50 Movies That Made the 90s an Iconic Decade in Film

1999 deserves all the attention it gets as an excellent year for film (and we'll be heaping more love upon it). But the entire decade of the 1990s offered a slew of brilliant cinema. Several major directors broke out, comedies we still quote three decades later made their way into the public consciousness, and many beloved and ongoing franchises began in the 90s.

From Oscar winners that have endured as classics to cult classics that have grown their audience over time, the 1990s overflowed with iconic cinema.  

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)

There's a reason posters for Quentin Tarantino's second film have been a fixture of college dorms since its release thirty years ago: it just exudes cool. From the non-linear narrative structure to the larger-than-life characters and, of course, Tarantino's trademark dialogue, Pulp Fiction made an impact when it arrived, and it's never going away. 

2. Fight Club (1999)

Perhaps the other most common college dorm room poster, David Fincher's Fight Club, perfectly adapts Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name into an equally thrilling and hilarious satire of capitalism and masculinity at the end of the 20th century. It's a satire so sharp that its central character is a key member of the “you missed the point by idolizing them” meme. 

3. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The 1994 adaptation of Stephen King's novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is so widely loved by movie fans that it's been the number one movie on the user-run site IMDb for fifteen years now. The film follows an innocent man sent to prison for life who finds hope and camaraderie among his fellow inmates. 

4. Titanic (1997) 

Titanic broke box office, and Oscar records upon release. In the twenty-five years since the film, which centers on a romance aboard the eponymous doomed ship, made its initial splash, it hasn't lost any of its resonance and continues to rake in millions every time it's re-released to theaters. 

5. The Big Lebowski (1998)

There are iconic movies, and then there's The Big Lebowski. The Coen brothers' film about a laid-back bowling lover who's pulled into a noirish mystery and forced to play detective made such an impact on many viewers that they literally founded a religion inspired by the film called Dudeism. 

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Like the Misfits skull before them, the characters of The Nightmare Before Christmas have become so iconic that they transcend their origin, largely thanks to Hot Topic. But the movie that birthed Jack Skellington and Sally has also endured as a holiday (which one is up to viewers) classic and a favorite of stop-motion animation fans.  

7. Groundhog Day (1993)

Some movies are so influential that they become not just the blueprint for other films but shorthand for a psychological syndrome. Gaslight did it in the 1940s, and Groundhog Day, which centers on a man reliving the same day repeatedly, followed just half a century behind in the '90s.

8. Home Alone (1990)

You know a movie has firmly established its place in the cultural landscape when more people know the film still than the painting that (probably) inspired it. Like The Nightmare Before Christmas, though, Home Alone isn't defined by its most popular image and remains a Christmas classic for many families, and single millennials.  

9. Jurassic Park (1993)

In 1993, Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park combined practical and cutting-edge computer-generated effects to make audiences believe humans and dinosaurs coexisted in the same space. The effects still hold up three decades later, and the story about a paleontologist learning to love kids through an adventure with dinosaurs still warms hearts, too. 

10. The Matrix (1999)

The Wachowski sisters' breakthrough film changed action filmmaking, added “red pill” to the cultural vocabulary, and made everyone question whether or not reality is just a simulation. It's impossible to quantify the impact of the sci-fi action movie at the time or two and a half decades later. All we can say for sure is that the film is still a delight to watch. 

11. Scream (1996)

Twelve years after creating one of the most iconic slasher franchises with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven directed this simultaneously loving and biting satirical take on the horror subgenre. Scream was and remains a great film because of its perfect balance of jokes about horror movie tropes and commitment to playing those tropes straight. The phenomenal cast, including Neve Campbell and Matthew Lillard, helps, too. 

12. The Sixth Sense (1999)

The greatest testament to The Sixth Sense's cultural impact is the ubiquity of “I see dead people” quotes and jokes we've all heard over the last couple of decades. But the film's greatest testament as a piece of cinema is that you can know its famous twist before ever seeing it, and the movie still plays perfectly. M. Night Shyamalan may have grown into a divisive filmmaker since the film's release, but most people can agree that The Sixth Sense is a masterpiece. 

13. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Five years after delivering one of the great sci-fi action horror sequels with Aliens, James Cameron did it again with Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The movie sees two humanoid futuristic killing machines battle over a tween, and Cameron turns that somewhat silly premise into a stunning action classic with some of the most exciting and memorable action set pieces of all time. 

