Some of history’s most iconic films are all tuning 25 years old this year. Here’s a look at them.
1994 is a more influential year than you may remember, it’s the year both Yahoo and Amazon were born, the year Nelson Mandela became president of South Africa and the year the Playstation 1 came out.
All in all, it was one of the most years for the pop-culture landscape we have today. Also though, it was the year some damn good movies came out. Here are some of the greatest movies you’ll be shocked to know are 25 years old.
The Lion King
Not to be confused with The Lion King that has come out recently, the original is 25 this year, making the Jon Favreau remake a bit of a touching birthday celebration.
For many, The Lion King in 1994 was a child’s first confronation with mortality head on. For a kids film it’s pretty intense, seeing Mufasa being thrown into the abyss and having his son Simba witness all that. It stands as one of the handful of early Disney films to not shy away from ‘scary’ subjects like death, revenge, sadness, normally that is swept under the rug and you’re just introduced to a bereaved character.
The indescribly catchy music in the film, the lovable characters, the memorable Mufasa and the more grown up story line is how this film has stood the test of time and garnered a remake. Happy 25th!
Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction is undeniably one of the most important films of the 20th century. Tarantino, ever the maverick, created this neo-noir dark comedy the way he wanted to, not how Hollywood would have wanted to.
Its gore, long, uncut speeches, its impossible to follow editing and triple story line. This film was a big middle finger to the industry standards at the time. It’s often hailed as Tarantino’s finest work and remains today a beloved cult film.
The film didn’t care about its audience, Tarantino didn’t care about the audience, he cared about the plot and about the film itself. If you didn’t quite grasp the three different story lines all jumbled up, that was your problem. It’s unusual and over the top nature lends itself to creating some of the most iconic film moments of all time, such as the dance scene and the diner scene.
Forrest Gump
It’s impressive to make a film as powerful, as comedic and as emotional all filmed on a park bench, but that is exactly what Forrest Gump did.
Tom Hanks’ role as Forrest Gump is one of his most iconic, if not the most iconic if you don’t count Woody. The film follows a 40 year journey as described by Gump, from 1951 to 1981. The entire journey is recounted by Gump, whom due to a number of reasons, has an overwhelming childlike innocence despite his age.
The odd juxaposition of describing 40 years of growth and hardship, all from the mind of a man-child created one of the most emotional films of the 90s. It gave audiences an insight into a moral compass a lot of people wish they had: to love every body and to have unrelenting optimism.
The film is both sad and happy, sad for its story, happy for its characters. This marriage is one of the things that holds it up to this day.
The Mask
One of Jim Carrey’s most iconic works, sure he might be super type-cast, but in this movie it was to his benefit.
Crazy, zany, weird. The Mask stays in peoples’ memory as one of the more unusual comedies to ever have made it to the cinema screens. Unlike other comedies for kids that play it same, do bright colours, sing-songs and whatnot, this movie was pretty creepy. It didn’t shy away from showing The Mask for what he was, a totally insane, bright green maniac.
It had an ominious soundtrack, amazing costumes, ‘decent’ special effects, and some memorable theatrical moments. It also stands as the debut movie for none other than Cameron Diaz.
We’re not going to talk about the 2005 sequel though, we’re not going to be nostalgic to hear when that mistake turns 25.
The Shawshank Redemption
That’s right, the greatest movie of all time (according to IMDb) was also made in 1994. The Shawshank Redemption sits at the top of the movie hall of fame alongside the likes of The Godfather, Schindler’s List and Citizen Kane. It’s one of those films people say you ‘NEED’ to watch, and if they find out you haven’t, you’ll be hounded till you sit down with them and watch it.
The movie follows the story of two inmates as they deal with being in prison. Andy Dufresne is a fresh convinct and thus has to deal with adapting to prison life. Red is who shows Andy the roles, with the two eventually becoming friends. It’s a film on companionship and as the title suggests, it is a film about ‘redemption’.
The film has ‘A LOT’ of religious and philosophical messages to keep it going and to provide some intellectualism to the overwhelming grit within the film. It’s one of the most compelling moral stories in cinema, a philosophical journey of each inmate.
Happy birthday Shawshank.
