The phrase "first reel" refers to the beginning or the earliest part of a movie or film. It is commonly used to describe the initial portion of a story or the opening scenes of a film. Full definition
Some may find their patience tested beyond breaking point in a long (two and a half hours) movie whose first reel or so is easily its weakest. (theartsdesk.com)
Mae West dominates the film's first reel as Flowerbelle Lee, a self - reliant woman who is abducted by a mysterious masked bandit during a stagecoach holdup. (rottentomatoes.com)
And while the egregiously lugubrious first reel seems destined to turn off most viewers, the film's late - in - the - game surprises do ensure that one's patience is eventually rewarded (albeit in an awfully mild manner). (reelfilm.com)