Entertainment
The Best Movies Of The 1990s
List Rules
Films released between 1990 and 1999.
Classic and famous movies from the 1990s have one thing in common, they are all really good '90s movies. The Shawshank Redemption, Saving Private Ryan, and Forrest Gump are sure to be near the top, because the best '90s movies have remained memorable and rewatchable to this day. There are also cult hits on this list that performed poorly at the box office but have gone on to gain audiences on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. But which one of these '90s movies should be at the top of the list? You get to help decide by voting up your favorites.
Several of Hollywood's most profitable franchises got started in the 1990s. The Matrix and Scream are great examples of films that sci-fi and horror fans can watch over and over again. Find out where they rank on this list of the best '90s movies. Feel free to share this top '90s movie list with your friends to see what movies they vote for and check back or rerank the list yourself.
Ranked by
- 1Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Frank Darabont
Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover and is sentenced to a tough prison. However, only Andy knows he didn't ...more - 2Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
In Steven Spielberg's massive blockbuster, paleontologists Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are among a select group chosen to tour ...more - 3Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci
- Released: 1990
- Directed by: Martin Scorsese
A young man grows up in the mob and works very hard to advance himself through the ranks. He enjoys his life of money and luxury, but is oblivious to the horror that he causes. A drug addiction and a ...more - 4
Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
This Disney animated feature follows the adventures of the young lion Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas), the heir of his father, Mufasa (James Earl Jones). Simba's wicked uncle, Scar (Jeremy Irons), ...more - 5Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn
- Released: 1991
- Directed by: Jonathan Demme
Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant ...more - 6Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles
- Released: 1995
- Directed by: John Lasseter
Woody (Tom Hanks), a good-hearted cowboy doll who belongs to a young boy named Andy (John Morris), sees his position as Andy's favorite toy jeopardized when his parents buy him a Buzz Lightyear (Tim ...more - 7Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
- Released: 1998
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded by the brutal realties of war, while searching ...more - 8Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Slow-witted Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) has never thought of himself as disadvantaged, and thanks to his supportive mother (Sally Field), he leads anything but a restricted life. Whether dominating on ...more - 9Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong
- Released: 1991
- Directed by: James Cameron
In this sequel set eleven years after "The Terminator," young John Connor (Edward Furlong), the key to civilization's victory over a future robot uprising, is the target of the shape-shifting T-1000 ...more - 10John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
- Released: 1994
- Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson) are hitmen with a penchant for philosophical discussions. In this ultra-hip, multi-strand crime movie, their storyline is ...more - 11Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
- Released: 1990
- Directed by: Chris Columbus
When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O'Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters ...more - 12Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Neo (Keanu Reeves) believes that Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne), an elusive figure considered to be the most dangerous man alive, can answer his question -- What is the Matrix? Neo is contacted by ...more - 13Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow
- Released: 1995
- Directed by: David Fincher
When retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly ...more - 14Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
- Released: 1995
- Directed by: Mel Gibson
Tells the story of the legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero named William Wallace (Mel Gibson). Wallace rallies the Scottish against the English monarch and Edward I (Peter Hanly) after he ...more - 15Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) arrives in Krakow in 1939, ready to make his fortune from World War II, which has just started. After joining the Nazi party primarily for political ...more - 16Brad Pitt, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham Carter
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: David Fincher
A depressed man (Edward Norton) suffering from insomnia meets a strange soap salesman named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) and soon finds himself living in his squalid house after his perfect apartment is ...more - 17Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too ...more - 18Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Harold Ramis
Phil (Bill Murray), a weatherman, is out to cover the annual emergence of the groundhog from its hole. He gets caught in a blizzard that he didn't predict and finds himself trapped in a time warp. He ...more - 19Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Andrew Davis
Wrongfully accused of murdering his wife, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find her killer and clear his name. Pursuing him is a team of U.S. marshals led by ...more - 20Tom Hanks, David Morse, Michael Clarke Duncan
- Released: 1999
- Directed by: Frank Darabont
Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) walked the mile with a variety of cons. He had never encountered someone like John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a massive black man convicted of brutally killing a pair ...more - 21Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin
- Released: 1992
- Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
When street rat Aladdin frees a genie from a lamp, he finds his wishes granted. However, he soon finds that the evil has other plans for the lamp -- and for Princess Jasmine. But can Aladdin save ...more - 22Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
- Released: 1996
- Directed by: Roland Emmerich
In the epic adventure film "Independence Day," strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world's major cities. As these extraordinary events unfold, it ...more - 23Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Will Hunting (Matt Damon) has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau ...more - 24Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan
- Released: 1993
- Directed by: Chris Columbus
Troubled that he has little access to his children, divorced Daniel Hillard (Robin Williams) hatches an elaborate plan. With help from his creative brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), he dresses as an ...more - 25Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino
- Released: 1997
- Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
They are the best-kept secret in the universe. Working for a highly funded yet unofficial government agency, Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) and Jay (Will Smith) are the Men in Black, providers of immigration ...more
