Top 10 Iconic Movie Scenes of the 1990s

Top 10 Iconic Movie Scenes of the 1990s

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Iconic Movie Scenes of the 1990s

For this list, we’ll be looking at the most memorable scenes from films released between 1990 and 1999. We will be excluding animated movies, which deserve their own list!

What 90s movie moment sticks with you the most? Be sure to tell us in the comments!

#10: Water Cups

“Jurassic Park” (1993)
Special effects were redefined in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel about chaos at a dinosaur theme park. But the most thrilling moment centers around something as simple as a couple of cups of water. During a storm and power outage at the park, lawyer Donald Gennaro and his young companions, Lex and Tim Murphy, lie low in their tour vehicle. But some ripples on the surface of the water cups tell them they’re not alone. Soon, they come face-to-face with none other than a T. Rex, which still looks great even when compared to CGI today. And how were the vibrations achieved? With guitar strings plucked inside the car beneath them. How's that for movie magic?

#9: Aftershave

“Home Alone” (1990)
The best scream of the 90s wasn’t in a horror movie, it was in a family comedy. After he’s accidentally left behind when his family flies to Paris for Christmas, young Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, relishes being the new man of the house. That includes defending it from two bumbling burglars. The moment that stands out the most though is one that doesn’t affect the plot. While washing up, Kevin slathers on a lot of aftershave, and screams loud enough to wake the neighbors. The most enduring part of this moment was completely improvised by Culkin. He was supposed to move his hands away from his face, but Culkin instead kept them on his cheeks.

#8: Dodging Bullets

“The Matrix” (1999)
The first film in this series, from sisters Lana and Lilly Wachowski, was a gamechanger for both action and science-fiction. It grossed more than $465 million worldwide and won four Academy Awards - including Best Visual Effects and Best Film Editing. The film earned them with this scene alone, which finds Keanu Reeves’ Neo and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity on a rooftop facing down a slew of enemies. When Agent Brown returns fire, Neo desperately tries to dodge the bullets. Brown seems to be able to defeat him anyway, until Trinity delivers a truly fatal blow and classic line. It’s a moment that never stops being cool, especially not with all the sunglasses involved.

#7: Truck Chase

“Terminator 2: Judgement Day” (1991)
When a sequel is described as “bigger and better,” it rarely lives up to those expectations. That’s not the case with “Terminator 2,” which set new standards for both action sequels and chase scenes. After hijacking a truck, the T-1000, played by Robert Patrick, proves just how relentless he is in his mission to dispose of young John Connor, mowing down anything and anyone he can. And when it seems like it's all over for John, Arnold Schwarzenegger's newly heroic T-800 is there to save him. The level of work put into this chase is unbelievable, utilizing practical effects to make the utterly unbelievable feel completely real, motorcycle jump and all. They just don’t make them like this anymore.

#6: The Copacabana

“Goodfellas” (1990)
How a director uses their camera can turn a good scene into an iconic one. That’s what happens in this moment from Martin Scorsese’s biopic about the rise and fall of gangster Henry Hill. To demonstrate how much power and influence Hill had, Scorsese uses a tracking shot to follow Hill and his girlfriend, Karen, into a secret entrance of the Copacabana nightclub, greeting many of his acquaintances along the way, and showing how he's reached a level of success he only previously dreamed of. By focusing so intently on Hill and his surroundings, Scorsese immerses us completely into this world without a moment of violence.

#5: A Box of Chocolates

“Forrest Gump” (1994)
We could fill a whole list with quotes from this film, about an ordinary man who has extraordinary experiences. But the one that stays with us the most is a bit of parental wisdom. When a woman sits next to him on a bench, Forrest, played by Tom Hanks, offers her a chocolate and shares his mother's saying. On the surface, it’s a small moment, but one that speaks volumes about life and its unpredictability. As the camera slowly zooms in on Forrest, we find ourselves more and more drawn to him and what he has to say. And like a box of chocolates, this film is both delightful and full of surprises.

#4: A Tasty Burger

“Pulp Fiction” (1994)
How many directors are able to make you incredibly tense and incredibly hungry at the same time? Leave it to Quentin Tarantino, who turned movie dialogue on its head in this scene. When hitmen Jules and Vincent come by an apartment for a briefcase belonging to their boss, Marsellus Wallace, they find the nervous inhabitants enjoying a meal from fictional fast-food restaurant Big Kahuna Burger. This scene is dominated by Samuel L. Jackson's Jules, who starts off seeming affable, before bursting into one of the greatest and most terrifying monologues ever.

#3: Omaha Beach

“Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
The problem with so many movie depictions of war is that they can't help but make combat look cool and exciting when the experience is anything but glamorous. In this sequence, director Steven Spielberg makes you feel like you're experiencing June 6th, 1944, otherwise known as "D-Day", yourself, with every sound and image searing into your brain. The bloody chaos of the day is shown with unflinching, heart-stopping clarity. This scene was so intense that many veterans found it unwatchable. Few films have captured the unimaginable horrors of war quite like this one.

#2: “I See Dead People”

“The Sixth Sense” (1999)
Want to get someone who hasn't seen "The Sixth Sense" to watch it? Show them this scene. When speaking to child psychologist Malcolm Crowe, Cole Sear, played by Haley Joel Osment, shares a very deep, dark secret: he sees ghosts walking among the living, unaware of their deceased status. Osment's delivery of this line completely sells Cole's combined innocence and precociousness, and Bruce Willis’ attentive focus and concern make him an ideal mentor for this frightened child. It’s not just the twist that makes “The Sixth Sense” so powerful; it’s also the care it has towards its characters.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Emerging From the TV, “Ringu” (1998)
A Classic Moment of Japanese Horror

“Choose Life,” “Trainspotting” (1996)
A Great Introduction to These Characters

Meeting Hannibal Lecter, “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)
In Just One Scene, a Horror Icon Is Made

The Box, “SE7EN” (1995)
We Wish We Didn’t Know

Shootout, “Heat,” (1995)
Considered By Many to be the Best Shootout Scene in History

#1: “I’m the King of the World”

“Titanic” (1997)
There are many explanations for “Titanic’s” record-shattering success, from its awesome special effects to its timeless romance element. But it’s this brief moment that stands out most of all. As passenger Jack Dawson looks out at the wonders of nature from the bow of the famous ship with his friend Fabrizio, he lets out this legendary exclamation. And like many classic movie moments, this one almost didn't make it into the film. Director James Cameron came up with it on-set, and despite star Leonardo DiCaprio's reluctance, Cameron insisted. But we sense no reluctance in DiCaprio’s delivery: only a young man relishing the absolute bliss and excitement of the present moment.