The Best Nostalgic Movies of the 90s!
by magnum32004 | created - 29 Nov 2010 | updated - 11 Jul 2014 | PublicThis is a list of movies that I can remember watching when I was a kid and still watch when they occasionally pop up on TV. These movies are in no particular order and the choices are mine and mine alone! I will add a different movie everytime! Take a look and enjoy!
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1. Dick Tracy (1990)
PG | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
The comic strip detective finds his life vastly complicated when Breathless Mahoney makes advances towards him while he is trying to battle Big Boy Caprice's united mob.
Director: Warren Beatty | Stars: Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino, Charlie Korsmo
Votes: 65,691 | Gross: $103.74M
I absolutely love this movie! Back when the DVD came out in early 2002, I began watching it ad nauseum. And when I got DIRECTV at the end of 2007, most of the movie channels (Encore, Showtime, Starz, etc.) began running it and tuned in every chance I could get. The movie is sheer genius!
2. Batman Forever (1995)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure
Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
Votes: 266,362 | Gross: $184.03M
This third "Batman" movie is hated by most people but seeing as though that I was a little baby when the first movie came out and couldn't watch it until it came on TV, this is the "Batman" movie I watch the most because I was the right age to see it and after I saw it, I wanted to see it again and again. Whenever it comes on TV, I stop everything and watch. It's that good to me!
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,172,672 | Gross: $204.84M
I remember seeing this first on video back in 1993 and even though I knew I wasn't old enough to see it, it was spectacularly bad-ass, in every sense. It's innovative, it's quotable, it's full of big action and it had me enthralled scene-by-scene.
4. Independence Day (1996)
PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The aliens are coming and their goal is to invade and destroy Earth. Fighting superior technology, mankind's best weapon is the will to survive.
Director: Roland Emmerich | Stars: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell
Votes: 605,017 | Gross: $306.17M
Remembering seeing this for the first time is like it almost was yesterday. It was opening day and it was a long line for the movie but when me and my family finally got in, I was blown away by what I saw. It was epic, epic, epic. Without "ID4", Will Smith would never have become Mr. July.
5. Jurassic Park (1993)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
Votes: 1,065,645 | Gross: $402.45M
It's awesome, it's got dinosaurs, it's got action, it's got suspense, it's classic Spielberg. Enough said.
6. Airborne (1993)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sport
California born and raised surfer, Mitchell Goosen has to spend six months in Ohio while learning the hard way- love is where the heart is.
Director: Rob Bowman | Stars: Shane McDermott, Seth Green, Brittney Powell, Chris Conrad
Votes: 7,628 | Gross: $2.85M
The moment I saw this on HBO, I just enjoyed every minute of it. You'll never a more awesomely shot downhill rollerblade race on film....ever! I had to keep being patient for the DVD and when Warner Archive finally released it, I was ecstatic and ordered my copy the first week.
7. Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
R | 128 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
John McClane and a Harlem store owner are targeted by German terrorist Simon in New York City, where he plans to rob the Federal Reserve Building.
Director: John McTiernan | Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson, Graham Greene
Votes: 407,828 | Gross: $100.01M
This is the one "Die Hard" movie that got me in trouble with the parental units because back when it was on Pay-Per-View, I ordered it so many times, it kept showing up on the cable bill and I got busted for it. Fortunately, there's a thing called "network television premiere" and I got a chance to check it out without getting into trouble when it aired on Fox in 1998. Good times!
8. Casper (1995)
PG | 100 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
An afterlife therapist and his daughter meet a friendly young ghost when they move into a crumbling mansion in order to rid the premises of wicked spirits.
Director: Brad Silberling | Stars: Bill Pullman, Christina Ricci, Cathy Moriarty, Eric Idle
Votes: 146,728 | Gross: $100.33M
This is one of my favorite Amblin Entertainment movies! I loved watching it when I was young and the Fox cartoon spin-off of the movie was equally fun to watch, not to mention another spectacular job on the effects work by ILM.
