Whilst I hate the most of the rest of this movie the re-entrance (so to speak) of Darth Maul at the end of the Phantom Menace is just about the most impressive I have seen. I think a fair amount of it is to do with the music with Duel of the Fates starting up but the way he looks slowly up and just the fact that he is facing 2 Jedi and a squad of Naboo warriors and he doesn't give a f@#k.
I loved that.
I'll second the entrance of Christian Bale in Equilibrium although I much prefered the "no, not entirely without incident" moment. Not to mention "step away from the car".
If I am allowed to stretch the description of "entrance" a little I will say that I loved Boromir's "entrance" at Amon Hen, racing to Merry and Pippin's rescue. That actually gave me goose bumps at the cinema.
And the "entrance" of the Rohirrim at the Pelennor fields was even more so.
But whilst its not an action moment the entrance of Gandalf in LotR was just awesome. In a series of little moments, the apparent love he has for Frodo and the little laugh at surprising the Hobbit children I knew that both Jackson and Mckellen has this bang to rights.
And as for the entrance of Bag End with the music swelling......well.....
In the Brotherhood of the Wolf I loved the entrance of the two heroes, and in particular Mani, in the rain. Awesome.
I'll also second Omar Sharrif, a sequence that simply would not be filmed in today's short attention span cinema.
John Coffey's entrance in the Green Mile was pretty good.
The entrance of Norman's "mother" in Psycho.
The entrance of Leatherface in the original Chainsaw, so sudden and over so fast. It was like "what was that?"
Hannibal's entrance in Silence of the Lambs is pretty good, even though he is totally stationary and does and says nothing.
The entrance of King Arthur in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as soon as you see the coconut halves being wielded you know its good. And Lancelot's entrance into the wedding feast in the same film.
The entrances of both Leon and Stansfield in Leon.
The entrance of the Chestburster in Alien.
The entrance of Alex in A Clockwork Orange, just starts with an eye.
The entrance of Jaws of course, the entrance to the space age in 2001 (bone to spaceship), the drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket.
The introduction of William Macy's character in Magnolia where he drives his car through the window.
Begbie in Trainspotting, beer glass over balcony.
But I will single out two for special mention.
The first is the entrance of Jesus the jumpsuit wearing bowler in The Big Lebowski. Just superb.
As is the entrance of Dr Frank n Furter in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's got to be one of the most over the top entrances ever and its all the better for it.
But how about "Best Exits"?
I will nominate two.
Roy Batty in Blade Runner, "like tears in the rain".
And for shock value and just the look on his face, Det Jack Vincennes in LA Confidential.
