The 1990s played host to the debuts of some of the greatest movies of all time. Propelling their stars and directors into the mainstream stratosphere or serving to further highlight the talents of Hollywood’s best filmmakers, many of the best films of that decade have attained such a degree of critical acclaim that they are now considered movie masterpieces and have aged incredibly well.
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From near-perfect gangster movies to must-see anime films with original stories, the 1990s boast some of the most impressive pictures ever conceived. Speaking volumes to the inimitable quality of cinema on offer, many of these films have consistently maintained the same rave reviews across a period of more than thirty years, underlining their credentials as timeless classics in sharp relief.
You are watching: 10 Movies From The 1990s That Are Considered Masterpieces
10
Forrest Gump (1994)
Directed By Robert Zemeckis
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Forrest Gump
PG-13
Romance
Drama
7/10
36
8.6/10
Release Date
July 6, 1994
Runtime
142 minutes
Cast
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-
Mykelti Williamson
-
Gary Sinise
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Despite some of the harsh realities associated with a rewatch of Forrest Gump in 2025, it’s hard to deny Robert Zemeckis’ acclaimed outing’s status as a cinematic masterpiece. One of the most beloved and influential feel-good movies ever made, the 1994 outing won six out of the twelve Academy Awards it received nominations for, including the prestigious accolades of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for leading man, Tom Hanks.
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Effortlessly balancing laugh-out-loud comedy with devastating drama, Forrest Gump arguably remains Zemeckis’ magnum opus to this day. Turning in one of his finest bows, Hanks’ exemplary leading performance carries the movie, a status quo aided by magnificent supporting turns from Gary Sinise and Robin Wright. A deeply human and moving story that appeals to audiences from all walks of life, Gump’s uplifting Odyssey through U.S. history has more than earned its status as a masterpiece.
9
Princess Mononoke (1997)
Directed By Hayao Miyazaki
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Princess Mononoke
PG-13
Animated
Epic
Historical
Fantasy
9.8/10
Release Date
July 12, 1997
Runtime
133 Minutes
Cast
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-
Yôji Matsuda
-
Yuriko Ishida
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The creative mind behind iconic animated fantasy classics such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki’s status as one of the most influential filmmakers of all time was confirmed by the masterpiece that was 1997’s Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki’s film follows Ashitaka, a young Japanese prince who embarks on a quest to remove a curse placed upon him by a demon.
A spectacular medley of gorgeous hand-drawn animation and various digital techniques, Princess Mononoke’s gorgeous and ethereal visuals never fail to dazzle audiences of all generations. However, to relegate the film to the status of a mere visual spectacle would be an outrage for one of the best Studio Ghibli productions ever made. The movie leverages a considerable emotional pull through its epic storytelling and nuanced characters, while Joe Hisaishi’s hauntingly beautiful score never fails to elicit goosebumps.
8
The Lion King (1994)
Directed By Roger Allers And Rob Minkoff
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The Lion King
G
Animation
Drama
Adventure
27
9.1/10
Release Date
June 24, 1994
Runtime
88 Minutes
Cast
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-
Matthew Broderick
-
Moira Kelly
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Despite spawning a wildly successful, multi-film franchise, 1994’s The Lion King remains the best movie in the series to date. Widely viewed as a top contender for the greatest animated picture ever made, the movie’s arresting visuals have aged like a fine wine, painting a stunning picture of Africa’s natural landscapes that has stood the test of time.
|
The Lion King Franchise |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
|---|---|
|
The Lion King (1994) |
92% |
|
The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998) |
67% |
|
The Lion King 1 1/2 (2004) |
76% |
|
The Lion King (2019) |
51% |
|
Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) |
56% |
Complementing the coming-of-age film’s emotional depth and timeless narrative, The Lion King’s iconic soundtrack features some of the most beloved movie musical numbers of all time, with classics like “Hakuna Matata” and “Circle of Life” going to form an integral part of popular culture. Throw in the consensus greatest Disney villain of all time in Jeremy Irons’ flawlessly voiced Scar, and it is little wonder that Roger Allen and Rob Minkoff’s offering has garnered masterpiece status.
