10 Movies From The 1990s That Will Still Be Relevant In 50 Years

It’s always hard to predict the cultural landscape of the future, but there are some 1990s movies which will probably be just as popular 50 years from now. Many of the best movies ever have been able to retain their relevance after 50 or more years, and they will probably keep their timeless appeal for much longer. Not all great movies withstand the test of time, however, and some 1990s classics have aged poorly.

Some types of movies seem more likely to stay relevant as time passes. Historical dramas are strong candidates, since they can’t easily be dated by the visuals and social themes of the times they were produced in. Certain kinds of sci-fi movies also have the ability to age well, especially if they predict pivotal societal trends. Many movies from the 1990s have gotten better with age, so there’s every chance they will still be popular for a long time.

10

Titanic (1997)

The Historical Romance Was An Instant Classic

Titanic poster

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10/10

8.8/10

Titanic

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Release Date

December 19, 1997

Director

James Cameron

Cast

David Warner
, Kathy Bates
, Billy Zane
, Bill Paxton
, Bernard Hill
, Kate Winslet
, Leonardo DiCaprio
, Gloria Stuart
, Frances Fisher
, Victor Garber

It seems a fairly safe bet to suggest that historical dramas will age well, since they aren’t necessarily tied to the social movements and aesthetics of the 1990s. Titanic recreates the story of the Titanic’s maiden voyage with James Cameron keeping a close eye on period-accurate details, even inserting many real-life characters into the drama. The appeal of the Titanic as a metaphor for hubris and class inequality has persisted for over 100 years, so there’s every chance people will still be talking about it in 50 years.

It seems a fairly safe bet to suggest that historical dramas will age well.

The true story behind Titanic has continued to interest people for decades, but the love story between Jack and Rose is an added layer of James Cameron’s making. Ultimately, this could be what gives Titanic its staying power, since their romance feels timeless and universal. They are two passionate lovers kept apart by seemingly arbitrary societal standards and incredible misfortune, and their story questions the practical limits of love.

9

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park Could Become Even More Relevant

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12

9.8/10

Jurassic Park

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Release Date

June 11, 1993

Director

Steven Spielberg

Cast

Sam Neill
, Laura Dern
, Jeff Goldblum
, Richard Attenborough
, Bob Peck
, Martin Ferrero

Jurassic Park‘s blend of practical effects and groundbreaking CGI could have aged the movie terribly, but it has held up surprisingly well over the years. While it isn’t seamless, it’s much better than the standard for other movies at the time, and it gives Jurassic Park a fighting chance of remaining relevant for the next 50 years. What’s even more essential to its chances is the power of the story and the relatable characters.

A composite image of T-rex roaring in front of Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum holding torches in Jurassic World Dominion

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For all its bone-chilling horror and awe-inspiring action, Jurassic Park is a brilliantly told story at its heart. Using the framework of Michael Crichton’s book, the story pairs personal drama with a broader examination of scientific hubris. As scientific technology develops over the next 50 years, genetic engineering and synthetic morphology could make Jurassic Park more relevant than ever.

8

Schindler’s List (1993)

The Holocaust Drama Will Remain Important Viewing For A Long Time

Schindlers List Film Poster

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13

9.8/10

Schindler’s List

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Release Date

December 15, 1993

Director

Steven Spielberg

Cast

Liam Neeson
, Ben Kingsley
, Ralph Fiennes
, Caroline Goodall
, Jonathan Sagall

As well as releasing Jurassic Park in 1993, Steven Spielberg also directed Schindler’s List, a movie that seems likely to remain relevant for entirely different reasons. Few Holocaust dramas manage to capture the dehumanization and discrimination of the Nazi regime with as much unflinching detail as Schindler’s List. While Spielberg displays the industrial-scale destruction of the Holocaust, he also digs into the smaller stories of human struggle.

The real-life story behind Schindler’s List gives the movie added weight and relevance.

The real-life story behind Schindler’s List gives the movie added weight and relevance. This layer makes Schindler’s List an interesting historical document as much as a display of filmmaking genius. It’s as if Spielberg brings the Second World War to life, just as he did later with Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, which both stand a good chance of maintaining their appeal for many years, just like Schindler’s List.

