15 Great Movies Turning 30 in 2024 (2024)

The 1990s were a great decade for movies. It was a time characterized by films with groundbreaking novel ideas for original stories, iconic cult classics, and clever twists on old and trusted genres. 1994 in particular is typically praised as one of the best years for cinema in modern times, having produced many masterworks that are still highly beloved today.

From ambitious comedies like Forrest Gump to even more ambitious arthouse dramas like the seven-and-a-half-hour-long Sátántángo, many phenomenal classics are turning 30 in 2024. As they enter their third decade of age, it's worth looking back at these movies and analyzing why they've aged so well in the public consciousness. One great way to do so is taking a look at their IMDb pages, where users have been eager to share their praise for what they deem to be some of the best films of the '90s.

15 'True Lies' (1994)

Directed by: James Cameron

He may be best known for his grand epics of extensive scope, but James Cameron sure can direct a damn good globe-trotting action comedy. True Lies is about a fearless terrorist-battling secret agent whose life is turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair while terrorists smuggle nuclear weapons into the U.S. A high-concept comedy with some of the best action scenes of Cameron's filmography, it's a movie tailor-made for action comedy fans.

One of Arnold Schwarzenegger's best movies and one of Jamie Lee Curtis's most magnetic performances, True Lies is pure explosive fun, never taking itself too seriously and never concerned with hiding its occasional absurdity. The satirical humor blends perfectly with Cameron's typical high-thrills action, resulting in a 1994 spectacle that IMDb users love.

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14 'Speed' (1994)

Directed by Jan de Bont

'94 was a hell of a year for action, as proved by classics like Speed. It stars a young Keanu Reeves at the top of his game as a police officer who must prevent a bomb exploding aboard a city bus, by keeping its speed above 50 miles per hour. It's a simple concept, but director Jan de Bont exploits it to its fullest potential and finds in it ways to tell one of the most exciting stories of '90s cinema.

Speed, praised as one of the best action films of the '90s, is as brilliantly paced as you'd expect from its premise. The narrowly defined plot allows the characters to shine, which makes it easy for audiences to fall in love with them and for the actors playing them to show their skill.

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13 'The Crow' (1994)

Directed by: Alex Proyas

In The Crow, one of the most underrated superhero movies out there, Brandon Lee (son of the legendary martial artist and movie star Bruce Lee) plays a man who's brutally murdered, coming back to life as an undead avenger of his and his fiancée's killing. Gritty, gruesome, and unprecedentedly dark for the genre at the time, it's a mesmerizing Gothic comic book film that's impossible to take one's eyes off of.

Visually impressive, thrilling all throughout, and with a terrific star-making performance by Lee, The Crow has acquired a cult following over the years who praise it for its exquisite quality and unique tone. Tragically, the film has come to be best-known for Lee having died on set after an unfortunate accident with a prop gun. Thankfully, his legacy lives on, since he led a supernaturally great noir thriller that made sure his name stayed in the history books.

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12 'Clerks' (1994)

Directed by: Kevin Smith

The classic black-and-white comedy Clerks explores a day in the lives of two convenience store clerks, as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof. Slice-of-life films may not be everyone's cup of tea, but when it comes to one as irresistibly charming as Clerks, it's hard to not watch it with a smile on one's face throughout the entire runtime.

On IMDb, fans love the movie thanks the admirable things that director Kevin Smith does with an astonishingly low budget. The movie's sense of humor is charming and distinct, its dialogue is intelligent, and its exploration of the theme of searching for meaning in the day-to-day is both relatable and creative.

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11 'Ed Wood' (1994)

Directed by: Tim Burton

Perhaps Tim Burton's least Burton-esque film, Ed Wood is a biopic comedy about the titular filmmaker, who's typically regarded as the absolute worst of all time. Ambitious but troubled, he tried his best to fulfill his dreams and ideas despite his glaring lack of filmmaking skills.

For those who don't consider themselves fans of Burton, Ed Wood is so different from the rest of his work that it demands to be given a shot; for those who love the auteur, seeing him make an entirely different kind of film should be an absolute delight. This is one of the best-ever movies about struggling artists, thanks to a stellar performance by a chameleonic Johnny Depp and a delightful story of passion, love, and dedication to art.

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10 'Chungking Express' (1994)

Directed by: Wong Kar-wai

A romantic drama with sprinkles of comedy and elements of the crime genre, Chungking Express tells the parallel stories of two Hong Kong policemen who fall in love. One with a mysterious underworld figure, the other with a beautiful waitress at a late-night restaurant he frequents. Made in the style of the Hong Kong New Wave, one of the film movements that defined cinema forever, it's typically regarded as one of legendary Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-wai's best.

On IMDb, cinephiles adore Chungking Express for its memorable performances, beautiful visuals, and delightfully romantic story. Though it's already three decades old, it hasn't aged a bit; instead, it's just as fun and endearing today as it was in 1994, a feel-good romance with more food for thought and artistic qualities than one tends to see in the genre nowadays.

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9 'Three Colours: Red' (1994)

Directed by: Krzysztof Kieslowski

Polish auteur Krzysztof Kieslowski is typically regarded his country's best-ever movie director, and for good reason. If there are any films that show the full scope of his artistic prowess, those would have to be the three installments of his acclaimed Three Colors trilogy, easily one of the best movie trilogies of all time. Three Colours: Red is usually accepted to be the best in the series, with its tragic story about a model who discovers a retired judge enjoys invading people's privacy.

Irène Jacob in the lead role delivers one of the best acting performances of the '90s, which is only the cherry on top of an already phenomenally made and powerfully written mystery drama. It has potent themes and exquisite character development, even though its slow pace may not be for everyone. It was Kieslowski's final masterpiece before his passing in 1996, and what a fitting close to an outstanding career this is.