14. Heat (1995) 

It still seems wrong that iconic Italian-American actors Robert De Niro and Al Pacino had never shared the screen until 1995. But that year, Michael Mann brought the two legends together on screen, not just in the same movie as Francis Ford Coppola did with The Godfather Part II, for his cops and robbers crime epic Heat, and it was everything fans could have hoped for. 

15. Pretty Woman (1990)

Julia Roberts dominated the romantic comedy in the 1990s, and she started her reign with Pretty Woman. The movie follows a call girl who falls in love with a john over a week escorting him. It's an equally hilarious and beautiful movie that's left a fair share of viewers in tears by the end for over three decades. 

16. Clueless (1995) 

An update of Jane Austen's Emma set in Beverly Hills could have been a disaster. But Amy Heckerling's Clueless effortlessly brings the novel into the 1990s with impeccable fashion and endlessly quotable dialogue. 

17. The Lion King (1994) 

The best of the Disney Renaissance films, The Lion King drew inspiration from Shakespeare for a movie about talking animals and made history. The lion-centric retelling of Hamlet didn't just work as great entertainment; its Elton John soundtrack also gave us multiple instant classic songs. 

18. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 

While The Silence of the Lambs wasn't the first and far from the last movie to bring Thomas Harris' Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter to the screen, it remains the best. Anthony Hopkins's Oscar-winning portrayal of the psychologist who likes to eat people is iconic, and Jodie Foster's Oscar-winning performance as Clarice Starling is profoundly affecting. The mystery those characters solve together is just as thrilling to watch for the thousandth time as it is the first because of the (once again) Oscar-winning direction from Jonathan Demme. 

19. Mulan (1998) 

Mulan, based on the Chinese folk hero, lands in a close second to The Lion King as the best of the 1990s Disney animated movies. But the cultural impact of the song “I'll Make a Man Out of You,” sung by Donny Osmond, makes Mulan stand equally next to The Lion King as the most iconic Disney movie of the decade. 

20. The Truman Show (1998)

The Truman Show centers on a man whose entire life has been a television show, without him knowing that he's on TV. It's a big concept, but the film's healthy dose of humor and heart, courtesy of star Jim Carrey, make it one of the funniest and sweetest movies to force you to question your reality. 

21. Toy Story (1995)

Disney didn't just produce fantastic two-dimensional animated movies with amazing songs in the '90s, though. The studio also distributed the films of a little studio called Pixar that was experimenting with a fully computer-animated movie. The first of those movies was Toy Story, about toys that come to life when humans aren't around, which changed animation forever. 

22. Hocus Pocus (1993)

Another holiday classic from the decade, Hocus Pocus follows a resurrected trio of witch sisters in Salem who are delighted to be back and wreak havoc on the town. Doing their best to stop them and make up for the fact that he accidentally resurrected them is teenager Max (Omri Katz), who doesn't know anything about witchcraft. Hocus Pocus has a lot going for it, but the performances from Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, and Kathy Najimy as the witch sisters make it a classic.  

23. Men in Black (1997) 

Great performances together are better than great performances alone; just as the trio of witches in Hocus Pocus made that film an instant and enduring favorite, the banter between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones in Men in Black makes their alien-fighting duo a joy to watch. Based on the comic of the same name by Lowell Cunningham and Sandy Carruthers, Men in Black perfectly melds comedy with sci-fi thrills to deliver a movie that's just as fun and poignant today as it was when it was released. And don't forget the song.  

24. Forrest Gump (1994) 

Like many other quotes from 1990s movies, “life is like a box of chocolates” has become a widely used and recognized phrase since Forrest Gump hit theaters thirty years ago. It's the earnestness with which Tom Hanks, as the eponymous adventuring simpleton, delivers the line that makes it so affecting in context. That same earnestness has helped the film remain a favorite over the years, no matter what the cynics say. 

25. Goodfellas (1990)

Cinephiles will likely be arguing forever about Martin Scorsese's best film. But there's no doubt that 1990's Goodfellas, which tells the true story of Henry Hill's involvement with organized crime, will always be a part of that conversation. Scorsese's direction, the screenplay he wrote with Nicholas Pileggi from Pileggi's book Wiseguys, and every performance in the movie make Goodfellas not just a mafia movie classic but one of the best and most iconic movies of all time. 

