Movies

Top 10 Adventure Movies From the 90s You Definitely Watched As a Kid, Ranked by IMDb

Top 10 Adventure Movies From the 90s You Definitely Watched As a Kid, Ranked by IMDb
Image credit: Universal Pictures

It will be a wild ride down the nostalgia road.

Adventure movies from the 90s have a special charm – it was a time when a number of family movies about pirates, talking animals and child geniuses were released, which still look great today and warm the hearts of viewers who grew up with them.

10. George of the Jungle, 1997

IMDb Rating: 5.5/10

Brendan Fraser plays one of his most famous roles in this hilarious Tarzan parody. His George is the complete opposite of the heroic child of the jungle we all knew – one look at this half-naked savage with a twisted smile on his face is enough to make you laugh.

The film is very childish and sincere, and although the new generation probably does not understand all the charm of this movie, it still remains in the hearts of those who grew up with it. And hardly anyone will argue that Fraser was peak comedy talent here.

9. Cutthroat Island, 1995

IMDb Rating: 5.7/10

In the mid-90s, the independent company Carolco Pictures stumbled upon a chest of forgotten treasures: the script for Cutthroat Island, a classic pirate movie. But the film was a commercial disappointment, and the production difficulties were so monstrous that piracy came to be considered a cursed subject in Hollywood.

However, the movie clearly did not deserve such a failure, and even today seems progressive: the strong female character Morgan Adams saves a poor man who gets into trouble.

The image of Geena Davis in a loose white shirt is absolutely iconic, and even more impressive is the grandiose scenery, reminiscent of a very expensive pirate attraction.

8. Stuart Little, 1999

IMDb Rating: 6.0/10

A mouse named Stuart wears a suit and sneakers and can talk. When he arrives in the Little family, he immediately causes a lot of problems, but at the same time he becomes an irreplaceable friend, especially for little George.

Stuart Little is an example of a family film that never gets old. If that is not enough for you, remember that the head of the family is played by Hugh Laurie, who has not yet donned a white coat.

And if that's not enough for you, you should know that this movie is one of the lesser known projects in the filmography of M. Night Shyamalan, who became one of the screenwriters of the first part.

7. Waterworld, 1995

IMDb Rating: 6.3/10

Due to global climate change, glaciers and polar snows have melted and the surface of the planet has turned into a continuous ocean. Some survivors believe that somewhere over the horizon is a pristine piece of land suitable for life.

The filming of this movie was a disaster: the creators wanted to shoot it entirely in the open sea, and as a result the sets were constantly flooded, and the equipment broke from time to time.

At the time of its release, Waterworld was the most expensive movie in history, but it was not a commercial success. However, the film remains popular even now and is considered one of the cult movies of the 1990s.

6. Hook, 1991

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

Hook is a kind of fantasy about what would happen if Peter Pan grew up and forgot what it was like to be a child and believe in miracles. Robin Williams, who played Peter, is forced to return to Neverland to save his children and face his nemesis Captain Hook once again.

The film was directed by one of the main modern storytellers, Steven Spielberg – to make a movie, he, along with Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman, had to work for free.

But Hook was one of the six highest grossing projects of 1991, and all three received a percentage of the box office. Hoffman gave a stunning performance, making his Hook canon for anyone who starred in future adaptations of Peter Pan.

5. The Mask of Zorro, 1998

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

An aging hero who has devoted all his strength to the fight for justice, has spent decades in prison, and lost his wife and daughter, passes on his knowledge, and his black mask to a young desperate fighter who from now on will fight against those who do evil.

It was the first time that Zorro, a Spaniard with Mexican roots, was played by a Spanish actor. Antonio Banderas received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Zorro, and his passionate tango with Catherine Zeta-Jones went down in history.

4. Babe, 1995

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

Talking pig? Seriously? But once the viewers saw Babe, they could not tear themselves away from the screen.

What is the secret ingredient in the story of the little pig too smart for his farm? A convincing animation of his face? Extraordinary adventures that befell the animals that surround Babe?

Or maybe the fact that the producer of this children's movie was the author of the bloody Mad Max George Miller? Either way, the child prodigy charmed everyone, young and old, and deservedly won a Golden Globe.

3. Matilda, 1996

IMDb Rating: 7.0/10

The unusual girl Matilda captivated viewers with her telekinesis long before Stranger Things premiered.

The little girl, a true outcast, is different from her family members and many of her peers. Not only does she have supernatural powers, but she is also a math prodigy. Meanwhile, her parents pay no attention to their daughter.

The story of Matilda from 1996 is the heartfelt family movie that warms you on gray days and teaches you that being different from others is completely normal.

2. The Mummy, 1999

IMDb Rating: 7.1/10

The Mummy made millions of viewers fall in love with it unconditionally. Director Stephen Sommers delivered a very successful remake of the classic Universal horror film starring Boris Karloff.

He managed to combine the romantic motifs of the original with the aesthetics of 1990s blockbusters and adventures in the spirit of Indiana Jones.

And twenty years later, the first part of the trilogy looks great – there is witty humor, dated but authentic special effects, a convincing villain and, of course, Breandan Fraser – a vulnerable hero with a big heart standing in the way of the damned Pharaoh.

1. Jurassic Park 1993

IMDb Rating: 8.2/10

Jurassic Park immediately became a historic event, grossing millions at the box office and winning three Oscars. The film owes its success to three main pillars: unprecedented special effects, a strong storyline and a brilliant cast.

The creators masterfully combined two special effects technologies: frame-by-frame animation and revolutionary computer graphics.

As a result, a movie about an amusement park instantly became a movie attraction in itself: to see almost living dinosaurs on the screen and travel back millions of years for the price of a movie ticket – what is that if not magic?