If the ’80s were the decade of excess, then the ’90s were the decade of excessively contemplating the excess. The whole decade was mired in a mix of nostalgia and navel-gazing. There seemed to be a contest about who could find the least meaning in all of it. Of course, that’s just the shell story. The deeper you look into the decade’s trends, the weirder it gets. Delve into the most self-effacing ’90s movies to watch and you’ll see that struggle for meaning first-hand. As a decade overview, this list doesn’t concern itself with a specific genre or criteria such as box office gross. It does look at some long-reaching cultural metaphors and influences. So, set your mind to mild interest concealed behind a veil of mild interest and enjoy.
1 Terminator 2
A killing machine from the future is sent to kill a boy, again, but in an excellent plot twist, another one is sent to protect the boy. Cue the infinitely quotable lines and plenty of explosions. Before the franchise fell apart because time travel is messy, this film demonstrated everything a sequel should be. It heightened the original premise, added some twists, and lodged itself firmly in the national zeitgeist. It also understood computer technology in a film about as well as it’s currently presented, so there’s that.
2 Clerks
A guy goes to work when he doesn’t want to and manages to destroy lives and property before admitting he’s just the worst. Kevin Smith‘s debut film made some good points about contract work on the Death Star and introduced the world to what the 2000s would look like. He didn’t give birth to the sea of memes, but he did act as a buoy for all things pop-culture dialog and self-referential.
3 Jurassic Park
Someone has the bright idea to put humans and dinosaurs together and is surprised when lots of people get eaten. A film that was also a harbinger, declared a work of amazing CGI it looks sorta here and there now. It also contains barely thirteen minutes of animation but the animation is most of what anyone remembers. That and sexy, half-shirtless Jeff Goldblum. Collectively, we all thank Jurassic Park for that gift.
4 Toy Story
A cowboy learns to accept the space age after surviving a nightmare hellscape of twisted bodies. Also, Randy Newman becomes a thing for a whole generation. Toy Story showed that 3d animation existed, it worked, and it would dominate. The story itself is equal parts funny, touching, and mildly terrifying which also would be a snapshot of reality up to the present. If you love the cultural empire that is Disney, you can see its seeds blossoming here.
5 The Matrix
Keanu Reeves becomes the one chosen to save humanity from some robots with a low understanding of how batteries work. This film from the last bit of the decade tried harder than some other films (cough, Hackers) to understand the power of computers. It also made many non-philosophy students question reality for the first time. If you have a kid that wants to know how to play Fortnite on Mac and you have the first inkling of how to help them, you can thank this movie for conceptualizing the digital age.
6 Pulp Fiction
A series of crimes occur out of order for some reason and John Travolta ends up with a second-wind for his career. Between Kevin Smith, Quentin Tarantino, and Joss Whedon, it’s surprising every single thing a Millennial says isn’t a catchphrase. Pulp Fiction was peak ’70s nostalgia wrapped in the sensibilities of the ’90s. It manages to hold the attention of jaded people and deliver some interesting philosophy along the way.
7 Princess Mononoke
Nature and technology duke it out when a young prince gets ‘cursed’ with super strength after killing a god. Hayao Miyazaki‘s Studio Ghibli had delivered several features to the US by this time, but none impressed like this. The all-star cast and localization from rockstar writer Neil Gaiman helped. Anime on the big screen is still limited but the invasion of such stories owes a lot to this seminal work.
8 Boyz N the Hood
A gritty tale of how violence begets violence and the way that education often serves as an escape from that cycle. Boyz N the Hood did a lot to show how areas like Compton, inner city locations filled with gang violence, are both born and escaped. The film put a spotlight on the reality of the troubles affecting these communities and did important work to dispel myths about gang mentality. While somber in tone, it presented a message of hope in a time when riots were breaking out over racial violence.
9 The Big Lebowski
The Dude (Jeff Bridges) wants his rug replaced and to go bowling, but he ends up in the middle of a dozen things he didn’t ask for. Not the most important of the Coen Brothers films, but easily the most entertaining. Between its cavalier attitude towards language and likable protagonist, it has spawned culturally impactful puff pieces aplenty. The film paints an interesting picture of the intersection of people’s lives and how even simple desires can lead to tough and confusing choices.
10 Titanic
People board a metaphor for hubris which later sinks and it’s also apparently a love story. Love it or hate it, this movie catapulted a lot of careers, made a lot of money, and won a bunch of awards. The threadbare love story has lead to some interesting commentary on the buoyancy of doors. Still, it’s nice to see Leonardo DiCaprio in the last of his baby-face phase before he went on to be a bear-killing liver eater.
Live Your Moment! It’s all well and good to revisit a decade to gawk at the things that once passed as up and coming and cool. Perhaps you’ve been inspired by this list of ’90s movies to watch some of your own favorites. Good, bad, or somewhere in between, movies create memorable moments. Come back here often to find more nostalgia and emerging trends.