26. Mission Impossible (1996) 

Birthing one of the most successful franchises of all time that's still bringing in critical raves and major box office receipts would be enough to land Mission Impossible on this list. The movie's thrilling twists, turns, and central heist sequence make it stand on its own.

27. Romeo + Juliet (1996) 

Updating Shakespeare to contemporary settings had been done before. But no one, before or since, did it as perfectly as Baz Luhrmann did with Romeo + Juliet. The stylized movie with a hip soundtrack made its young leads into stars and made teens the world over care about a 400-year-old play. 

28. Matilda (1996) 

Based on Roald Dahl's novel of the same name, Danny DeVito's Matilda made audiences of all ages root for the girl with mysterious telekinetic powers. The movie sees the eponymous girl befriend a sweet teacher and combat (mostly through mischief) a cruel principal on behalf of her classmates. 

29. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Found footage burst onto the scene in 1999 when the marketing for The Blair Witch Project convinced thousands that the low-budget film was a real document of film students disappearing in the woods under mysterious, possibly supernatural, circumstances. It may be hard for us to imagine something like that happening now, but watching the movie, which is often slow and offers performances that feel real precisely because they're not polished, it's not all that hard to understand how people may have fallen for it. 

30. Independence Day (1996) 

Independence Day gave us one of the most indelible images in science fiction cinema: the massive explosion of the White House. It's an image that everyone knows whether they've seen the movie or not, and if that's not proof of iconic status, we don't know what is. But the film is more than that moment. It delivers a thrilling alien attack sci-fi action movie that continues to attract viewers. 

31. Se7en (1995)

A few years after The Silence of the Lambs, David Fincher went even darker with serial killer mystery Se7en, which sees its central murderer inspired by the seven deadly sins. It's a brutal and often hard-to-watch movie. But it's so well-made, fascinating, and well-acted that it's impossible to look away from. It also helps that its finale is unforgettable. 

32. Good Will Hunting (1997)

Good Will Hunting may or may not have introduced the “unassuming character solves difficult problem drawing attention” premise, but it made it a widely recognized and parodied one. But it's not just the inciting incident that makes the film iconic. It's the heartfelt examination of class, friendship, and trauma brought to life by beautiful (and, in Robin Williams's case, Oscar-winning) performances. 

33. Before Sunrise (1995) 

Another drama with an easy-to-spoof premise, Before Sunrise sees two young travelers meet and spend a night roaming Vienna together. The movie is overwhelmingly dialogue- and character-driven, sometimes feeling more like a play than a movie. But the film's locations also make it play like a travelogue. Whether it's the characters, the sites, or both that make audiences fall in love with it, Before Sunrise has remained a classic and inspired two sequels that have received similar acclaim. 

34. Princess Mononoke (1997)

Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki may be household names now, but that wasn't the case before Princess Mononoke. The film, which tells the story of a man caught between ambitious humans and the defensive spirits of a nearby forest, offers a thrilling adventure full of big ideas, big feelings, and stunning visuals. So it's no wonder that it garnered a lot of attention or that it remains one of the most celebrated anime films of all time to this day.

35. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Based on the novel of the same name by Anne Rice, Interview with the Vampire brings a centuries-long and very troubled queer romance to the screen without ever being explicit about the romance. The film's brilliant performances, including those from Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst, and the gorgeous production design have made it and its story feel as culturally crucial as anything Shakespeare wrote. 

36. Natural Born Killers (1994) 

A very different kind of iconic romance, Natural Born Killers delivers a hyper-stylized vision of two lovers on the run from the law who become national news sensations. Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis give phenomenal performances that make their murderers lovable in a twisted way that's had audiences coming back for decades. 

37. Ghost in the Shell (1995) 

Ghost in the Shell isn't just one of the most iconic animated films of the 1990s or the 20th century; it's one of the most iconic science fiction films ever. Based on the manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow, the film explores humanity's relationship to technology as the future brings the two closer and closer together. It's no wonder the movie boasts James Cameron and the Wachowskis as fans. 

38. Point Break (1991)

Kathryn Bigelow made history when she became the first woman to win the Academy Award for Best Director for The Hurt Locker in 2010, but that wasn't the first time she made cinema history. Almost a decade earlier, Bigelow's Point Break became an instant cult classic for bringing a significant dose of homoeroticism to a story about surfing bank robbers and the FBI agent who infiltrated their group. 