9. Class Act (1992)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy
A valedictorian and a juvenile delinquent have their school records switched and begin to be treated like the other.
Director: Randall Miller | Stars: Christopher Reid, Christopher Martin, Andre Rosey Brown, Meshach Taylor
Votes: 8,137 | Gross: $13.27M
The humor of this Kid 'N Play movie (along with the first "House Party") still holds up today. It just leaves you laughing until you're out of breath.
10. Houseguest (1995)
PG | 113 min | Comedy
In hot water with the mob over an unpaid debt, a con man poses as a family friend in an affluent Pennsylvania suburb.
Director: Randall Miller | Stars: Sinbad, Phil Hartman, Kim Greist, Kim Murphy
Votes: 7,495 | Gross: $26.33M
I remember seeing this Sinbad movie back when it was in theaters on opening weekend. I always have a good time watching this movie. The humor is age-appropriate, Sinbad & Phil Hartman are great together and I totally get the gags about food (especially that Christmas Song Melody playing at the end credits).
11. Lost in Space (1998)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Family
The Robinson family was going into space to fight for a chance for humanity. Now they are fighting to live long enough to find a way home.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Gary Oldman, William Hurt, Matt LeBlanc, Mimi Rogers
Votes: 74,829 | Gross: $69.12M
A lot of people (particularly fans of the original TV series) don't think too fondly of this movie because some think it's a poorly executed film version of a classic TV show. I, however, remember it very fondly because it's another movie that I saw in theaters on opening weekend. The acting can be a little shoddy but there are some great moments in the movie, including the opening space battle and the scene where they are on a ship full of space spiders.
12. James and the Giant Peach (1996)
PG | 79 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
An orphan who lives with his two cruel aunts befriends anthropomorphic bugs who live inside a giant peach, and they embark on a journey to New York City.
Director: Henry Selick | Stars: Paul Terry, Joanna Lumley, Pete Postlethwaite, Simon Callow
Votes: 73,952 | Gross: $28.93M
This one I did NOT see in theaters on opening weekend, however, I was lucky enough to have a Mom who worked at a CVS/Pharmacy and could get a movie on videocassette at an employee discount. This was one of those movies and the moment I watched it, I instantly fell in love with it. It was dazzling, funny, exciting and one of those surprises that Disney made that doesn't have the same following as their other animated classics.
13. Judge Dredd (1995)
R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Sci-Fi
In a dystopian future, Joseph Dredd, the most famous Judge (a police officer with instant field judiciary powers), is convicted for a crime he did not commit and must face his murderous counterpart.
Director: Danny Cannon | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Rob Schneider, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 124,830 | Gross: $34.69M
One word says it all about this movie: LAW!!!!!
14. Spawn (1997)
PG-13 | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An elite mercenary is killed, but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil.
Director: Mark A.Z. Dippé | Stars: Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Martin Sheen, Theresa Randle
Votes: 72,225 | Gross: $54.97M
Before he was Black Dynamite, I remember Michael Jai White as Todd McFarlane's hellish super anti-hero. I never read the comic books nor did I watch the HBO animated series that aired prior to the movie's release, but it has to be the best adaptation of a comic book ever to come out in the 90s. John Leguizamo makes a great Clown/Violator, the action is awesome and once again, Industrial Light & Magic proves why they are the legends of visual effects. If you haven't seen this, find it and watch it! It's truly epic!
15. The Rocketeer (1991)
PG | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero.
Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin, Timothy Dalton
Votes: 61,720 | Gross: $46.70M
I can remember seeing it on ABC's "Disney Family Movie" in 1996 but I have a full memory of it when my sister gave me a VHS copy of it three years later and I just watched it ad nauseum. Simply put, it's truly one of the great popcorn movies of the 90s and it never gets old.
16. Camp Nowhere (1994)
PG | 96 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A group of junior high kids don't want to go to summer camps chosen by their parents. They make their own adult-free camp and "hire" an ex drama teacher to help.
