Clerks is definitely more iconic, but it feels like the transition from the 80s into the 90s. I put my vote with Mallrats, which is 90s through and thorough - hell, there’s even a 90210 reference delivered directly to Shannen Doherty.
And Terminator 3 follows that trend: A quintessential 00’s movie - as forgettable as many other sequels from the same period, despite previous titles in the series being great
Back when it came out, 1996 seemed about the same as 2027 feels now. Near future, who knows what could be different.
It’s an interesting choice, because there was really no present-day sci fi tech in the movie save for a video game that articulated as the player flew a plane (which may have existed but I hadn’t seen before in 1992).
So they chose to make the movie take place in the present day technology-wise, but still in the future. Just slightly in the future.
It’s a 90s movie about the internet, but it’s all technobabble magic and represented in a very made-for-TV way. Just the right balance of interesting plot and complete cringe which is pretty much how I remember the 90s.
Yeah, the 90s were a good time for movies that could not have been mainstream in any other decade. I’d place Judge Dredd, Demolition Man and Total Recall in the same “corny, but excellent” league as the 5th Element.
Then you had unofficial double features of sorts: Smoke/ Blue In The Face, Casino/ Goodfellas.
12 Monkeys needs to be mentioned as well, it’s probably the most palatable movie on my list.
In the “disconcerting, but unforgettable” league, I’d place As Good As It Gets, The Crossing Guard and, of course, the grisly “8 mm.”
When I saw it years later I misunderstood what Wayne meant when, talking of Stacey having bought him a gunrack and being mental, he says “get the net!”
To late 90s me it sounded like he was talking about the internet, sarcastically telling Stacey to “get the internet” as in “be cool, get with the times, stop being a dork”
When pointed out to the me he’s referring to the much older trope of catching crazy people with giant butterfly nets, I realised how solidly pre-internet Wayne’s World is. And can’t be quintessentially 90s for me for that reason.
There’s a filter that I apply to these kinds of questions, and it’s that there are some works that are of a particular time, but they ascend beyond that time and just become a part of culture, broadly. Like, Wizard of Oz just IS, Bohemian Rhapsody just IS; they aren’t bounded by their decades of origin.
I’d argue that at least Jurassic Park, and arguably also The Matrix, are above and beyond the '90s in ways that other movies can’t quite achieve.
For sure, the technology and fashion is all VERY late-90s. But the way that The Matrix informed SO many action and scifi movies to follow, and spawned so many cultural touchstones made it break containment.
And then you’ve got subjects that it brings up, like mixed technophobia and technophilia, gender identity, anti-authoritarianism, and so on that are still at the forefront of our cultural awareness. The Matrix has stayed relevant and meaningful in ways that very few works have managed to.
Home Alone. It’s a movie that really couldn’t take place today due to cell phones and the Internet making easier to communicate with someone if the landlines are down. Also, the family wouldn’t have been able to get through the airport like they did back then thanks to 9/11.
For not-the-best-90s-movie-but-most-strongly-dated-to-the-90s I’d have to go with You’ve Got Mail
If someone had told me Independence Day was early 2000s (pre 9/11) I wouldn’t have doubted it. Same with the Matrix really.
But You’ve Got Mail seems rooted to that mid to late 90s early internet feel. Two massive stars. Lots of 90s fashion etc
Possibly also Mrs Doubtfire. Reasons there being very 90s exploration of divorce, prosthetics that weren’t available in the 80s and a theme (man sneaking into kids lives in disguise) that I don’t think would have gotten traction 2000s onwards for being too creepy. Makes it a very 90s film.
The Matrix was basically 2000’s. It’s a 90’s movie only a technicality; it was released to theaters in early 1999 and the home release was in May of '99. However, going into the 1999 -> 2000 holiday season the presence of that movie in particular on disc sold a lot of DVD players and Playstation 2’s.
Y2K or thereabouts is precisely when a lot of people experienced the first Matrix.
Wow, I forgot it came out in 1999, I guess, technically. It’s one of my favorite movies ever of all time, but it was too far ahead of its time for me to think of it as 90s movie.
Clerks
Clerks is a lot closer to real people’s experience of the '90s, as opposed to quintessential '90s fictions, like Pulp Fiction or Hackers.
I almost said Mallrats but Clerks is also pretty iconic for the era.
I came in here to post Mallrats, so you’re not wrong on that either.
Clerks is definitely more iconic, but it feels like the transition from the 80s into the 90s. I put my vote with Mallrats, which is 90s through and thorough - hell, there’s even a 90210 reference delivered directly to Shannen Doherty.
💯. If you grew up in the 90s, this movie captures the experience pretty well.
Yall probably forgot about Hackers because it’s a documentary but it’s pretty 90s
HACK THE PLANET!
the fashion, music and hyperbolic/complete misunderstood depiction of cyber security cements Hackers as the quintessential 90s movie
Terminator 2 is in a weird spot since it’s a sequel to an 80s movie but is itself a 90s movie. But I’d nominate it for this award.
It’s a quintessential 90s movie sequel to a quintessential 80s movie
And Terminator 3 follows that trend: A quintessential 00’s movie - as forgettable as many other sequels from the same period, despite previous titles in the series being great
Back when it came out, 1996 seemed about the same as 2027 feels now. Near future, who knows what could be different.
It’s an interesting choice, because there was really no present-day sci fi tech in the movie save for a video game that articulated as the player flew a plane (which may have existed but I hadn’t seen before in 1992).
So they chose to make the movie take place in the present day technology-wise, but still in the future. Just slightly in the future.