39. Thelma and Louise (1991) 

The 1990s loved their lovers on the run movies. While the eponymous Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) of Ridley Scott and Callie Khouri's Thelma and Louise may not explicitly be lovers, the same affection between them and “us against the world” mentality drives the film to greatness. To ensure the film's iconic status, it topped its thrilling story of women on the run from the law with one of the most memorable endings of all time. 

40. Fargo (1996) 

Two years before introducing the world to the Dude, the Coen brothers introduced us to another beloved character: Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand), the pregnant local cop who solves a decidedly silly series of crimes. Fargo's mix of comedy, noir, and downright sweetness from Marge makes it unlike anything else (yes, even the TV series inspired by the movie) and unforgettable. 

41. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

No one would have expected Stanley Kubrick's final film to become a Christmas classic. Yet here we are, more than two decades after Eyes Wide Shut hit theaters, and many film fans throw it on every year during the holidays. Based on the novella Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler, the movie follows a man who wanders New York after learning his wife has thought of cheating on him and discovers, among other things, a secret society. It's a strange movie that's still hotly debated by viewers today, but there's no denying its staying power. 

42. Boogie Nights (1997) 

Paul Thomas Anderson made a name for himself with Boogie Nights, a sprawling epic about the adult industry in the 1970s and '80s that dives deep into the lives of a variety of fascinating characters. The performances make the characters impossible to look away from even as their lives, often by their own choices, take dark turns. And Anderson's direction keeps things formally thrilling in a way that makes even the darkest moments brilliant cinema.   

43. But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)

But I'm a Cheerleader is a gay film made for gay audiences, which is precisely why it divided audiences upon release and exactly why it's a queer classic. The movie follows eponymous cheerleader Megan (Natasha Lyonne) as she's sent to a conversion therapy camp by her parents. But instead of being “cured” of her attraction to women there, she falls in love with fellow camper Graham (Clea DuVall). The film's premise belies its sweetness and silliness, which allows it to be both a biting satire of the cruelty and ridiculousness of conversion therapy and a hilarious and visually stunning romantic comedy. 

44. Misery (1990)

Stephen King adaptations dominated the 1980s horror movie market, but they showed no signs of slowing down in the 1990s. Misery, based on the book of the same name by King, sees a superfan kidnap her favorite author and exert control over him in increasingly violent and horrifying ways. It's a hard movie to watch, but it remains a classic for Kathy Bates' Oscar-winning performance. 

45. Batman Returns (1992)

Tim Burton's Batman brought a unique vision of Gotham to the screen in 1989, but Batman Returns has become the more iconic Batman movie over the years for good reason. Batman Returns offers iconic performances of anti-hero Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) and villain Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot (Danny DeVito) and doubles as a wonderfully bizarre Christmas movie. 

46. Basic Instinct (1992) 

The legs (un)crossing moment when Sharon Stone's possible murderer, Catherine Tramell, is being interrogated is unforgettable. But it's the game of cat and mouse between her and Michael Douglas's cop, Nick Curran, that makes Basic Instinct a quintessential thriller. 

47. Trainspotting (1996) 

Based on Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name, Trainspotting is the most fun movie about heroin addicts ever made. The punk energy of the film, courtesy of director Danny Boyle and a rollicking soundtrack, makes its first half feel like a deliriously fun party, but then the second half arrives. That the film's back half is profoundly affecting without causing tonal whiplash makes the movie an unforgettable masterpiece. The “choose life” monologue from the opening makes it iconic. 

48. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 

For nearly a decade after its release, quotes from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery were ubiquitous on schoolyards among tweens and teens who couldn't get enough of Mike Myers's James Bond parody. International Man of Mystery‘s two sequels undoubtedly helped its cultural longevity. But the first film stands on its own as a delightfully silly comedy.  

49. The Parent Trap (1998) 

The 1998 remake of The Parent Trap is so good that it entirely overshadows the 1961 film. Without Lohan, The Parent Trap (1998) is a sweet and funny comedy that would be fondly remembered today. But her dual performances as separated twins make the movie an enduring classic. 

50. Perfect Blue (1997)

Perfect Blue's combination of psychological horror and striking animation took time to be appreciated or at least discovered. But the film, which many believe was an inspiration for Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan, has since become one of the most celebrated and loved movies of the 1990s, not just by anime fans but by all cinephiles.