Director: Jonathan Prince | Stars: Jonathan Jackson, Christopher Lloyd, John Putch, Peter Scolari
Votes: 10,661 | Gross: $10.47M
I didn't see it in theaters but it aired on Showtime in 1995 and I simply enjoy the idea of a summer camp made by kids, for kids. It's a youth's paradise and the movie was sheer genius.
17. Men in Black (1997)
PG-13 | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
James, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio
Votes: 612,233 | Gross: $250.69M
This movie holds great memories for me! It was the first time I've seen a movie twice in two weekends (the second time was in 2007 when "Wild Hogs" was in theaters). Those two times seeing "MIB" were so awesome! It was like the "Ghostbusters" of my generation!
18. Dutch (1991)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama
To get to know his girlfriend's son, a working-class good guy volunteers to pick him up from his prep school, only to learn that he isn't the nicest young man.
Director: Peter Faiman | Stars: Ed O'Neill, Ethan Embry, JoBeth Williams, Christopher McDonald
Votes: 14,360 | Gross: $4.60M
The first time I saw this movie was in early 1992 when I went to work with my mom as part of "Take Your Child To Work Day". It was so hilarious to watch when you're a kid because most kids love watching movies where people fall down funny.
19. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
The Gremlins are back, and this time, they've taken control of a New York City media mogul's high-tech skyscraper.
Directors: Joe Dante, Chuck Jones | Stars: Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Howie Mandel, Tony Randall
Votes: 112,724 | Gross: $41.48M
This movie is another reason why I love movies from Amblin Entertainment! It's so zany, insane and totally off-the-wall. I watch this more than I watch the original.
20. Bad Boys (1995)
R | 119 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two hip detectives protect a witness to a murder while investigating a case of stolen heroin from the evidence storage room from their police precinct.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Lisa Boyle, Michael Taliferro
Votes: 285,998 | Gross: $65.81M
Before watching pirated movies online was part of the norm, I saw the first "Bad Boys" on a bootlegged VHS and me & my brother wore it out. Then I got the movie on DVD for my birthday and I haven't stopped watching it since! I'm still waiting for "Bad Boys III"!
21. The Sandlot (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
Director: David Mickey Evans | Stars: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LaFleur, Patrick Renna
Votes: 102,233 | Gross: $32.42M
The first time I saw this was on HBO a year after it came out in the theater. Some have certain sports classics that they grew up on. This was one of those sports classics I grew up on and I hardly watch regular sporting events. Just sports movies.
22. A Far Off Place (1993)
PG | 108 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
When a gang of African poachers raid her family's farm, young Nonni, visiting American teenager Harry Winslow and a local bushman guide must escape into the Kalahari desert and reach the nearest town.
Director: Mikael Salomon | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Embry, Jack Thompson, Sarel Bok
Votes: 3,809 | Gross: $12.89M
I saw this in the movie theater, just to check out the Roger Rabbit short that was the added attraction for the movie. Then, I saw the movie at my local Blockbuster store years later and rented it. It's a harrowing & intense adventure that Disney made that prove that they were capable of making family movies that were intense. Also, it's another Amblin Entertainment classic nobody ever talks about!
23. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there, while an InGen team approaches with another agenda.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Vince Vaughn
Votes: 443,519 | Gross: $229.09M
24. Noises Off... (1992)
PG-13 | 101 min | Comedy
A travelling theater group find so much action going on behind-the-scenes, they almost ruin the performances.
Director: Peter Bogdanovich | Stars: Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliott, Julie Hagerty
Votes: 12,236 | Gross: $2.28M
25. Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero (1997 Video)
Unrated | 70 min | Animation, Action, Crime
When Mr. Freeze, desperate to save his dying wife, kidnaps Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) as an involuntary organ donor, Batman and Robin must find her before the operation can begin.
Director: Boyd Kirkland | Stars: Kevin Conroy, Michael Ansara, Loren Lester, Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Votes: 18,055
26. Batman Returns (1992)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Votes: 327,161 | Gross: $162.83M
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