7
Schindler’s List (1993)
Directed By Steven Spielberg
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Schindler’s List
R
Drama
History
War
8/10
16
9.9/10
Release Date
December 15, 1993
Runtime
195 Minutes
Cast
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-
Liam Neeson
-
Ben Kingsley
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A dramatization of the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who played an integral role in getting more than a thousand Jewish refugees to safety at the height of WWII, Schindler’s List is a frontrunner for Steven Spielberg’s best movie; a truly impressive achievement when one considers the director’s filmography includes the seminal likes of Jaws, Jurassic Park, and the Indiana Jones franchise.
Schindler’s List is the highest-rated war movie of all time on IMDb, boasting a rating of 9.0.
Capturing the abject horror of the Holocaust with unflinching clarity while simultaneously leveraging the director’s trademark emotional heft, Schindler’s List is regarded by many critics as one of the finest films in the history of cinema. A devastating, yet tender, tribute to the countless lives lost in this appalling period of history, Schindler’s List is one of cinema’s most celebrated directors at his inimitable best.
6
Fight Club (1999)
Directed By David Fincher
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Fight Club
R
Drama
9/10
46
8.8/10
Release Date
October 15, 1999
Runtime
139 minutes
Cast
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-
Brad Pitt
-
Meat Loaf
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1999’s Fight Club remains cinema’s quintessential cult classic offering, more than a quarter of a century after it debuted. A nihilistic triumph that continues to invite philosophical introspection to this day, this genre-defying tour de force following the titular group is David Fincher at his masterful best, boasting countless iconic scenes and instantly quotable one-liners that have formed an integral thread of modern popular culture’s tapestry.
Effortlessly transitioning between a slow burn and an electrifying pace, Fight Club crackles with an intensity unlike any other movie to date.
Spearheading Fincher’s controversial deep dive into the weighty themes of identity, conformity, and mental health, the ferociously talented leading trio of Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, and Helena Bonham Carter are at the top of their respective games. Effortlessly transitioning between a slow burn and an electrifying pace, while never failing to provide a cutting social critique of modern society, Fight Club crackles with an intensity unlike any other movie to date.
5
The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
Directed By Jonathan Demme
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The Silence of the Lambs
R
Crime
Drama
Thriller
9/10
15
9.5/10
Release Date
February 14, 1991
Runtime
118 Minutes
Cast
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-
Jodie Foster
Clarice Sterling
-
Anthony Hopkins
Dr. Hannibal Lecter
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While there have been many cinematic adaptations of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter novel series over the years, none have come close to matching the accolades and storied reputation of 1991’s sleeper hit, The Silence of the Lambs. Chronicling the hunt for the serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill,” Jonathan Demme’s iconic offering sees Jodie Foster’s FBI trainee Clarice Starling call upon the assistance of Anthony Hopkins’ incarcerated Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist and serial killer.
|
Hannibal Lecter Movie Adaptations |
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|---|---|
|
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) |
95% |
|
Hannibal (2001) |
39% |
|
Red Dragon (2002) |
69% |
|
Hannibal Rising (2007) |
16% |
Introducing popular culture’s most famous cannibal to a global audience, Anthony Hopkins produces one of the most memorable performances in cinematic history despite only appearing onscreen for 16 minutes. Providing endless inspiration for a host of imitators and serving as the archetype for virtually every serial killer movie that would follow, Demme’s legendary psychological horror is the most recent film to take home all the “Big Five” Academy Awards, highlighting The Silence of the Lambs’ incredible quality in sharp relief.
4
Goodfellas (1990)
Directed By Martin Scorsese
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Goodfellas
R
Biography
Crime
Drama
10/10
24
8.9/10
Release Date
September 21, 1990
Runtime
145 Minutes
Cast
See All
-
Robert De Niro
-
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Ray Liotta
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Martin Scorsese’s answer to The Godfather for movies that have defined the gangster genre, 1990’s Goodfellas is regarded by many as the director’s crowning achievement in a legendary career. This becomes even more impressive when one considers his filmography is littered with classics like Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, and The Departed. Based on a true story, the movie chronicles the epic rise and fall of Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill from Mafioso grace.
Joe Pesci has received all three of his Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nominations off the back of his work in Scorsese’s movies.
