The Best Movies That Completely Define The ‘90s
You may not believe it now, but the 1990s was truly a great decade for cinema. The ‘90s, in fact, were quite a monumental time period as Pixar was introduced into the Disney lexicon and special effects were taking off to a point that anything was possible.
A decade is a long time in anyone’s book, especially when it comes to filmmaking. Trying to pick out a few movies that defined the decade is not the easiest of tasks, but we were able to find the ‘90s movies to rule them all.
Best Movies That Completely Define the ‘90s
5. The Lion King (1994)
Before Disney latched on to Pixar, they had (and still do) their Disney Animation Studio. From this came one of their defining animation titles, The Lion King. Released in 1994, The Lion King was a powerful 90s movie in every aspect.
The storytelling was spot on, the vocal cast was amazing, and the music was pitch-perfect. The story of Simba the lion cub, who is in line to succeed his father, Mufasa, is fun, adventurous, thrilling, and even heartbreaking.
It has its good guys, its bad guys, and its comic relief, that in the end, became an instant Disney classic.
4. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction was writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s second film after Reservoir Dogs, and it quickly proved to Hollywood that Tarantino was here to stay.
The 90s movie starred John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, and a host of other great actors. Tarantino told his crime story in a nonlinear fashion and boosted it with his sharp and witty dialogue.
The unconventional nature of his storytelling made for an entertaining watch.
3. Forrest Gump (1994)
Forrest Gump is a 90s movie by Robert Zemeckis that is based on the Winston Groom novel of the same name. Tom Hanks played the title character, and we follow him through the many significant historical events of the 20th Century.
Hanks shined as Gump, but he was also surrounded by an excellent cast that included Robin Wright, Sally Field, Mykelti Williamson, and Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan. The film was so influential in the mid-90s that it spurred the creation of Bubba Gump’s Seafood Restaurant.
2. Jurassic Park (1993)
The leap in just how good special effects were becoming was on full display in this 90s movie when Steven Spielberg turned the clocks back millions of years and brought dinosaurs to life in Jurassic Park.
Of course, the setting was the present day and told the story of a billionaire whose technology created these dinosaurs. His desire is to open a park for the world to come and see his creations, but before that, he needs to get the insurance company to sign off on it.
To make this happen, he brings in experts to give their stamp of approval. Now, if they could avoid being eaten by these dinosaurs. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum headline the cast.
1. Titanic (1997)
Director James Cameron went to great lengths in 1997 (and depths) to bring the tragic story of the sinking of the Titanic to the big screen. Epic in scope, Cameron expertly wove a modern-day Titanic expedition around a romance tale centering around adventurer Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose DeWitt Bukater, a young lady who is engaged to be married.
A fateful crossing of paths leads to a forbidden love between Jack and Rose, which only intensifies as time goes on. Unfortunately, time is not on their side. After its release, Titanic became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, helping define the decade of the ‘90s.
