For decades, action movies have entertained its viewers over and over; whether it be with guns, CGI-effects or explosions, there’s so much to love when it comes to this genre. Why? Because it’s always going to be visibly appealing and exciting. Now, this doesn’t mean every action movie out there is stellar, but 90’s action films are memorable, nonetheless. Speaking of memorable, this decade in particular gave its viewers a lot of options to choose from, but they were still in an early CGI phase, which means that the effects were more practical at times.
Throughout the 90’s, there was definitely films that stand out amongst the rest for being the best and for being the worst, it’s all in the reviews throughout the years.
Best: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
There’ve been a lot of movies that could’ve stood on their own without a sequel, but that doesn’t always happen. Most of the time, original movies are the best in a franchise, but when it comes to Terminator, that’s not the case. Director, James Cameron re-works the action sequel so it’s locked and loaded with a well-rounded cast, amazing digital effects and moments that leave the audience breathless.
Terminator 2 is an all-around great 90’s action movie and fans have never looked at a thumbs up the same way again.
Worst: Assassins (1995)
It’s hard to have a debate about 90’s action movies, without bringing up actors such as Sylvester Stallone. He made a name for himself by 1995, so there was an expectation from him and Assassins was definitely unexpected. It was a bit of a dud and maybe it’s forgivable since the Wachowski siblings were the writers on it. A few years later, they would go on to direct The Matrix.
The writing was over-the-top and the action sequences were not so great; this was a disappointment since the cast was there and it still didn’t save the film.
Best: The Matrix (1999)
Though this movie barely made the 90’s, the Wachowski’s sibling’s classic action/sci-fi flick was spot-on and just what that decade needed. The storyline goes down the rabbit hole with John Anderson A.K.A. Neo, (Keanu Reeves) and bends the mind in all the right places. This movie has it all – it has special moments throughout and sets the scene for the movies that followed it.
There was no other person to play Neo, but at one point, actor Will Smith was considered for it and turned it down for Wild Wild West.
Worst: Wild Wild West (1999)
Will Smith was the one of the go-to guys for well-achieved action movie such as Men In Black, Bad Boys and Independence Day, but this one was a bad decision.
Even a dedicated song by Mr. Smith couldn’t save this one, because not only was it one of the worst films of the 90’s, it’s one of the worst films ever. The script was hard to follow and the whole concept is cheesy; Will surprisingly picked this movie instead of playing Neo in The Matrix.
Best: Jurassic Park (1993)
The 90’s wasn’t as advanced in the CGI-era yet, but Stephen Spielberg broke through those barriers with Jurassic Park. Not only was it one of Spielberg’s best films to date, but it also was a mix of scares and action-packed scenes with prehistoric creatures.
This was also the point that viewers were treat with special effects and CGI features and the film still stands strong today. This film would spawn several other movies after it that couldn’t match the original.
Worst: Street Fighter (1994)
Jean-Claude Van Damme was one the 90’s best beefed-up actions stars, but his “love to hate” role in Street Fighter is more bad than good. Although nostalgic, viewers couldn’t get past the fact that Van Damme’s acting was “wooden” at times and wasn’t at all as exciting as the video game. That aspect alone made this a hard-to-please movie and it definitely didn’t please the masses like it could have.
Best: Independence Day (1996)
Before the semi-questionable sequel came out, Independence Day was fine standing on its own. Viewers fell in love with the 1996 blockbuster, as it was fun to watch and the cast was packed with likable heroes that were early in their careers.
Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith and Bill Pullman delivered incredible performances and the technology behind this creepy, otherworldly film was beyond its time.
Worst: Batman & Robin (1997)
Before Batman & Robin came out, the Batman franchise was doing well because of Tim Burton’s touch and great cast members; this one was very campy. George Clooney is an A-list actor, but he just didn’t make the caped crusader a memorable superhero.
Other silly characters such as Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), only added more fuel to the fire and made it to be one of the cheesiest and disappointing action films of the late 90’s.
Best: Point Break (1991)
It has been said that Point Break loosely paved the way for The Fast and the Furious franchise, which is loved by a lot of people. This isn’t just a top-surface action movie, there are a lot fantastic scenes with actual meaning and the relationship between rebel surfer, Bodie (Patrick Swayze) and straight-laced FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves) is a match-made in casting heaven. The action-packed scenes stood up for a well-rounded 90’s film.
Worst: Speed 2 – Cruise Control (1997)
Fans know that some sequels make an original better and at times, ties things together; there’s also a time where a film should stand proud on its own and that was Speed. Speed 2: Cruise Control was a mess that could’ve been stopped when Keanu Reeves declined to come back. Instead, Jason Patric took the spot of the new love interest.
Willem Dafoe was over the top as the villain and the plot was a retread of the original. Also, Sandra Bullock has mixed feelings about the sequel.
