At least, that’s what the audience is led to believe. As the film progresses, it becomes clear that this “reveal” was just a misdirection, and the real mystery is much deeper.

Similarly, in The Other Guys, the film sets up the iconic duo of Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson as the main characters only to kill them off in a hilarious, shocking twist within the first act. The real protagonists, the seemingly less capable detectives played by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg, then take over the narrative. The comedic twist sets the tone for the rest of the film and plays on audience expectations of action movie tropes.

Psychological Twists: Manipulating Perception from the Start

Sometimes, movies twist not just the plot, but our perception of reality itself. In Predestination, the film’s exploration of time travel creates a tangled web of cause and effect, and the twist isn’t a single moment but a gradual unravelling of the protagonist’s true identity. The viewer is left questioning everything they thought they knew, as the film constantly shifts the narrative in unexpected ways.

Another film that plays with perception is Arrival. The movie opens with what seems like a flashback, showing the protagonist’s tragic loss. However, as the story unfolds, we realize this was not a flashback but a glimpse into the future. This twist recontextualizes the entire movie, making the viewer see everything in a new light upon a second viewing.

Subverting Tropes: When Movies Flip the Script

In some cases, the twist at the beginning of a movie is simply a matter of subverting well-known tropes. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the audience is initially led to believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator is the villain, as he was in the first film. However, it’s quickly revealed that he’s actually the protector this time around, with the true villain being the more advanced T-1000. This early twist plays on the audience’s expectations, particularly for those familiar with the first film, and sets the stage for a fresh take on the action sci-fi genre.

The Twist That Rewrites the Entire Movie

Finally, there are films like The Sixth Sense, where the twist isn’t necessarily revealed at the start, but once it’s unveiled, it forces the viewer to rethink everything they’ve just watched. While The Sixth Sense’s twist comes near the end, movies like Fight Club and Shutter Island deliver their twists early enough that they reshape the entire viewing experience, challenging the audience to reconsider every scene with new information.

Conclusion: The Art of the Early Twist

Movies with twists at the beginning don’t just rely on a final reveal to shock the audience they flip expectations from the get-go, leaving us to pick up the pieces as the story progresses. Whether it’s a character’s sudden death, a genre shift, or a reveal that changes everything we thought we knew, these films prove that a twist can happen at any moment and still leave a lasting impact. By keeping us on our toes from the very beginning, they ensure that we’re fully engaged, constantly questioning, and always ready for the next surprise.

So, the next time you sit down for a movie, remember: the twist might not be waiting at the end it could be lurking right around the corner, just waiting to catch you off guard.