International Cinema Festival of India

When it comes to action films, the 1990s was a revolutionary decade. It was the start of computer generated effects becoming commonplace in films. We saw some pretty new stuff on the screen, and Toy Story was a game changer for animation, but we will not focus on Pixar cartoons.

There were many great action movies to be released in the 90s, but the following are some of my favorites.

Any list of films from the 90s that doesn’t include Terminator 2, action or not, is simply making a mistake. We had never seen anything like the T1000 turning to liquid.

It may have been 1999 when it came out, but that counts and The Matrix definitely makes the list. Starring Keanu Reeves as Neo, and Lawrence Fishburne in an iconic role as Morpheus, the Matrix combines many themes with a futuristic setting and awesome battle sequences.

One of the best action films from the 90s was no doubt Independence Day. This is one film that you can watch back and laugh at how terrible the effects are in hindsight. At the time, however, audiences had never seen anything like the White House being destroyed by a laser beam like that.

The Rock is another great action film. Sean Connery plays the only convict to ever escape from the Rock, also known as Alcatraz and when a hostage situation on the island turns nuclear, Connery and Nicholas Cage team up to break into the Rock and stop the bad guys.

The most critically acclaimed action film on this list is The Professional. Starring Natalie Portman in her breakout role, as well as the great Jean Reno, the Professional tells a story about a hitman (Reno) who takes a young girl (Portman) under her wing in a great revenge story.

I’ll include Armageddon on this list as well, even though I hate to admit how much I love this movie. Yes, its cheesy, but very enjoyable.

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