The Best ’90s Movies, Ranked

Unlike most of the 20th century, the 1990s saw low-budget and independent filmmakers gain significant momentum in the United States, opening up the art form to many fresh perspectives. This, as well as the advancements in computer-generated images, made the decade a fascinating period of growth.

Many of the greatest movies of the 1990s are now considered instant classics. Clueless remains as relevant as ever in pop culture, with its costume design in particular being instantly recognizable. Similarly, The Matrix, revolutionized the use of CGI and introduced science-fiction concepts that are regularly recycled by other films. Because of its groundbreaking nature, the 1990s are often considered a golden age of cinema, having produced some of the best movies in history.

The 1990s had many great teen movies and romantic comedies, but the most iconic and timeless movie within the teen rom-com subgenre in the 1990s is definitely Clueless. Starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash and the late Brittany Murphy, the Amy Heckerling movie is a loose adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma set in a Beverly Hills high school scenario.

The plot centers on Cher Horowitz, a popular high school student who loves fashion and is always trying to control her surroundings. From the misguided makeover Cher and Dionne give Tai to the slow-burning attraction between Cher and her ex-stepbrother Josh, Clueless is entertaining from start to finish. But perhaps its greatest contribution to pop culture in general is in fashion, with looks like the yellow plaid outfit still instantly recognizable today.

Clueless

Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.

Director

Amy Heckerling

Release Date

July 19, 1995

Studio

Paramount Pictures

Cast

Alicia Silverstone , Stacey Dash , Brittany Murphy

Writers

Amy Heckerling

Runtime

1 Hour 37 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

Producer

Robert Lawrence, Scott Rudin

Production Company

Paramount Pictures, Robert Lawrence Productions, Scott Rudin Productions

9 Scream Revitalized the Slasher Genre

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By the time Scream was released in 1996, director Wes Craven was already known for his talent for horror. He had previously written and directed movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Shocker and The People Under the Stairs. And although expectations were not high for Scream considering the horror genre’s decline in popularity in the late 80s and early 90s, Craven knew how to exceed them and subvert the genre’s tropes at the same time.

The most interesting aspect of Scream‘s plot is the meta-narrative that satirizes the clichés of the slasher genre, while still being a slasher movie itself. Additionally, Ghostface is one of the best horror costume designs ever — the simplicity of the Halloween costume perfectly fits the plot and forever popularized the mask.

Scream

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.

Release Date

December 20, 1996

Studio

Paramount Pictures

Cast

Neve Campbell , Courtney Cox , David Arquette , Skeet Ulrich , Drew Barrymore

Writers

Kevin Williamson

Runtime

111 minutes

8 Apollo 13 Stays Mostly Accurate to Real-World Events

The 1995 epic docudrama Apollo 13 is based on the 1994 non-fiction book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13. This book, written by astronaut Jim Lovell and journalist Jeffrey Kluger, details the failed 1970 lunar landing mission that Lovell commanded. Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton, Apollo 13 received critical acclaim and was a major box-office hit. It was nominated and won several important awards, being nominated for nine Academy Awards and winning for Best Film Editing and Best Sound.

After science fiction became one of the most popular film genres with hits like Back to the Future and space fantasies like Star Wars redefined the audience’s notion of space narratives, Apollo 13 was somehow unexpected and refreshing. The movie is not only based on true events but surprisingly accurate too — with a few dramatic liberties. It also impressed fans with its blend of CGI and miniature-model special effects, making it one of the most impressive cinematic spectacles of the 1990s.

Apollo 13

NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.

Director

Ron Howard

Release Date

June 30, 1995

Studio

Universal Pictures

Cast

Tom Hanks , Bill Paxton , Kevin Bacon , Gary Sinise , Ed Harris , Kathleen Quinlan , Mary Kate Schellhardt , Emily Ann Lloyd

Writers

Jim Lovell , Jeffrey Kluger , William Broyles Jr.

