The 1990s happened relatively recently, so many people remember the decade well. At the same time, it’s already distant enough for some movies from this time period to be considered classics. The 1990s saw the release of multiple highly successful movies that continue to captivate the audience to this day.
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As a result, a lot of great movies didn’t win an Academy Award even though they would have deserved it. Those viewers who are interested in watching some of the best movies from the 1990s should pay attention to the winners of the best picture at theOscarsbecause all of them have a lot to offer.
10Shakespeare In Love (1998): 7.1
Some people don’t agree with this movie’s victory and believe that the Oscar for the best picture should have gone to Steven Spielberg’sSaving Private Ryaninstead. Whatever the case, it’s difficult to overlook thatShakespeare in Loveis visually beautiful, funny, touching at times, and has an excellent cast full of famous (not only British) actors such as Joseph Fiennes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, and more.
The movie isn’t very historically accurateas it takes some creative liberties with Shakespeare’s life (or what’s known about it) but the doomed romance between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps will interest all fans of the romantic genre.
9The English Patient (1996): 7.4
War romances are still a popular genre and have been for quite some time as this movie proves. Ralph Fiennes shines in the leading role as a man badly burned during the war who’s telling the nurse who takes care of him the story of his great love affair that happened in the past.
The movie lasts over two and a half hours but everybody who likes this genre will no doubt enjoy it since the story is surprising, the actors are excellent, andThe English Patientis more realistic than other romances in showing that not every love story can have a happy ending.
8Titanic (1997): 7.9
A lot of people love it, some hate it, but whatever the case, there’s no denying thatTitanicis one of the most successful movies of all time, having won the record-breaking eleven Oscars and with a box office gross of over a million dollars. The story is well-known to most movie fans - the rich Rose (Kate Winslet) falls for the poor artist Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and they grow closer, but a catastrophe is looming on the horizon for the ship Titanic.
Inspired by real events, albeit with an added romance on top, the movie portrays the last hours of the ship, which makes it easy to sympathize with the passengers who passed away during the sinking. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio both became superstars thanks to their roles in the movie, and to this day, people are easily able to quote lines from it.
7Dances With Wolves (1990): 8.1
Even though it’s over 30 years old,Dances with Wolvesworks today just as well since it offers a story about tolerance and a lack of it. Kevin Costner directed the movie and also starred in it, making it one of the most successful movies of his career.
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Dances with Wolvesfocus on Costner’s Lieutenant John Dunbar who befriends people who should, by all rules, be his enemies, and that makes him an outcast. The movie is intelligent and visually beautiful, and it’s one of the few modern westerns that got a large recognition both from the critics and the audience.
6Unforgiven (1992): 8.2
AfterClint Eastwood starred in many westernsin the 1960s and later on, he returned to this genre when he directed and starred inUnforgiven. As the movie’s title suggests, it doesn’t spare its heroes since the Wild West is an unforgiving place.
Because the audience doesn’t know what will happen next, whether the characters will live or die and the danger feels reals, it’s easy for the movie to hook the viewers in until the very end. Eastwood is once again excellent in the movie butUnforgivenhas a strong cast overall as it stars names such as Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, or Richard Harris, to name just a few.
5American Beauty (1999): 8.4
InAmerican Beauty, the director Sam Mendes (who’s British), cleverly deconstructs the so-called American dreams, portrays a midlife crisis, and shows that sometimes following someone’s dreams and wishes can turn against them. As a result,American Beautyis both intelligent and funny at times, but also cynical.
All the actors in the leading, as well as supporting roles, give excellent performances, and the strength of the movie isn’t in the slightest diminished by the fact that the viewers know right from the start what will happen to the main character Lester Burnham.
4Braveheart (1994): 8.4
Just like some of the best movies,Braveheartis also inspired by real events even though it takes some creative liberties with history. Mel Gibson took on the uneasy task of directing the movie and portraying the main character, William Wallace, who fights against the English king.
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It’s easy to cheer on Wallace and the movie is full of action, it has a beautiful soundtrack and never becomes boring even though it lasts almost three hours, making it easy to understand whyBraveheartwon five Oscars in total.
3The Silence Of The Lambs (1991): 8.6
The Silence of theLambsis one of the few movies that managed to win Oscars in all five main categories. What makes this even more impressive is that horror movies don’t often win Oscars, or at least not so many.The Silence of the Lambsis, of course, mixed with a crime story, as the young FBI cadet Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is investigating a serious crime and cooperates withthe intelligent but dangerous doctor Hannibal Lecter(Anthony Hopkins).
Hopkins created one of the best movie villains of all time in the movie, and that’s despite the fact that he only appears on the screen for about 16 minutes. The movie spawned several sequels but to this day, the original remains the best-rated of them all.
2Forrest Gump (1994): 8.8
The 1990s spawned a lot of movies that are now classics, butForrest Gumpis one of the most beloved ones.Tom Hanks stars in the titular roleas the seemingly clueless but loving Forrest who runs his way throughout the 20th century, meets many famous figures, and in the end, builds a family for himself.
The movie is touching, funny at times, and has the power to make the audience think. Even though Hanks never reprised the role (which is most likely for the best), the memory of him as Forrest Gump is still strong despite the fact that the movie premiered almost 30 years ago.
1Schindler’s List (1993): 9.0
Steven Spielberg directed many moviesthat became huge hits but with seven Oscars and its high rating,Schindler’s Listis one of his most successful movies. It’s inspired by real events even though it changes some details. It fully captures the terrors of World War Two but also the hope and strength with which some people, including Liam Neeson’s Oskar Schindler, fought against the regime.
Neeson gives an unforgettable performance in the leading role, but a lot of attention also falls onRalph Fiennes playing the main antagonist, Amon Goeth. Last but not least,Schindler’s Listis visually beautiful and what separates it from most movies from the 1990s is its black-and-white picture.