However, while Hill may be the film’s central focus, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci also deliver knockout performances, with the latter winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Goodfella’s reputation as a masterpiece is further underlined by the fact that Scorsese’s dynamic direction and inimitable style of cinematography have influenced a horde of imitators. A front-runner for the greatest television show of all time, The Sopranos is just one notable entry to have been inspired by Scorsese’s triumphant pièce de résistance.
3
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Directed By Steven Spielberg
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Saving Private Ryan
R
War
Drama
10/10
28
9.5/10
Release Date
July 24, 1998
Runtime
169 minutes
Cast
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-
Tom Sizemore
-
Adam Goldberg
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Underlining his status as one of the greatest directors to ever sit in the chair, Steven Spielberg boasts not one, but two, seminal war movies from the 1990s that are equally worthy of the label “masterpiece.” The American followed 1993’s Schindler’s List with 1998’s Saving Private Ryan, a harrowing WWII epic chronicling the attempts to bring the titular soldier home after all of his brothers are killed in combat.
Frequently touted by many as the best war movie ever made, Saving Private Ryan is nearly flawless across the board. The film is notorious for its harrowing depictions of battle, sequences that are widely regarded as some of the most authentic depictions of combat ever seen onscreen and have influenced virtually every war movie that would follow. An iconic tale carried by award-worthy performances, there will arguably never be another WWII offering that comes close to the quality on display in this cinematic tour de force.
2
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Directed By Frank Darabont
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The Shawshank Redemption
R
Drama
9/10
21
9.6/10
Release Date
October 14, 1994
Runtime
142 minutes
Cast
See All
-
Tim Robbins
-
Morgan Freeman
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The highest-rated movie of all time on IMDb’s Top 250 list with a score of 9.3, horror icon Stephen King has labeled Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption as his favorite movie adaptation of one of his books. Inspired by the author’s novella, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the 1994 prison drama follows the plight of Tim Robbins’ Andy Dufresne, a banker sentenced to life imprisonment for a murder he did not commit.
|
Top 10 Highest-Rated Movies IMDb |
Score |
|---|---|
|
The Shawshank Redemption (1994) |
9.3 |
|
The Godfather (1972) |
9.2 |
|
The Dark Knight (2008) |
9.0 |
|
The Godfather Part II (1974) |
9.0 |
|
Twelve Angry Men (1957) |
9.0 |
|
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) |
9.0 |
|
Schindler’s List (1993) |
9.0 |
|
Pulp Fiction (1994) |
8.9 |
|
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) |
8.9 |
|
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) |
8.8 |
Receiving seven Oscar nominations, The Shawshank Redemption’s status as a masterpiece draws mainly from the exemplary acting on display, with Robbins and Morgan Freeman delivering generational performances. A passionate ode to resilience and triumph of the human spirit, the movie’s timeless premise and universal themes mean that this is a film that appeals to viewers from all walks of life, a status quo that is only compounded by one of the most satisfying and uplifting endings that cinema has ever witnessed.
1
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed By Quentin Tarantino
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Pulp Fiction
R
Drama
Crime
10/10
79
8.8/10
Release Date
October 14, 1994
Runtime
154 minutes
Cast
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-
John Travolta
-
Bruce Willis
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An R-rated classic that simply never gets old, 1994’s Pulp Fiction is almost universally regarded as Quentin Tarantino’s magnum opus. Chronicling an array of interconnected stories of criminality in Los Angeles, the independent crime offering boasts a star-studded ensemble cast at the top of their respective games, turning in career-best performances against the backdrop of one of the best movies of all time.
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Samuel L. Jackson reveals his favorite line from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and it comes from one of the most iconic scenes in the movie.
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Featuring all the trademark trappings that would go on to earn Tarantino status as a Hollywood icon, Pulp Fiction is loaded with unforgettable characters, crackling dialogue, and iconic scenes that only get better with age, a state of affairs aided by a killer soundtrack. An indispensable entry for any self-respecting movie connoisseur, Tarantino’s watershed offering reveals something new with every watch, rubber-stamping the movie’s status as an undisputed cinematic masterpiece.
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Category: Entertainment