Prey, the new Predator prequel, has become so successful that the streaming-only movie has become Hulu's biggest movie ever after its opening weekend. The movie is now both a critical darling and a hit with general audiences, and that's largely down to how cool Comanche hunter Naru is. Naru and her rope and hatchet are as cool as Arnold Schwarzenegger and his machine guns in the original movie, and the fight between Naru and the Predator is even cooler.
While that sequence might make the cut one day, Redditors have discussed which are the coolest movie scenes ever. Between a bunch of nightclub brawls, jumping over borders on motorbikes, and lots of cyberpunk, these scenes are still so cool even if everything about them is completely outdated on paper.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
There's nothing cooler than a teenager who has every girl obsessed with him, the ability to hack into school computers, has a Ferrari at his disposal, and can sing a Beatles song on a float at The Steuben Parade. Ferris Bueller's Day Off sees the titular character go from win to win to win, and StumpingTheSchwab is one of many who lives vicariously through the teenager.
The Redditor argues that the parade is the coolest scene, noting, "The epic music choices, the visuals, and the crowd. It’s truly a spectacle to watch. It’s insane that the filmmakers went above and beyond for the scene." A lot of Redditors want a Legacy sequel to the 36-year-old movie, but it'd depict Ferris and co. going through everyday life and work, and it's in no way as cool as the original.
Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones is one of the most iconic characters in cinema history, and he has a just as iconic introduction. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, up until he raids his first tomb, Indy is only seen as a silhouette or a shadow, which makes it that much more exciting when audiences see him. And when he is finally revealed, it's one of the coolest scenes ever.
Unclebatman1138 is the biggest advocate of the scene, commenting, "Indiana Jones running from the giant Boulder, without a doubt." Along with Spielberg's directing and John Williams' now classic score, little is cooler than Indy mistakingly putting the wrong weight on the podium and then narrowly escaping all of the booby traps. And it's a testament to how iconic the sequence is that the boulder and Indy reaching for his hat has been parodied to death.
The Matrix (1999)
Even though fashion has moved on several times over since 1999, Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and every other Nebuchadnezzar crew member still look cool in sunglasses and long leather jackets as they spray bullets around a completely fake world. Steampunk isn't the coolest trend right now, but no viewer will deny how cool the movie's aesthetic is.
Roto-disc thinks it's the lobby sequence that's the coolest ever scene. When considering which movie scene is the coolest, the Redditor claims, "the first thing that came to mind for me was the lobby scene from The Matrix." The lobby scene is one of many incredible cinematic achievements in the movie, as Neo and Trinity tear apart an entire foyer with lead and flip from pillar to pillar.
Goodfellas (1990)
While many gangster movies glamorize mobsters and their lifestyle, Goodfellas does nothing of the sort, as the only time when Henry Hill and his crew aren't worried and looking over their shoulders is when they're in prison. However, the film undoubtedly shows the perks that were afforded to real-life gangsters who didn't deserve it, and it does so with Martin Scorsese's stunning visual style and unique filmmaking.
Oldguy74 points to the kitchen scene in the 1990 movie, explaining, "The long take when Henry takes his date to the front row at the fancy dinner club through the back way." The Redditor is referring to when Henry walks from outside, into and through a kitchen, and finally into a comedy club, and it's one long uncut tracking shot.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)
The prequel trilogy gets a bad rep, as there are actually a lot of great things about the three movies. However, ever since the failure of the sequel trilogy, fans are starting to look at the prequels in a different light, and they're finally getting the recognition that they deserve, and that includes The Phantom Menace. The movie includes pod racing, which is one of the coolest things that the prequels gave fans, but Harmonica655321 points to the final act with Darth Maul.
The Redditor remembers the very first time they saw it 23 years ago, noting, "Watching the Darth Maul lightsaber battle near the end of Episode I at the premiere. It was total excitement." Maul is one of the coolest villains, and while all sorts of lightsaber variations have been introduced since then, Maul wielding the dual saber was a thing of complete euphoria for fans and the coolest thing they had ever seen.
John Wick (2014)
Any single sequence for the entire John Wick series could be considered the coolest scene ever. Whether he's taking on a group of motorbike assassins while riding a horse bareback or fighting Common in Rome, the Wick movies aren't exactly bereft of cool sequences. But SuperNintendoChlmers reminds users of the nightclub scene in the very first movie.
The Redditor comments, "I remember a scene that made me go, 'Wow, this is cool' was that club scene from the first John Wick. The music, the dark, blue and red visuals, the choreography." There's something about nightclubs and fight scenes, as movies are full of them, but the 2014 movie is different from the rest, and it's one of the best audio/visual experiences of the past 10 years.
Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Matrix Reloaded might not be half as influential as the original movie, but it's still full of cool action scenes, and JoshuaCalledMe points out the sequence in the Château. The Redditor notes, "Despite being an arguably inferior film to the original, the Château Fight is action perfection, pure and simple."
The scene is one huge action sequence between Neo, Trinity, and the Merovingian's henchmen, and it features the iconic shot of Neo stopping all the bullets in front of him. The scene leads directly into the highway chase too, which is the best action scene in the whole Matrix series. This sequence alone of why The Matrix Reloaded is only bad compared to its predecessor.
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Evil Dead 2 is the best Evil Dead movie because it delves into horror comedy, makes some bold storytelling choices, and is endlessly entertaining. But most of all, it turns Ash, who was a dork getting attacked by bookcases in the first Evil Dead, into a total action badass. And Deathnote_237 thinks the coolest scene ever is "The 'groovy' scene in Evil Dead 2."
The scene the Redditor is referring to is when Ash builds his chainsaw hand (after his severed hand attacked him,) and then uses it to saw off his shotgun. The clip is just 45 seconds long, and it ends with Ash's signature line, "Groovy." In just 45 seconds, two iconic horror weapons were created, and Ash instantly became the coolest horror protagonist ever.
Blade (1998)
UnderstandingOk9570 doesn't mince their words and simply states, "Opening club scene in Blade." Like John Wick, the Redditor points to another violent club sequence. This one opens the first Blade movie, and it perfectly establishes what kind of movie viewers are in for. The scene is stylish, cool, and full of blood.
It might be the bloodiest scene ever shot, as blood is spraying from sprinklers, vampires are sucking the blood of innocent humans, and one human crawling on the floor is virtually swimming through blood. It's quite literally a bloodbath. And, at the very least, it's one of the coolest character introductions ever, as the human crawling through the blood is blocked by Blade's boots, and as it slowly pans up, the vampires' faces drop, realizing who it is.
The Great Escape (1963)
The Great Escape is an epic war movie about a group of soldiers who attempt to break out of a prisoner of war camp in Poland during World War II. The first two-thirds of the movie follows the soldiers as they dig the tunnel and escape, and the final third follows each of them as they try to escape Poland undetected. Captain Hilts (Steve McQueen) steals a motorbike and attempts to jump the Swiss border, which is made up of three barbed wire fences, each one higher than the last.
Cortexcarnage believes "the motorcycle chase in The Great Escape" is the coolest scene ever, and it's hard to argue that McQueen clearing the first fence with ease after using a small hill as a ramp is anything but. And the way the music builds and the Nazis are nearing makes it just as intense too. Even though audiences have seen it dozens of times and know that he doesn't clear the second fence, fans still root for him every time.