The era of grunge, fanny packs, and boy bands, the ‘90s, has left its mark on pop and counterculture in many ways. Some of the movies that came out in the 1990s are among the most iconic, and watching them is like getting a concentrated dose of nostalgia. From Oscar-winning kids’ films to off-the-wall military-themed comedies, Prime Video has some buried treasures from this iconic decade.
Whether you want to rewatch cult classics or discover something new, these forgotten ‘90s movies will be an interesting palate cleanser for your normal viewing routine. Watching older films offers a fascinating insight into the subtle and not-so-subtle changes cinema has undergone as time has moved forward. From pacing to special effects, movies have come a long way in the past 30 years. Some of these titles have aged better than others, but they all owe a debt of gratitude to the post-Cold War decade.
1
‘Wish Upon a Star’ (1996)
Danielle Harris as Hayley puts lipstick on Katherine Heigl as Alexia in Wish Upon a StarImage via Leucadia Film Corporation
Instead of a mother-daughter body swap like Freaky Friday, the TV movie Wish Upon a Star featured sibling rivalry at its core. Younger sister Hayley (Danielle Harris) feels inferior to her older sister Alexia (Katherine Heigl), who seems to have it all. When Hayley wishes on a shooting star to trade places with her sister, both Wheaton teens get the shock of their lives when her wish comes true.
Fans of teen movies, makeover movies, and “in their shoes” type tropes will get a kick out of Wish Upon a Star. It is a fun flashback to the fashion of the era, and the sisters’ journey through vengeance and annoyance toward mutual understanding is rewarding. It is also a snapshot of the different personalities that can emerge within family dynamics and how differences can be strengths, not sources of contention.
2
‘Lionheart’ (1990)
Jean-Claude Van Damme looking solemn in a soldier’s fatigues as an officer talks to him in LionheartImage via Universal Pictures
With over 80 acting credits to his name, Jean-Claude Van Damme is a legend in the martial arts movie genre. He was the preeminent star of action films in the ‘90s, and titles like Bloodsport and Kickboxer put him on the map. Shortly after the release of Bloodsport in 1988, Van Damme appeared in a similar movie called Lionheart in 1990.
While both films involved Van Damme’s character participating in fighting rings, Lionheart has a more compelling plot and character motivation. In Lionheart, Van Damme’s character, Lyon Gaultier, is driven to fight not for selfish gain or to prove anything to anyone, but for the love of his family. When Lyon’s brother is severely injured, he must provide for his brother’s wife and young daughter. Lionheart has everything Van Damme fans will enjoy, including terrific fight scenes and quippy one-liners. It also includes some more tender moments, and Van Damme gets to stretch his acting muscles in the more emotional scenes.
3
‘Under Siege’ (1992)
Steven Seagal wears a military dress uniform and salutes in Under SiegeImage via Warner Bros.
Under Siege is a Steven Seagal aquatic version of Die Hard. The unhinged action movie stars Seagal as the ship’s cook, Casey Ryback. When a group of terrorists takes over the battleship, Casey is the only one who can stop them. Though Seagal delivers a performance comparable to his other films, the highlight of the movie is Tommy Lee Jones as the villain William Strannix.
Jones is off-the-wall in his portrayal of Strannix, and having a movie that focused on his character would have been equally entertaining, if not more. Gary Busey also appears in the film and is committed to his role as the loathsome Commander Krill. Fans of Die Hard, Seagal, and Jones should add Under Siege to their watchlist. It is a thrilling buddy action flick that is par for the course for the ’90s.
Collider Exclusive · Action Hero Quiz Which Action Hero Would Be Your Perfect Partner? Rambo · James Bond · Indiana Jones · John McClane · Ethan Hunt
Five legends. Five completely different ways of getting out alive — with style, with muscle, with charm, with luck, or with a plan so intricate it probably shouldn’t work. Ten questions will reveal which action hero was built to have your back.
🎖️Rambo
🍸James Bond
🏺Indiana Jones
🔧John McClane
🎭Ethan Hunt
01
You’re dropped into a dangerous situation with no warning. What do you need most from a partner? The first few seconds tell you everything about who belongs beside you.
02
You have to get somewhere dangerous, fast. How do you travel? How you get there is half the mission.
03
You’re pinned down and outnumbered. What does your ideal partner do? This is when you find out what someone is really made of.
04
The mission is paused. You have one evening to decompress. What does your partner suggest? Who someone is when the pressure drops is who they actually are.