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8 'Sátántángo' (1994)

Directed by: Béla Tarr

Last year may have seen the release of many great long films, but at least their runtimes were reasonable enough for general audiences to give them a shot. Sátántángo is a drama made by renowned Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr, and it happens to be a 439-minute-long slow-burner about the residents of a small village in Hungary, as they deal with the effects of the fall of Communism.

Tarr is a director like no other, pushing audiences into his melancholic worlds and making them feel like they're really sharing a space with the characters and their complex situations. Though it's certainly one of the longest films of all time, making it a daunting experience for those who like more fast-paced cinematic experiences, Sátántángo is a must-see arthouse masterpiece for those in love with the craft of cinema.

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7 'Hoop Dreams' (1994)

Directed by: Steve James

Steve James's Hoop Dreams is documentary filmmaking at its best, a moving portrayal of the lives of two inner-city Chicago boys who struggle to become college basketball players on the road to going professional. This kind of film is precisely what the art form was made for: It's stirring, thought-provoking, profoundly touching stuff.

Many IMDb users think that Hoop Dreams is one of the best documentary films of all time, thanks to the highly cinematic and easy-to-follow feel that it gives its story, which makes it easy to root for the two main characters all throughout the runtime. Sports fans are guaranteed to have a field day with this film more than anyone else, but even those who don't much care for basketball can be sure that they'll be able to appreciate its high technical quality and riveting narrative.

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6 'To Live' (1994)

Directed by: Yimou Zhang

An epic war drama and one of the best films of the '90s, Yimou Zhang's To Live is about a couple who lose their fortunes, forcing them to raise a family while surviving difficult cultural changes between the '40s and '70s in China. Not many films are able to weave stories spanning decades with as much potency and success as To Live, which manages to be highly emotional and rewarding thanks to its ambition.

With a remarkable performance by Gong Li, provocative themes of family and resilience, and a thoughtful critique of China's social and political conditions during the years that the story takes place in, To Live is a celebration of people's will to live even in the face of terrible instability.

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5 'The Lion King' (1994)

Directed by: Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff

Disney Animation has produced some of cinema's most acclaimed and beloved animated films, particularly during the golden age that lasted from 1989 to 1999, known as the Disney Renaissance. During this period, the studio made what many consider their single greatest film: The Lion King, about a lion prince named Simba who's targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to take the throne from him and his father, King Mufasa.

Beautifully animated, with some phenomenal songs, and with a deeply moving story about identity and courage, The Lion King is one of Disney's most complex and profound works ever, while still being a delight for children. On IMDb, reviewers praise the star-studded voice cast, the compelling story, and its layered themes. For those who enjoy animated musicals, it hardly gets any better than this.

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4 'Léon: The Professional' (1994)

Directed by: Luc Besson

French filmmaker Luc Besson is a director whose vibrant and highly stylized creative voice is instantly recognizable, and nowhere is it stronger and more entertaining than in Léon: The Professional. Starring an outstanding young Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in what's probably his best role (one of cinema's most legendary one-man armies), the film is an action drama about a girl who's reluctantly taken in by a professional assassin after her family is killed, becoming his protégée and learning the tricks of the trade.

Though the cast is fantastic, they're not the only thing that makes the movie worth it. If IMDb is to be believed, that's also largely thanks to the gripping action that Besson crafts with enchanting visuals and non-stop thrills, as well as the fascinatingly strange yet tender relationship that forms between the titular assassin and the girl played by Portman. Balancing its emotional story and graphic suspense perfectly, it's a film that proves the quality of 1994 for international cinema.

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3 'Forrest Gump' (1994)

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Although it's not on Letterboxd's Top 250 films list, Forrest Gump is dearly loved by numerous fans on IMDb. One of Robert Zemeckis's most popular movies, this multi-Oscar-winning dramedy tracks the history of the United States from the '50s to the '70s through the eyes of Forrest, a dimwitted Alabama man who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

There's something in Forrest Gump for pretty much everybody. Character drama fans, sweet comedy fans, romance fans, war movie fans, history fans, and even Elvis fans should all be perfectly satisfied after the credits start rolling on Zemeckis's entertaining tale of love, friendship, and hope. It's a surprisingly ambitious film, and even if it doesn't hit all the highs that it aims for, it's still impossible to not have a lot of fun with it.

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2 'Pulp Fiction' (1994)

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino is regarded by many as one of the best filmmakers working today, and it isn't hard to see why. Pulp Fiction, usually agreed to be his best work, is a multi-story narrative following the misadventures of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits with Tarantino's signature mischiveous and energetic style. The film was massively influential since the moment it came out, spawning many movies that took direct inspiration from it, and its impact can still be felt particularly in American cinema today.

With its clever use of dark humor, creative twist on classic neo-noir elements, and gripping narrative with surprisingly deep philosophical themes of justice, fate, and violence. It was the movie that cemented the typical Tarantino style that audiences would quickly fall in love with and want to see more of, and its influence on modern cinema truly can't go understated.

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1 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)

Directed by: Frank Darabont

Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption is nothing short of the highest-rated feature film on IMDb's official Top 250 films list, which makes it no surprise that users consider it the best movie that's turning 30 years old this year. Based on a Stephen King story, it's a prison drama about two convicts who form a friendship over the course of several years, seeking consolation and redemption through compassion and connection.

Without any horror, the movie manages to be by far one of the best Stephen King movies. It's a deeply moving story of friendship and a life-affirming celebration of hope and freedom, with outstanding performances and a smartly written script. The Shawshank Redemption demonstrates that profound pathos and beautifully written characters are all it takes for a film to be remembered as one of the best of all time even 30 years after its release.

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KEEP READING:The Best Movies of 1993, Ranked