Runtime

140 Minutes

Main Genre

History

7 Edward Scissorhands Tells The Story Of Cinema’s Quirkiest Romance

Edward Scissorhands remains one of the most unique and endearing movies of all time. The Tim Burton masterpiece starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest tells the story of an artificial humanoid whose creator died before he could finish giving his creation hands. When an Avon saleswoman goes to the castle on the hill in her small town to try and sell products, she finds the lonely Edward abandoned there and takes him home with her.

The inspiration behind the movie came from a drawing Tim Burton made when he was still a teenager. Feeling isolated and unable to relate to people around him, Burton drew a thin man with long blades for fingers. Recycling elements from classic stories like Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast, this movie is a heart-warming romance behind all the quirkiness.

Edward Scissorhands

The solitary life of an artificial man – who was incompletely constructed and has scissors for hands – is upended when he is taken in by a suburban family.

Director

Tim Burton

Release Date

December 14, 1990

Cast

Johnny Depp , Winona Ryder , Dianne Wiest , Anthony Michael Hall

Writers

Caroline Thompson

Runtime

105 minutes

6 Reservoir Dogs Is One of Tarantino’s Best Movies

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It may be controversial to say Quentin Tarantino’s debut feature Reservoir Dogs is better than the two other movies he made in the 1990s (Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown), but it’s definitely just as good. The lengthy dialogue in Reservoir Dogs is impeccable in its timing and delivery, with stars like Tim Roth, Steve Buschemi and Harvey Keitel in fantastic performances. Additionally, it explores a very original and entertaining premise of vulnerability within a gang of eight gangsters who go by aliases.

From the rants of the opening scene where the gangsters talk over breakfast at a diner to the consequences of a diamond heist gone wrong, Reservoir Dogs is full of plot twists, tension and well-landed jokes. Its use of a non-linear structure also makes the movie an interesting watch. It’s considered a milestone in independent filmmaking for its success and influence in a time when indie films were not so common and well-received as they are today.

Pulp Fiction

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Release Date

September 10, 1994

Cast

John Travolta , Uma Thurman , Samuel L. Jackson

Runtime

2 hours 34 minutes

Studio

Miramax Films

Production Company

Miramax, A Band Apart, Jersey Films

5 Bram Stoker’s Dracula Retells a Well-Known Story

Director Francis Ford Coppola made one of the best vampire movies of all time by retelling the most well-known vampire story ever. Being the most accurate adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel thus far, the title of the movie embraced that aspect. However, Coppola took some dramatic liberties that made the movie the masterpiece it is. For instance, the love triangle between Count Dracula, Mina and Jonathan is a movie-only machination.

Coppola took a risk that paid off when he decided to revisit a character so cemented in pop culture as a campy villain and turned him into a romantic antihero. The movie was able to take what was already a compelling story and make it even more interesting by adding layers of drama that made complete sense despite not being taken from the source material. With fantastic writing, cinematography and costume design, it feels like the movie didn’t even need a star-studded cast to stand out. Still, the main cast is also a reason why this is one of the best movies of the 1990s — Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder all gave amazing performances.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

The centuries old vampire Count Dracula comes to England to seduce his barrister Jonathan Harker’s fiancée Mina Murray and inflict havoc in the foreign land.

Director

Francis Ford Coppola

Release Date

November 18, 1992

Cast

Gary Oldman , Winona Ryder , Anthony Hopkins , Keanu Reeves , Richard E. Grant , Tom Waits

Writers

James V. Hart

Runtime

128 minutes

Studio

Columbia Pictures

4 The Matrix Is the Best Sci-Fi of the 1990s

The Matrix perfectly encapsulates the late 1990s’ pre-millennium tension and paranoia over technology. Directed by Lana and Lilly Wachowski and starring Keanu Reeves as Neo — one of the most iconic action heroes of all time — it depicts a dystopian future where humans are trapped in a simulation created by machines. The cyberpunk hallmark movie introduced concepts that still influence film and culture today.

