1997 Ranked Films
The ranked list of 1997 films that I have seen so far.
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- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.10/10
Colossal in size both literally and figuratively, Titanic is a groundbreaking romantic disaster film that perfectly encapsulates the talents of James Cameron. - DirectorRoberto BenigniStarsRoberto BenigniNicoletta BraschiGiorgio CantariniWhen an open-minded Jewish waiter and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp.10/10
Wonderfully charming but not at the expense of its grim, real-world implications, Life is Beautiful finds Roberto Benigni overseeing his writer-director-star roles with aplomb. - DirectorGus Van SantStarsRobin WilliamsMatt DamonBen AffleckWill Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T., has a gift for mathematics, but needs help from a psychologist to find direction in his life.10/10
With a Matt Damon-Ben Affleck screenplay that's universally relatable and potent, Good Will Hunting makes a case for itself as one of the most inspiring character dramas to date. - DirectorCurtis HansonStarsKevin SpaceyRussell CroweGuy PearceAs corruption grows in 1950s Los Angeles, three policemen - one strait-laced, one brutal, and one sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.10/10
Arguably perfecting the neo-noir formula, L.A. Confidential capitalizes on a terrific sense of tone to weave a multilayered tale of deception and corruption in the City of Angels. - DirectorJames L. BrooksStarsJack NicholsonHelen HuntGreg KinnearA single mother and waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship after the artist is assaulted in a robbery.10/10
Thoroughly humorous and personable without underplaying the potent characterizations driving the emotion, As Good as It Gets has a terrific leading trio rounding it out in the best way possible. - DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsMark WahlbergJulianne MooreBurt ReynoldsBack when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, an idealistic porn producer aspires to elevate his craft to an art when he discovers a hot young talent.9/10
Energized by a dynamite script and direction from Paul Thomas Anderson, Boogie Nights owns both sides of the comedic-dramatic coin with the help of perfectly cast actors. - DirectorKevin SmithStarsBen AffleckJoey Lauren AdamsEthan SupleeHolden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.9/10
Populated by interesting, realistic characters, Chasing Amy boasts more seamlessly scripted dialogue from writer-director Kevin Smith. - DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteTwo years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.9/10
A slasher sequel that's surprisingly worthy of its innovative predecessor, Scream 2 ups the ante by doubling down on dynamic characters surrounded by danger and intrigue. - DirectorMike NewellStarsAl PacinoJohnny DeppMichael MadsenAn FBI undercover agent infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the Mafia life--at the expense of his regular one.8/10
Donnie Brasco doesn't crescendo in quite the way it should, however some truly tangible and intimate characterizations keep its undercover intrigue thriving. - DirectorRon ClementsJohn MuskerStarsTate DonovanSusan EganJames WoodsThe son of Zeus and Hera is stripped of his immortality as an infant and must become a true hero in order to reclaim it.8/10
While not the finest effort to come out of the Disney Renaissance, Hercules nevertheless does well to lean into its mythological angle as it tells a classic zero-to-hero narrative. - DirectorTom ShadyacStarsJim CarreyMaura TierneyAmanda DonohoeA pathological liar-lawyer finds his career turned upside down when he inexplicably cannot physically lie for 24 whole hours.8/10
Featuring a Jim Carrey at his energetic best, Liar Liar may have a simple setup but more than executes on its way to delivering a comedy that has something for just about everyone. - DirectorDon BluthGary GoldmanStarsMeg RyanJohn CusackChristopher LloydThe last surviving child of the Russian Royal Family joins two con men to reunite with her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, while the undead Rasputin seeks her death.8/10
Though it could be considered off-brand Disney, Anastasia nevertheless backs up its revisionist history with a slew of memorable songs. - DirectorJohn WooStarsJohn TravoltaNicolas CageJoan AllenTo foil a terrorist plot, FBI agent Sean Archer assumes the identity of the criminal Castor Troy who murdered his son through facial transplant surgery, but the crook wakes up prematurely and vows revenge.8/10