05
How do you prefer your partner to communicate mid-mission? Good communication is the difference between partners and a liability.
06
Your enemy is powerful, well-resourced, and has the upper hand. How should your partner approach them? The approach to the enemy defines the partnership.
07
Things go badly wrong and you’re captured. What do you trust your partner to do? Who someone is when you need them most is the only thing that matters.
08
What does your ideal partner bring to the table that you couldn’t replace? A great partner fills the gap you didn’t know you had.
09
Every partnership has a cost. Which of these can you live with? No one comes without baggage. The question is whether you can carry it together.
10
It’s the final moment. Everything is on the line. What do you need from your partner right now? The last question is the most honest one.
Your Partner Has Been Assigned Your Perfect Partner Is…
Your answers have pointed to one action hero above all others. This is the person built to have your back — for better or considerably, spectacularly worse.
Rambo
Your partner doesn’t talk much, doesn’t need to, and will have assessed every threat in your immediate environment before you’ve finished your first sentence. John Rambo is not a man of plans or politics — he is a force of nature shaped by survival, loyalty, and a capacity for endurance that goes beyond anything training can produce. He will not leave you behind. He has never left anyone behind who deserved to come home. What you get with Rambo is the most capable, most quietly ferocious partner imaginable — one who has been through things that would have broken anyone else, and who chose to keep going anyway. You’ll never need to ask if he has your back. You’ll just know.
James Bond
Your partner will arrive perfectly dressed, perfectly briefed, and with a cover story so convincing it’ll take you a moment to remember what’s actually true. James Bond is the most professionally dangerous person in any room he enters — and the most disarmingly charming, which is the point. He operates in a world of layers, where nothing is what it appears and every advantage is used without apology. You’ll never be bored. You’ll occasionally be furious. But when it matters — when the mission is genuinely on the line and the margin for error has collapsed to nothing — Bond is exactly the partner you want. He has survived things that have no business being survivable. He does it with style. That is not nothing.
Indiana Jones
Your partner will know the history, the language, the cultural context, and exactly why the thing everyone else is ignoring is actually the most important thing in the room. Indiana Jones is brilliant, reckless, and occasionally impossible — but he is also one of the most resourceful, most genuinely knowledgeable partners you could find yourself beside. He approaches every situation with a scholar’s eye and a brawler’s instinct, which is an unusual combination and a remarkably effective one. He hates snakes and gets personally attached to objects of historical significance, both of which will slow you down at least once. It doesn’t matter. What Indy brings is irreplaceable — and the adventures you’ll have together will be the kind people write books about. Assuming you survive them.
John McClane
Your partner was not supposed to be here. He does not have the right equipment, the right information, or anything approaching the right odds. He has a sarcastic remark and an absolute refusal to accept that the situation is as bad as it looks. John McClane is the greatest accidental hero in the history of action cinema — a man whose superpower is stubbornness, whose contingency plan is improvisation, and whose capacity to absorb punishment and keep moving would be alarming if it weren’t so useful. He will complain the entire time. He will make it significantly more chaotic than it needed to be. And he will absolutely, unconditionally, without question come through when it counts. Yippee-ki-yay.
Ethan Hunt
Your partner has already run seventeen scenarios by the time you’ve finished reading the briefing, and the plan he’s settled on involves at least two things that should be physically impossible. Ethan Hunt operates at the absolute edge of human capability — technically, physically, and intellectually — and he brings the same relentless precision to protecting his partners that he brings to dismantling organisations that shouldn’t exist. He is not easy to know and he will never fully tell you everything. But he will carry the weight of the mission so completely, so absolutely, that your job is simply to trust him — and the remarkable thing is that trusting him always turns out to be the right call. The mission will be impossible. He will complete it anyway.
Damon Wayans is Major Payne in this military-themed kids’ comedy that is full of quotable moments. As a Marine, Major Payne is no stranger to the tough and rigorous life of a soldier. While his enthusiasm and vigor are never questioned, his people skills are a little lacking, and they are put to the ultimate test when he is tasked with training a small group of JROTC cadets.
Wayans is well known for his comedy and unmistakable character performances, and Major Payne is one of his most noteworthy. Mixing a drill sergeant archetype with Wayans’ unique crazy-man performance makes Major Payne an unforgettable character. In one of the most famous scenes, a young cadet tells Payne that there is an imaginary man living in his closet. After the first attempt is unsuccessful at calming the young boy’s fears, Payne walks upstairs, takes out his gun, and fires five rounds into the closet. Turning to him, Payne proclaims, “If he’s still in there, he ain’t happy.” Although some aspects of Major Payne haven’t aged as well as others, it is still a fun family comedy, with Wayans doing what he does best.