7

Fargo (1996)

Fargo Could Have More Staying Power Than Other Coen Brothers Movies

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Fargo

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Release Date

April 5, 1996

Director

Joel Coen
, Ethan Coen

Cast

William H. Macy
, Frances McDormand
, Steve Buscemi
, Peter Stormare
, Kristin Rudrüd
, Harve Presnell
, Tony Denman
, Melissa Peterman

It remains to be seen how the best Coen brothers movies will stand the test of time, since so many of them heighten film genres that could lose their relevance. Movies like Miller’s Crossing and True Grit might fade out of fashion, despite how critically acclaimed they are. Other movies like Fargo, No Country for Old Men and O Brother, Where Art Thou seem like they could fare better.

Fargo seems like a crime comedy at first, but it subverts or totally ignores just about every trope of the detective genre.

Fargo seems like a crime comedy at first, but it gets much darker than the genre usually allows, and it subverts or totally ignores just about every trope of the detective genre. Marge Gunderson is a hero who doesn’t fit the profile of a movie detective. She’s honest, stable, and she does things by the book. This is one big reason why Fargo seems so unique compared to other 1990s detective movies, and the Coens’ frank deconstruction of genres could give Fargo lasting appeal for many decades.

6

The Iron Giant (1999)

The Iron Giant’s Retro Charm Could Give It A Timeless Appeal

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9/10

9.7/10

The Iron Giant

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Release Date

August 6, 1999

Director

Brad Bird

Cast

Vin Diesel
, Christopher McDonald
, Harry Connick Jr
, Jennifer Aniston
, Eli Marienthal

Trends in animation have changed a lot in recent years. The 3D computer-generated style that became popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the rise of Pixar has started to loosen its stranglehold on the industry. While most of the major studios resort to this style as their default, interesting movies like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio show that other techniques are breaking into the mainstream. This makes predicting future trends in animation especially difficult.

Get Out, Her & Parasite characters

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It’s impossible to guess which kinds of animated movies will be produced in 50 years, but many of the old classics could still retain their appeal. The Iron Giant looks gorgeously nostalgic even by today’s standards, thanks to its Cold War setting and its beautifully drawn art style. The blend of a historical setting and a sci-fi story could give The Iron Giant the kind of lasting allure that many Disney classics from 50 or more years ago enjoy today.

5

Apollo 13 (1995)

Apollo 13’s True Story Will Always Be Relevant

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9/10

Apollo 13

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Release Date

June 30, 1995

Director

Ron Howard

Cast

Tom Hanks
, Bill Paxton
, Kevin Bacon
, Gary Sinise
, Ed Harris
, Kathleen Quinlan
, Mary Kate Schellhardt
, Emily Ann Lloyd

Nobody can be sure of how space exploration will evolve in the next 50 years, but it’s a sure thing that the idea of reaching out to the universe will remain just as exciting for a long, long time. Apollo 13 is one of the best space exploration movies ever, but while sci-fi astronaut movies could quickly become outdated and redundant, Apollo 13‘s recreation of a true story means that it won’t suffer the same fate.

While sci-fi astronaut movies could quickly become outdated, Apollo 13‘s true story means that it won’t suffer the same fate.

Ron Howard tried to adhere to the true story as much as possible, and this dedication extended to using the official transcripts from inside the lunar module and mission control for a lot of the dialogue. Even if humanity’s aspirations in space accelerate rapidly over the next 50 years, it’s likely that Apollo 13 will be just as tense and exciting. It’s a thrilling historical drama already, and this doesn’t look like it will change.

4

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Stanley Kubrick’s Final Flourish Will Always Have An Audience

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22

6.9/10

Eyes Wide Shut

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Release Date

July 16, 1999

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Cast

Marie Richardson
, Todd Field
, Sydney Pollack
, Nicole Kidman
, Tom Cruise

Stanley Kubrick’s movies will probably remain just as popular for many years. Some of his earliest works can be deemed non-essential, but 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining and Dr. Strangelove are all bona fide classics. Eyes Wide Shut‘s critical reputation sits somewhere between these two extremes. It’s often regarded as a curio, with the remarkable story behind its creation and its status as Kubrick’s swansong giving it some added metatextual meaning.