From the groundbreaking use of CGI in the “bullet time” scene to choosing the red or the blue pill, The Matrix‘s legacy is one of the most impressive of the decade. John Gaeta’s visual effects are not the only technical highlight of the movie; the action choreography by Yuen Woo-ping and the sound effects by Dane A. Davis are also incredible. The Matrix also has an original and well-written script, with layers of meaning and perfectly-timed twists. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie Anne-Moss give great performances as well.

The Matrix

When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth–the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

Director

Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski

Release Date

March 31, 1999

Cast

Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , Gloria Foster , Joe Pantoliano

Writers

Lilly Wachowski , Lana Wachowski

Runtime

2 hours 16 minutes

Main Genre

Action

Production Company

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures, Groucho Film Partnership, Silver Pictures, 3 Arts Entertainment

3 Goodfellas Is an Editing Masterpiece

Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mob drama Goodfellas with Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci is one of the best in the genre. The biographical crime movie is based on the 1985 nonfiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who also wrote the script for Goodfellas. It depicts how the mafia ends up influencing every facet of a gangster’s life, and it’s considered one of the best portrayals of the lifestyle.

Among the many qualities the movie has, perhaps the most impressive is its editing by Thelma Schoonmaker. With no cut out of place and a noticeable change of rhythm as the story develops, Goodfellas is an editing masterpiece. But Ray Liotta’s voice-over and Michael Ballhaus’s cinematography also deserve to be mentioned as one of its best-executed aspects.

Goodfellas

The story of Henry Hill and his life in the mafia, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito.

Release Date

September 21, 1990

Cast

Robert De Niro , Ray Liotta , Joe Pesci , Lorraine Bracco

Runtime

145 minutes

Production Company

Warner Bros.

2 Titanic Is the Best Romance Drama of the 1990s

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Titanic is an epic dramatization of the real events of the Titanic disaster, centering around two lovers who come from different social classes that meet on the ship. Director James Cameron wanted to use love and human loss in the story to convey the tragedy of such a shipwreck. And his vision came to life beautifully with amazing performances by Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as the iconic couple, Rose and Jack.

Praised for its visual effects, Titanic used a combination of model ships and digital images to create the mesmerizing sinking scene. Another unforgettable aspect is the soundtrack, with Céline Dion’s My Heart Will Go On being instantly recognizable as Titanic‘s theme. With a multitude of scenes that are engraved in the audiences’ memories — such as Rose raising her arms while Jack is holding her on the ship’s nose at sunset or Jack freezing in the water to give Rose the space on top of a door that would sink with both of their weights — it’s an easy choice as one of the most impactful movies of all time.

Titanic

A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

Director

James Cameron

Release Date

December 19, 1997

Runtime

195 minutes

Studio

Paramount Pictures

Production Company

Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Lightstorm Entertainment

1 Eyes Wide Shut Is Stanley Kubrick’s Last Film

Stanley Kubrick’s last film is the best movie of the 1990s. Eyes Wide Shut is a directorial masterpiece, with an unparalleled atmosphere of tension and mystery. The film is filled with striking imagery, from the opulent party scenes to the haunting streets of nighttime New York City — every frame is meticulously composed.

The movie delves into themes of marriage, fidelity, jealousy, and sexual desire, exploring the darker aspects of human relationships and the hidden desires that often lurk beneath the surface. The real-life marriage between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman added an extra layer of authenticity to their portrayal of the troubled couple, Bill and Alice. Their chemistry on screen is palpable and both gave powerful performances.

Eyes Wide Shut

A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife’s admission of unfulfilled longing.

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Release Date

July 16, 1999

Cast

Tom Cruise , Nicole Kidman , Todd Field

Writers

Stanley Kubrick , Frederic Raphael , Arthur Schnitzler

Runtime

2 Hours 39 Minutes

Production Company

Warner Bros, Stanley Kubrick Productions, Hobby Films, Pole Star