A-List - '90s Action Blockbusters
By Sean Collier
September 26, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
These films certainly still exist, but they no longer dominate the box office the way they once did. More importantly, they are no longer the guaranteed biggest ticket of the year; this decade has seen them supplanted in that role by comic book films. X-Men started it, Spider-Man made it for real, and with both The Dark Knight and Iron Man defeating Indiana Jones this summer, comics now rule the box office world.
Many of those high-octane, high-dollar '90s action flicks don't bear re-watching today. Pierce Brosnan will not be offended if you fail to rewatch Dante's Peak. Armageddon was bad, and Deep Impact was worse. And let's not even talk about Lake Placid. Still, a number of these movies hold up reasonably well today, for one reason or another – mostly obvious choices, but those are worth a fresh look.
By the way, I'm calling Titanic a romance, so it's out. No sequels, either. And, while I'm sure there are lots of nearly forgotten action gems, since we're talking about event movies here, I'm limiting myself to blockbusters. Incidentally, I really had to fight to convince myself not to include Air Force One. Rather than actually put it on an A-List, here's my recommendation: go rent both Air Force One and Ransom. Drink a case of beer. Watch both. Wander around the neighborhood yelling "Get off my plane!" and "Give me back my son!" until you pass out.
Eagle Eye is out today. If the year were 1997, it would be released on the fourth of July, and there would be a 30-foot-tall Shia billboard in the heart of Times Square. With that in mind – and noting that, despite the phase shift I spoke of earlier, it's Eagle Eye that's finally going to knock The Dark Knight out of our nation's IMAX theaters - The-A List presents the best blockbuster '90s action movies.
Jurassic Park
So this is the most obvious choice possible, and writing in 2008 about how great Jurassic Park was is more than a bit unnecessary. But this is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time, and I was going to find an excuse to rave about it sooner or later. I remember every moment of seeing Jurassic Park in the theater – I was eight, and probably not quite ready for velociraptor-related violence, so the experience etched itself firmly in my mind. I remember where I sat in the theater, I remember what I was doing before I went to the theater, I remember which lines I giddily quoted to my parents when I got home. I still watch it several times a year. While I still love the cast, the story, and the science of the film, watch it now and you'll see that the island is the true star of the show. Much like Spielberg's earlier perfect crafting of Amity Island, every aspect of every set on Isla Nublar adds something unique.
Independence Day
Earlier in the summer, I was tossing around the idea of doing a cinematic presidents A-List, and every person I mentioned it to said, "Well, you've got to include Bill Pullman in Independence Day." And I would reply, "No, no, I very much do not have to do that. That would be a silly thing to do." So know that I am not including Independence Day because of Bill Pullman. Or Will Smith. Or Jeff Goldblum...okay, maybe partially because of Jeff Goldblum. I still like Independence Day mainly because they took a movie about intergalactic war and somehow made it into a character drama. Not only is the story told from a number of perspectives across the country (and, in vignettes at least, around the world,) but those characters are actually fleshed out and given story arcs. Not just the main character or two, but all of them. It's an unexpected turn for this genre, which usually focuses on the hero and his family, or at best a pack of survivors. Seriously, though, Jeff Goldblum is awesome.
Twister
I kept this column asteroid-free. Can't help you with tornados. Sorry. I'm actually none too fond of the whole Bill Paxton-Helen Hunt-Jami Gertz love triangle thing that bogs down a bit of this movie, but here's why it gets my vote: this is a movie about research scientists doing field studies, and it's an exciting, violent action movie. The big climax? They do some research. Difficult research, but still. There can't possibly be another movie that fits this description. Strong supporting efforts from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cary Elwes (doing what he's best at, playing a smarmy jackass) help out. But honestly, a tornado goes through a drive-in screen showing The Shining, and the screen splinters as Jack is axing through the door. That's just awesome, and I probably wouldn't be including Twister on this list without that scene. It's my column, and I'll do what I want with it. Fun fact: according to Wikipedia, Twister was the first film released on DVD, and the last film released on HD-DVD. If that's true, it's really weird.
Con Air
"I'd like to welcome you all to the production meeting for this prison plane film we've been working on. Today, we'll focus on casting. So, we need a bunch of tough, psychopathic serial killers. Who are we thinking? What? Huh? John Malkovich? I mean, he's certainly a great actor, but more of a...you know, not a tough serial killer guy...umm, who else? Steve Buscemi? Seriously? I mean, I guess in a creepy way, but it's a stretch. What else you got? Danny Trejo? Okay, that's more along the right track, I suppose, he looks like he could beat you up, anyway...what? Dave Chappelle? The comedian? He couldn't kill a chicken with a mallet. You're just messing with me on this. Look, let's move on for now. We need some stern FBI guys on the ground. Who do we have? What? John Cusack and Colm Meaney? As our angry FBI suit types? The kid with the boombox and the jolly Irish guy? This isn't funny, fellas, we're making a movie here. We need a hero, now, dammit. I...Nicolas Cage? That's it, I quit." (And that's why Con Air is preposterously fantastic.)
The Matrix
Washed the taste of the sequels out of your mouth yet? I was never a particularly big Matrix fan, to tell you the truth. (Senior Prophets: please do not fire me for this opinion.) Still, I feel that The Matrix was incredibly important for one key reason: it was a great big action movie, which drew in action fans of all stripes, but it was primarily a movie about ideas. About philosophy. And that, I think, was the turning point in these event films. In 1998, two separate movies – both in the top ten for that year – were about nothing more philosophical than a big freakin' rock coming at the earth really fast. Then The Matrix happened. Nine years later, The Dark Knight is the second biggest film of all time, based not on explosions and fistfights, but the deranged, enigmatic psyche of a charismatic villain. Without The Matrix, things might be different. Speed Racer might've been the big movie this summer. Okay...still not Speed Racer.
One To Watch For
If Watchmen does, in fact, come out, it might be the film to bridge this gap – ridiculous, over-the-top visual action combined with deep, character-driven drama. The graphic novel, while undeniably beautiful and excellently drawn, made its mark based more on its characters than its images; The New York Times Book Review praised it because "the would-be heroes of Watchmen have staggeringly complex psychological profiles." Yet, the film is helmed by Zack Snyder, no doubt based on the success of the purely visual 300. Can Snyder charge Watchmen with the energy-drink frenzy of his previous film while still maintaining the subtext that made the book great? Damn, I hope so.