Eyes Wide Shut could easily continue to captivate, inspire and confound audiences for many years.

Eyes Wide Shut‘s confronting imagery and music has inspired people to try and untangle it ever since 1999. It seems foreboding and irrational in many ways, but there are grounded elements to the story that make it relatable, and this is what makes people insist on a unifying theory to account for its idiosyncratic passages. Like any of Kubrick’s other classics, Eyes Wide Shut is probably most enjoyable when audiences can abandon their innate need for pattern recognition and thematic understanding. Eyes Wide Shut could easily continue to captivate, inspire and confound audiences for many years.

3

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

The Shawshank Redemption Has Only Gotten More Popular With Time

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9/10

18

9.5/10

The Shawshank Redemption

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Release Date

October 14, 1994

Director

Frank Darabont

Cast

Tim Robbins
, Morgan Freeman
, Bob Gunton
, William Sadler
, Clancy Brown
, Gil Bellows
, Mark Rolston
, James Whitmore

The Shawshank Redemption takes place between the 1940s and 1960s, but its story maintains a timeless appeal. Although it was originally a box office failure, it didn’t take too long for The Shawshank Redemption to get the attention it deserves, and it has only grown in stature as the years have gone by. This sets it up as a good candidate to stay relevant over the next 50 years and beyond.

The Shawshank Redemption‘s historical context doesn’t ever distract from the power of its story.

The Shawshank Redemption‘s historical context doesn’t ever distract from the power of its story, the bulk of which could just as easily have taken place during any time period. Its depiction of the harsh reality of prison conditions is still relevant, as it raises questions about the nature of criminal justice, rehabilitation and authority. Aside from these evergreen themes, The Shawshank Redemption remains popular as a tale about the indomitable human spirit.

2

Goodfellas (1990)

Martin Scorsese’s Crime Biopic Is One Of The Decade’s Most Entertaining Movies

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10/10

10/10

Goodfellas

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Release Date

September 21, 1990

Director

Martin Scorsese

Cast

Robert De Niro
, Ray Liotta
, Joe Pesci
, Lorraine Bracco
, Paul Sorvino
, Frank Sivero

The rapid pace, laugh-out-loud humor and perfect music choices all make Goodfellas one of the most purely entertaining movies of the 1990s, without a single moment wasted as Martin Scorsese rattles through the life and crimes of Henry Hill. Scorsese showed that he could develop a new and unique style with Goodfellas, although many other filmmakers have since imitated his approach.

Goodfellas Henry Karen Hill Tommy DeVito

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Since Goodfellas set the standard for so many other movies which followed, it will probably remain relevant throughout the years. As a defining classic of the gangster genre, Goodfellas represents a pivotal moment in a genre that has remained popular ever since the film noir era and before. Its blend of comedy and drama gives it endless rewatch value, suggesting that it will be a long time before Goodfellas falls out of fashion.

1

The Lion King (1994)

Many Disney Classics Stay Popular For Decades

The Lion King (1994) - Poster

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24

9.1/10

The Lion King

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Release Date

June 24, 1994

Director

Roger Allers
, Rob Minkoff

Cast

Matthew Broderick
, Moira Kelly
, Nathan Lane
, Ernie Sabella
, Robert Guillaume

While Disney’s live-action remakes have mostly been huge commercial successes, very few of them have been able to touch the quality of the animated classics. The Lion King is arguably the perfect case study of this phenomenon, since the remake soared to over a billion dollars at the box office, and it’s generally considered one of the better remakes, but it has only served to reinforce the status of the original.

Its comedy, music and surprisingly dark drama all feel just as vital as ever.

50 years from now, 1994’s The Lion King will probably prevail as the superior version of the story. Its gorgeous animation exemplifies the style of the Disney renaissance, but its comedy, music and surprisingly dark drama all feel just as vital as ever. The Lion King is based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, so there’s no chance that its plot will become outdated any time soon. Depending on trends in animation, The Lion King could easily be watched by millions of children 50 years in the future.