Not moved by the first 10 minutes? Don't bother watching the rest.

Usually I'd never say that about a movie, but with DLN maybe it's true. If you're not moved or shocked by the opening scene, you're probably not going to enjoy the rest of the movie.

A lot of the negative comments complain about choppy editing, washed out cinematography, "boring" pace and plotting, and so on. Well, it's all there up front in the first scene, so if you don't like it then you'll know fairly soon.

For me, that scene is incredibly atmospheric, the cinematography and music perfectly capture a certain mood and then rupture it with something horrifyingly sad - heightened by superb use of slow-motion and sound design, and Donald Sutherland's deeply moving and authentic performance.

The jump cuts between parallel events inside and outside the house are brilliantly done, and establish the way that destiny and second-sight will be handled throughout the rest of the movie. But they are also used for story telling, like when Laura says that she has left the duplicates of John's slides in her tray and then brings her hand to her face, cutting to an image of Christine making the same gesture. This tells us how similar Laura and Christine are as mother and daughter, and when John responds by looking lovingly at Laura, we know that he must love Christine just as deeply. This is just one of the tiny details that makes what follows even more harrowing.

I think it's one of the best scenes ever filmed, totally engrossing and deeply moving. From that point on, I am totally invested in this couple and their grief. The power of it resonates through the entire film.

If you don't feel anything watching that opening scene, then there's a good chance you're soon going to be another one of the people on these boards complaining about 2 hours of your life that you can't get back.