Best Action Movie of Every Year in the 1990s: From Terminator 2 to The Matrix

Best Action Movie of Every Year in the 1990s: From Terminator 2 to The Matrix

The Wild Ride of 1990s Action Movies

If you ever wanted a decade that rewrote the rules of action films, the 1990s basically set the playbook. This was the era when muscle-bound heroes, smart-mouthed villains, and mind-bending special effects crashed into each other at full speed. Every year had a standout, with some names popping up again and again, while the genre itself spun off in new directions.

Let's kick it off in 1990 with Predator 2. This sequel dropped the alien hunter into the chaos of Los Angeles. No Schwarzenegger this time— instead, Danny Glover brought a hard-edged energy as a gritty cop up against something totally out of this world. The movie wasn't just about gun fights and explosions. It built on the original's lore, hinting at a bigger universe and attracting a loyal fan base.

1991 blew everything out of the water when James Cameron dropped Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Arnie's back—but as the good guy. The effects, especially liquid-metal T-1000, looked like something plucked from the future. Those morphing scenes are still wild today. It smashed box office records for the time, pulling in half a billion dollars, and every action fan has mimicked the "Hasta la vista, baby" line at least once.

By 1992, Under Siege took the Die Hard formula to a battleship. Steven Seagal, not everyone’s cup of tea, still pulled off playing a chef who takes on terrorists (and Tommy Lee Jones in full villain mode). This one’s pure ‘90s: wild martial arts, kitchen knife fights, and over-the-top showdowns.

Demolition Man owned 1993, with Sylvester Stallone’s cryo-awakened cop trying to outwit Wesley Snipes’ manic villain in a weirdly sanitized future. The blend of action, social satire, and wacky predictions (anyone remember the three seashells?) made it endlessly watchable for nostalgia-driven viewers.

Genre-Defining Hits and Unforgettable Moments

1994 gave us two heavy-hitters. Speed pitched Keanu Reeves into crazy territory as the hero cop on a city bus, forced to keep things rolling above 50 mph or face disaster. The tension barely lets up—every corner or car chase feels like you’re on that bus too. That same year, James Cameron delivered True Lies, cranking up both the spectacle and the laughs. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an undercover spy, Jamie Lee Curtis steals scenes as his clueless wife, and the movie juggled elaborate action setups with genuine comedy. Its box office numbers reflected how much audiences loved this mix.

By 1995, video games stormed theaters with Mortal Kombat. This was pure popcorn energy—a little cheesy but stylish, and totally aware of its arcade roots. Robin Shou’s Liu Kang and Christopher Lambert’s Raiden faced over-the-top villains, and the film didn’t shy away from martial arts flair or fantasy elements. While not a critic’s darling, it got game fans into theaters and still pops up at marathons and conventions.

1996 was all about big bangs, thanks to Michael Bay and The Rock. Imagine: Sean Connery teaming up with Nicolas Cage to break into Alcatraz. The villain? Ed Harris, playing a general with his own agenda. You can almost feel the Bayhem in every shot. It set the template for future blockbusters with wild car chases, shootouts, and those awkward one-liners between action beats.

High concepts dominated as the decade rolled on. In 1997, Face/Off pitted John Travolta and Nic Cage against each other in a John Woo bullet ballet, trading identities—and faces—in a plot only the ‘90s could pull off. 1998 brought the brutality and chaos of WWII to the big screen with Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan. Sure, it was a war film, but the D-Day landing is still one of the most intense action sequences ever filmed.

And then 1999. The Matrix. The Wachowskis rewrote everything you thought about what action could look like. Bullet time, leather coats, slow-motion dodges—Keanu Reeves as Neo, fighting the system one jaw-dropping move at a time. It closed out the decade by blowing open the possibilities for both practical stunts and the new digital frontier.

The ‘90s smashed together muscle, spectacle, and CGI breakthroughs, and the best from each year still spark nostalgia. Whether it was seeing a bus jump a freeway gap, a terminator walk through prison bars, or someone yell "Get over here!" in Mortal Kombat, these films weren’t just about explosions. They set the tone for how action movies would look and feel in the years to come.