The ’90s are making a resurgence, and it’s not just about biker shorts, center-part hairstyles, and platform footwear! ’90s cinema provides the ultimate nostalgia for a period when you were too young to be aware of societal issues. Oops! You’ve matured!
While some films from the ’90s have lost their appeal due to recent insights about their casts or filmmakers, many continue to resonate. They were created at a time when films were designed for cinemas, with hefty budgets and even grander explosions. Presented here, in no specific order, are the finest ’90s films available on Prime Video for your upcoming movie evening.
25. Fever Pitch
This British romantic comedy maintains a subtle presence in the U.S., probably because it was remade featuring Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore as fans of the Red Sox. The original Fever Pitch, inspired by a Nick Hornby novel, showcases Colin Firth as a teacher whose passion for his soccer club, Arsenal, disrupts his relationship with Ruth Gemmell. Boys and their sports, right? If the tagline doesn’t pique your interest (“Life gets complicated when you love one woman and 11 men”), seeing Mr. Darcy transform into a lovable mess certainly will!
How to watch: Fever Pitch is available for streaming on Prime Video.
24. Rounders
After Mike McDermott incurs a $30,000 loss at a high-stakes poker game, he assures his girlfriend he’ll quit gambling. However, when his childhood buddy, Worm, starts losing on Mike’s credit, he finds himself pulled back into the high-stakes life he’s been striving to avoid.
1998’s Rounders is an entertaining sports film focused on poker, highlighting both the joy of winning and the pain of losing. Matt Damon shines as Mike, Edward Norton plays a dubious Worm, and John Malkovich is hilariously over-the-top as a Russian gangster.
How to watch: Rounders is available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.
23. FernGully: The Last Rainforest
The film that left an impact on ’80s and ’90s kids is still here to affect another generation! Crysta and her fairy companions safeguard their rainforest. When she learns that humans are destroying trees, she unintentionally shrinks one, Zak, to fairy size. As Zak becomes more involved with the fairies, his love for the forest deepens, as does his resolve to halt human destruction. If the premise seems familiar, it’s because FernGully: The Last Rainforest serves as the ’90s animated rendition of Avatar, complete with mullets, nostalgic expressions, and Robin Williams as a rapping bat.
How to watch: FernGully: The Last Rainforest is streaming on Prime Video.
22. Armageddon
Few films capture the essence of American exceptionalism in the ’90s quite like Armageddon. With a meteor on a collision course with Earth, the only saviors of humanity are a crew of American oil drillers led by Bruce Willis. With just a little training, they are dispatched into space to plant a nuclear bomb in the meteor’s core. Naturally, not everything unfolds as intended.
Ben Affleck is charming as a young driller smitten with Willis’s daughter, portrayed by Liv Tyler. Filled with American flags, an all-star cast, explosive action, and spouses waiting at home, Armageddon stands as a quintessential Hollywood blockbuster. It’s an exciting piece of action-packed entertainment and even garnered an Academy Award nomination! And remember: Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” was up for Best Original Song.
How to watch: Armageddon is available for rental or purchase on Prime Video.
21. Empire Records
Liv Tyler, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry, Robin Tunney, and Renee Zellweger star as youthful staff at a struggling record store attempting to save the establishment. With youthful drama, nostalgic tunes, ’90s style, and Rex Manning Day, Empire Records encompasses it all! It’s a quintessential hangout comedy that represents the spirit of the early ’90s and helped launch the careers of several major Hollywood talents. Critics were not fond of it; teens adored it — a solid endorsement!
How to watch: Empire Records is streaming on Prime Video.
20. GoldenEye
In this chapter, Bond is tasked by M (Judi Dench) to go to St. Petersburg to look into an electromagnetic weapon, but he soon finds a plot woven close to home. Pierce Brosnan’s debut as James Bond was his best, injecting fresh life into a stuttering franchise. GoldenEye contains all the classic Bond elements: unexpected twists, explosions, sadistic villains, gorgeous Bond girls, slick gadgets, stylish cars, and Bond’s effortless charm, which Brosnan delivers abundantly.
How to watch: GoldenEye is streaming on Prime Video.
19. She’s All That
A staple in romantic comedies, 1999’s She’s All That provides one of the most memorable instances of the nerdy-girl-gets-hot-when-she-takes-off-her-glasses movie charm. Freddie