5
‘Desert Blue’ (1998)
Christina Ricci staring ahead with black eyeliner in a desert in Desert BlueImage via Samuel Goldwyn Films/Courtesy Everett Collection
For anyone who spent their teenage years living in a small town, there is Desert Blue. Written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman (not the actor), it captures the essence of rural living during adolescent years. Desert Blue is a unique film described by Roger Ebert as “not a romance, a drama, or an adventure, but the evocation of a time and place.” Everything in the movie is understated and subdued; it is not meant to shock or overwhelm but to simply be, and inspire what it inspires as the viewer chooses what to take from it.
Roadside attractions, the world’s largest ice cream cone, carbonated sodas, and the FBI are all a part of what makes Desert Blue its own unique tale. Instead of typical coming-of-age films, Desert Blue is simply a snapshot of life as it is. It is a bittersweet glimpse of disappointed dreams and unwavering hope that things could get better. Desert Blue is full of now well-known stars, including Casey Affleck, Christina Ricci, and Kate Hudson. It is worth a watch and might become a new favorite.
6
‘Empire Records’ (1995)
A group of youngsters talking in Empire RecordsImage via Warner Bros.
Perhaps no movie on this list so perfectly captures the ‘90s in a bottle like Empire Records. When music was the main expression of the era, setting a movie inside a record store was ingenious. Although it wasn’t a financial success, Empire Records is beloved by fans and has grown to become a cult classic over the years.
Taking place within a single day, the movie focuses on the young employees and manager of an independent record store that faces the unfavorable reality that they might have to join a conglomerate. Full of teenage angst, drama, and eccentricities, Empire Records tackles several issues of the times, like pills, corporate sellouts, and culture clashes. The cast is a kaleidoscope of talent before they hit it big with stars like Renée Zellweger, Liv Tyler, and Brendan Sexton III. Music lovers and ‘90s fans should definitely give Empire Records a spin.
7
‘Heat’ (1995)
Al Pacino wearing a badge and wielding a gun as Vincent in HeatImage via Warner Bros. Pictures
Although silver screen titans Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had appeared in the same movie before with The Godfather Part II in 1974, they didn’t share any scenes. That changed with 1995’s Heat. In Heat, Pacino and De Niro play two sides of the same coin. One, De Niro, a master thief named Neil McCauley, and the other, Pacino, an LAPD officer named Vincent Hanna. Both figures are excellent at what they do, and both have strong beliefs about how control should be maintained.
If the dynamic performances given by Pacino and De Niro weren’t enough to make Heat one of the best thriller movies of all time, Val Kilmer also appears in the film, and his character Chris Shiherlis adds a whole new dimension to the tension. Heat has interesting characters, intentional dialogue, and one of the greatest heist moments in film. Watching Pacino and De Niro on screen together is sublime, and now is an ideal time to check out this 1990s crime-themed classic.
8
‘Babe’ (1995)
Babe the piglet standing in a field in BabeImage via Universal Studios
One of the best family movies of the last 100 years, Babe is the endearing tale of a small piglet who is determined to be more than what people expect of him. When the little pig arrives at Farmer Hoggett’s (James Cromwell) farm, he is told by a malicious farm cat that his destiny is only for the dinner table. Babe (Christine Cavanaugh) decides to change his fate and learns how to herd sheep like the resident sheepdogs, Fly (Miriam Margolyes) and Rex (Hugo Weaving). Despite Rex’s vehement protests, Babe is resilient and learns how to work with the sheep in his own way, not as a sheepdog would, but using his “heart of gold.”
Babe is an exceptional film. Its fantastic blend of puppetry and restricted computer graphics still makes it enjoyable and believable to watch today. It was nominated for an outstanding seven Academy Awards and quite deservedly won for Visual Effects. All of the performances given in Babe are charming and winsome, especially the gentle, quiet, no-nonsense farmer played by Cromwell. To watch Farmer Hoggett stake his entire reputation on his belief in a little pig is touching, and it gave the world of the cinema the famous “That’ll do, pig” quote. Babe is a perfect movie for the young and the young at heart and is, without a doubt, one of the best and most worthy ‘90s movies to be rediscovered on Prime.
