There’s no doubt that the 1990s were a great time for cinema. There was a range of great movies spread out across multiple genres, and it was also a time when blockbusters seemed to thrive alongside indie films that were surprisingly popular.Regardless of a person’s taste in movies, it was a 10-year period in cinema history where it truly felt like there was something for everyone.
Few individual years within the 1990s can compete with 1994, however, when it comes to great titles released. There were so many iconic movies that it’s hard to capture them all within one brief ranking, and there are a host of honorable mentions that sadly couldn’t make the cut, includingThe Legend of Drunken Master,Once Were Warriors, andLeon: The Professional. 1994 was just a little too great for its own good, with the following representing the best of what the year had to offer.
12’Forrest Gump'
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
1994 was a year when the Oscar winner for Best Picture, while very good, wasn’t even close to being the very best of the year. That film isForrest Gump, a beloved classic that’s one of the decade’s most popular, being a dramedy that spans many years,telling the surprisingly eventful story of its title character while exploring his simple but charming outlook on life.
Forrest Gumphas been remade before, and also quoted/referenced to death through pop culture, with it being one of those rare movies that seemingly everyone has heard of. Without a doubt,Forrest Gumpis unapologetic about having mass appeal and being sentimental, but it all works well, and is a technically impressive and entertaining movie, with a great lead performance byTom Hanksat its center.
Forrest Gump
11’Three Colors: Red'
Directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
When it comes toarthouse cinema in the 1990s, few films are quite as acclaimed and well-known as theThree Colorstrilogy, all directed byKrzysztof Kieślowskiand released between 1993 and 1994. The first in the trilogy,Blue, is a downbeat and haunting exploration of grief, the second,White, is a bit lighter and more farcical, and then the third film, 1994’sRed, represents the trilogy at its most enigmatic.
The narrative ofThree Colors: Redis relatively loose, following a young woman who strikes up an unusual bond with a retired judge who’s as reclusive as he is mysterious a neighbor.Like all theThree Colorsfilms,Redis bold and distinctive visually, naturally using the titular color prominently throughoutwhile telling a unique story that sticks with one more than might be expected once it’s over.
Watch on Criterion
10’Eat Drink Man Woman'
Directed by Ang Lee
So long as you don’t watch it on an empty stomach,Eat Drink Man Womanis a difficult-to-dislike film, perhaps even being one ofthe greatest romantic movies of all time. It sees the ever-versatileAng Leehelming a relatable, heartfelt, funny, and bittersweet narrative, mostly centered on a father and his three daughters, all of whom are experiencing difficulties in life, particularly when it comes to relationships.
Eat Drink Man Womanis a perfect slice-of-life kind of movie, just being about the ups and downs of life in a way that’s surprisingly captivating. But for real, there is so much food featured in this movie, and it all looks dangerously tasty.As such, anyone who watches it while hungry will come away from it inevitably starving… so make sure to tackle watching it with a bucket of popcorn or three on hand.
Watch on Roku
Directed by Jan de Bont
Of all the action movies that came out in a post-Die Hardworld that feel influenced by the 1988 classic,Speedis one of the best. It’s largely contained to a single bus that’s been rigged to explode by a terrorist if the vehicle’s speed drops below 50 miles per hour.
It’s the kind of great premise that instantly establishes tension and a consistent feeling of suspense throughout much of the movie’s duration. It’s also helped by some solid filmmaking behind the camera, and memorable performances in front of it by a talented cast, includingKeanu Reeves,Sandra Bullock, and (especially)Dennis Hopperas the villain.Importantly,Speedalso demonstrated Reeves' capacity to work as an action star, predatingthe action-packed beginning of theMatrixseriesby a few years.
