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It’s hard to believe that the ’90s are over 20 years ago. Join us as we take a look back at some of the most iconic movies of the decade.
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The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about hope, about friendship, and about the resilience of the human spirit. It’s also one of the best movies of the 1990s.
If you haven’t seen The Shawshank Redemption, you need to rectify that immediately. The movie tells the story of Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins), a man who is sentenced to life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. While in prison, Andy befriends Red (played by Morgan Freeman), and together they fight against the injustice of the prison system.
The Shawshank Redemption is an emotionally powerful movie that will stay with you long after you’ve seen it. It’s a must-see for any movie fan.
Forrest Gump
Forrest Gump is a 1994 comedy-drama film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, and Sally Field.
The story depicts several decades in the life of Forrest Gump (Hanks), a slow-witted but kind-hearted man from Alabama who witnesses and unwittingly influences several defining historical events in the 20th century in the United States. The film differs substantially from Groom’s novel, including Gump’s personality and several events that appear in the book but not in the film.
Forrest Gump was released in theaters on July 6, 1994, becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time worldwide. It earned over US $677 million during its theatrical run. The film won an Academy Award for Best Picture, along with Best Director for Robert Zemeckis, Best Actor for Tom Hanks, Best Adapted Screenplay for Eric Roth and Best Visual Effects.
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American horror-thriller film directed by Jonathan Demme and starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Scott Glenn. Foster plays Clarice Starling, a young FBI trainee who seeks the help of Hopkins’ character, Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrically imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer, to catch another serial killer (Glenn), nicknamed “Buffalo Bill”. The screenplay by Ted Tally was based on Thomas Harris’ 1988 novel of the same name.
The film won five major awards at the 64th Academy Awards: Best Picture; Best Actor (Hopkins); Best Actress (Foster); Best Director (Demme); and Best Adapted Screenplay (Tally). In addition, it won three Golden Globe Awards: Best Motion Picture – Drama; Best Actor – Drama (Hopkins); and Best Actress – Drama (Foster).
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd Disney animated feature film, and the fifth animated film produced during a period known as the Disney Renaissance. The Lion King was directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and has a screenplay credited to Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton.
The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes Matthew Broderick, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Rowan Atkinson, Robert Guillaume, Madge Sinclair, Whoopi Goldberg among others. The story takes place in a kingdom of lions in Africa and was influenced by Hamlet and William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The Lion King was released in selected cities on June 15 1994 before opening nationwide on June 24. The film was an enormous box office success grossing more than $987 million during its theatrical release becoming the most successful film released by Walt Disney Pictures at that time as well as the highest grossing hand-drawn animated feature of all-time until 2009 when it was overtaken by Pixar’s Up. Upon its release on home media it became the best-selling VHS title of all time selling more than 30 million copies in total; when adjusted for inflation it is the second bestselling VHS title ever with sales over 50 million copies.
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The first installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, it is based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton and a screenplay written by Crichton and David Koepp. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Joseph Mazzello, and Ariana Richards. The film follows a group of archaeologists who are invited to visit InGen’s Jurassic Park, a wildlife park populated with cloned dinosaurs.
A novel published in 1990 by Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park tells the story of billionaire businessman John Hammond who creates a theme park on an island off the coast of Costa Rica featuring cloned dinosaurs. When one of the park’s employees is killed by one of the dinosaurs, Hammond invites paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, along with mathematician Ian Malcolm, to visit the park to sign off on its safety. However, when one of the executives decides to take matters into his own hands and Industrial espionage agent Dennis Nedry shuts down the security systems in order to steal some dinosaur embryos for a rival corporation. This leads to disaster as the dinosaurs break free and begin terrorizing the island’s visitors.
While not every movie from the 90s can be considered a must-see, there are definitely some that stand out above the rest. If you’re looking for a great movie to watch from this decade, Jurassic Park is definitely one that you should consider checking out.
Titanic
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.
The Matrix
The Matrix was released in 1999 and is a sci-fi action film that stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Hugo Weaving. The movie was directed by the Wachowskis and is set in a future where humans are trapped in a virtual reality called the Matrix. Reeves plays Neo, a computer programmer who is recruited by Morpheus (Fishburne) to help fight against the machines that control the Matrix. The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $463 million worldwide, and spawned two sequels.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is a superhero movie that came out in the summer of 2008. The movie was directed by Christopher Nolan and starred Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Heath Ledger as the Joker, and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face.
The Dark Knight is considered one of the best superhero movies ever made and is often cited as one of the greatest movies of the 21st century. The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $1 billion at the box office and receiving eight Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture).
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Released in 1999, George Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace was the first movie in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. The movie is set 32 years before the events of the original Star Wars trilogy, and introduces audiences to Anakin Skywalker, who would later become Darth Vader. The movie was highly anticipated by fans of the franchise, and grossed over $1 billion at the box office.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is an epic fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson, based on the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