Clueless, anyone?
Ugh, as if.
90s, or timeless?
The Net
It’s a 90s movie about the internet, but it’s all technobabble magic and represented in a very made-for-TV way. Just the right balance of interesting plot and complete cringe which is pretty much how I remember the 90s.
That’s my second choice after Hackers
MESS WITH THE BEST
DIE LIKE THE REST
And you complete the 90s hacker trifecta with Sneakers
God that’s such a good movie. Probably gonna throw that on soon since haven’t watched it in years.
My wife rolls her eyes how every time I see a Honda Passport I say “My voice is my passport, verify me”.
The cast alone makes the movie worth it
Can I add Johnny Mnemonic to this list? Classic Keanu
“I NEED to get on-line. I NEED a computer!”
Information Overload! Rollins deserves to be an EGOT.
Gotta double the capacity of the 80 GB drive in my head
“Hack the planet!”
I’d add Speed. Sandra Bullock was the 90s it actress. And Keanu has already been mentioned in a couple of essential 90s titles.
“Mozart’s Ghost! The hottest new site on the internet!”
Space Jam, for sure.
The fifth element
Yeah, the 90s were a good time for movies that could not have been mainstream in any other decade. I’d place Judge Dredd, Demolition Man and Total Recall in the same “corny, but excellent” league as the 5th Element.
Then you had unofficial double features of sorts: Smoke/ Blue In The Face, Casino/ Goodfellas.
12 Monkeys needs to be mentioned as well, it’s probably the most palatable movie on my list.
In the “disconcerting, but unforgettable” league, I’d place As Good As It Gets, The Crossing Guard and, of course, the grisly “8 mm.”
Wayne’s World
Feels leftover 80s to me. Or that weird transition period
You’re describing the 90’s
When I saw it years later I misunderstood what Wayne meant when, talking of Stacey having bought him a gunrack and being mental, he says “get the net!”
To late 90s me it sounded like he was talking about the internet, sarcastically telling Stacey to “get the internet” as in “be cool, get with the times, stop being a dork”
When pointed out to the me he’s referring to the much older trope of catching crazy people with giant butterfly nets, I realised how solidly pre-internet Wayne’s World is. And can’t be quintessentially 90s for me for that reason.
You may also remember they were filming for PBS. Broadcast TV.
Pulp Fiction.
Has an 80ies vibe to me. I had to check, it was made in 94, but towards the end of the decade, pulp fiction already felt old, a classic.
The Matrix and Jurassic Park come to mind.
There’s a filter that I apply to these kinds of questions, and it’s that there are some works that are of a particular time, but they ascend beyond that time and just become a part of culture, broadly. Like, Wizard of Oz just IS, Bohemian Rhapsody just IS; they aren’t bounded by their decades of origin.
I’d argue that at least Jurassic Park, and arguably also The Matrix, are above and beyond the '90s in ways that other movies can’t quite achieve.
At least Matrix has a lot of 90’s references and a very 90’s setting. Mostly the pay phone I suppose, but they’re a big part of the movie lol.
For sure, the technology and fashion is all VERY late-90s. But the way that The Matrix informed SO many action and scifi movies to follow, and spawned so many cultural touchstones made it break containment.
And then you’ve got subjects that it brings up, like mixed technophobia and technophilia, gender identity, anti-authoritarianism, and so on that are still at the forefront of our cultural awareness. The Matrix has stayed relevant and meaningful in ways that very few works have managed to.
Jurassic Park was ahead of it’s time. I don’t really think of it as a 90s movie.
Got Jurassic Park in 4k on my Plex server.
Looks absolutely amazing still.
It would only be not ahead of its time only after we casually clone dinosaurs.
Home Alone. It’s a movie that really couldn’t take place today due to cell phones and the Internet making easier to communicate with someone if the landlines are down. Also, the family wouldn’t have been able to get through the airport like they did back then thanks to 9/11.
How will you have internet without landlines (DSL) or coax? Satellite?? IN THIS ECONOMY??!!
Angry upvote. It fits.
For not-the-best-90s-movie-but-most-strongly-dated-to-the-90s I’d have to go with You’ve Got Mail
If someone had told me Independence Day was early 2000s (pre 9/11) I wouldn’t have doubted it. Same with the Matrix really.
But You’ve Got Mail seems rooted to that mid to late 90s early internet feel. Two massive stars. Lots of 90s fashion etc
Possibly also Mrs Doubtfire. Reasons there being very 90s exploration of divorce, prosthetics that weren’t available in the 80s and a theme (man sneaking into kids lives in disguise) that I don’t think would have gotten traction 2000s onwards for being too creepy. Makes it a very 90s film.
The Matrix was basically 2000’s. It’s a 90’s movie only a technicality; it was released to theaters in early 1999 and the home release was in May of '99. However, going into the 1999 -> 2000 holiday season the presence of that movie in particular on disc sold a lot of DVD players and Playstation 2’s.
Y2K or thereabouts is precisely when a lot of people experienced the first Matrix.
You’ve Got Mail almost feels like a 1980s movie.
Definitely The Mummy starring Brenden Fraiser and Rachel Weisz
Tempted to say The Matrix but it’s late in the decade.
Maybe Scream?
I think The Matrix can work! It feels very 90s to me as well!
Scream’s a good one. Postmodern horror flick.
The Matrix
Wow, I forgot it came out in 1999, I guess, technically. It’s one of my favorite movies ever of all time, but it was too far ahead of its time for me to think of it as 90s movie.