8’Ed Wood'
Directed by Tim Burton
Anyone who enjoyedThe Disaster Artist’s take on depicting a legendarily bad film’s production owes it to themselves to watchEd Wood. It’s arguably even better and more original, and while it’s a fairly funny look at the tumultuous and unlucky career ofEdward D. Wood Jr., it’s also got some real heart to it, and surprisingly effective dramatic moments to boot.While it might not be the most accurate of biographical movies, it is nonetheless a great biopic, and one with genuine style and heart to it, which is always welcome.
Ed Woodisn’t nearly one ofTim Burton’s best-known movies, but absolutely deserves to be. It’s an essential movie about making movies, and by representing the best that sub-genre has to offer, it’s more than worthy of standing among the greatest films released in 1994.
7’The Crow'
Directed by Alex Proyas
The Crowstarts in a dramatic fashion, given itsprotagonist and his love interest are killed immediately. The story then has its central character, Eric Draven, rise from the dead with the explicit purpose of getting revenge on those who had him and the love of his life killed, enacting vengeance as a furious and unstoppable ghost of sorts.
It’s a story that wouldn’t work if the tone wasn’t perfect, butThe Crownails the gothic, comic book vibes it needs to create a stylish and powerful revenge film. It’s all heightened and bombastic, but not ever to the point where it feels silly, or like you can’t get somewhat invested in the story and its characters. It certainly feels like a product of the 1990s, but in the best way possible, and might well be the best comic book movie of its decade.
Directed by Kevin Smith
A movie about two friends arguing about things while also being bored at work might not sound like it would be fun to watch, butClerkssomehow makes it work. It wasKevin Smith’s debut feature film, and still stands as his best work, withits low-budget charm, weird characters, and hilarious - not to mention ridiculously profane - dialogueshaping it into something truly special.
It’s also a movie that’s potentially inspirational for others out there who dream of a career in filmmaking, seeing asClerkswas made with a minuscule budgetand filmed in the convenience store Smith himself used to work at. It takes limitations and turns them into strengths, with Smith writing about what he knew, filming in one of the few places he could afford at the time, and producing something great as a result.
5’Chungking Express'
Directed by Wong Kar-wai
There are technically two different narratives to be found inChungking Express, with the film abruptly switching to the second at the halfway point, and not really returning to the first.Both halves feel visually and thematically consistent, though, given the movie as a whole focuses on lonely characters pining for each other and being unlucky in love, though still holding onto the hope they’ll find it.
But it’s the style and overall mood ofChungking Expressthat makes it great, and that feeling it creates - and the characters it follows - leave more of an impact than the plot could anyway.Wong Kar-wai’s distinct filmographycertainly isn’t lacking when it comes to great movies, but there’s a good argument to be made thatChungking Expressis his greatest.
Watch on Max
4’Hoop Dreams'
Directed by Steve James
Hoop Dreamsis a fantastic documentary that stands as one of the best of not just 1994, but the decade as a whole. It follows two teenagers over several years, with both being skilled basketball players who dream of one day being sports stars who play in the NBA.
There’s no shortage ofgood sports-related documentariesof course, but few are as compelling or ambitious asHoop Dreams. An interest in basketball isn’t needed to enjoy or appreciate it, either, as it really just uses the sport - and its participants - to explore a wide range of subjects and themes throughout its massive - but well-earned - 174-minute runtime. Essentially,if you judgeHoop Dreamsas a documentary, it’s one of the all-time best, and, when judged as a sports movie, it’s similarly genre-defining.
Hoop Dreams
3’The Lion King'
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Few animated movies are as celebrated and emotional asThe Lion Kingis. It’s an iconic family film that isn’t just for kids, taking a story that’s a little likeHamlet(an evil uncle betrays his brother, leading to a son trying to make things right again), but making it about lions, adding music numbers, and ensuring it’s family-friendly.
There’s not much that can be said aboutThe Lion Kingthat hasn’t already been said a million times by a million different people. It’s well-paced, vibrantly colored, packed with memorable characters and dialogue, balances comedy and drama perfectly, tells a timeless coming-of-age narrative, and has iconic songs (and a great score). It’s everything you could want out of an animated movie and also so much more.