With John Woo at his most delightfully unrestrained, Face/Off relies on the zany antics of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage to ham up its absurd premise to entertaining effect. - DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsTommy Lee JonesWill SmithLinda FiorentinoJames, an NYC cop, is hired by Agent K of a secret government agency that monitors extraterrestrial life on Earth. Together, they must recover an item that has been stolen by an intergalactic villain.7/10
Appropriately weird and quirky, Men in Black thrives off the comedic chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. - DirectorLuc BessonStarsBruce WillisMilla JovovichGary OldmanIn the colorful future, a cab driver unwittingly becomes the central figure in the search for a legendary cosmic weapon to keep Evil and Mr. Zorg at bay.7/10
The Fifth Element can be unrestrained at times, but thanks to Luc Besson’s visual flair it works as an offbeat space epic. - DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsPam GrierSamuel L. JacksonRobert ForsterA flight attendant with a criminal past gets nabbed by the ATF for smuggling. Under pressure to become an informant against the illegal arms dealer she works for, she must find a way to secure her future without getting killed.7/10
Jackie Brown is able to pull off its intricate story of deception with more richly drawn Quentin Tarantino characters, even if it feels a bit inert compared to his other films. - DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean PennAfter a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.7/10
The execution of its intriguing premise proves rather convoluted, though The Game is largely saved from the taut direction of David Fincher and its unflinching intensity. - DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsHarrison FordGary OldmanGlenn CloseCommunist radicals hijack Air Force One with the U.S. President and his family on board. The Vice President negotiates from Washington D.C., while the President, a veteran, fights to rescue the hostages on board.7/10
Air Force One can get quite ludicrous as it tries to one-up similar action movies, but otherwise is fairly solid thanks to a staunch performance from Harrison Ford. - DirectorGeorge Tillman Jr.StarsVanessa WilliamsVivica A. FoxNia LongOne person can keep a family together and, when that one person is gone, a family can be torn apart.7/10
Even though it delves into melodrama at times, Soul Food remembers the first half of its title as it serves up some nourishing character development. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsDjimon HounsouMatthew McConaugheyAnthony HopkinsIn 1839, the revolt of Mende captives aboard a Spanish owned ship causes a major controversy in the United States when the ship is captured off the coast of Long Island. The courts must decide whether the Mende are slaves or legally free.7/10
More stagey than your average Spielberg drama, Amistad nevertheless has emotional vigor in the right place held aloft by a powerful ensemble. - DirectorVincenzo NataliStarsNicole de BoerMaurice Dean WintDavid HewlettA group of strangers awaken to find themselves placed in a giant cube. Each one of them is gifted with a special skill and they must work together to escape an endless maze of deadly traps.7/10
A wholly pleasing bridge between science-fiction and horror, Cube finds writer-director Vincenzo Natali taking a technically unique setup and surrounding it with crisp direction. - DirectorTaylor HackfordStarsKeanu ReevesAl PacinoCharlize TheronAn exceptionally-adept Florida lawyer is offered a job at a high-end New York City law firm with a high-end boss--the biggest opportunity of his career to date.7/10
The Devil's Advocate gets a little silly toward the end, but a pervasive sense of dread gives it the energy it needs to unnerve throughout. - DirectorGregory NavaStarsJennifer LopezEdward James OlmosJon SedaThe true story of Selena, a Texas-born Tejano singer who rose from cult status to performing at the Astrodome, as well as having chart-topping albums on the Latin music charts.7/10
Handling the tragic end of its eponymous star about as well as it can, Selena is a familiar rise-to-fame biopic that's elevated by the convincing performances from Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos. - DirectorAndrew NiccolStarsEthan HawkeUma ThurmanJude LawA genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.6/10
Gattaca doesn’t always have the wherewithal to capitalize on its premise, but some weighty speculative fiction is more than enough to make it unique. - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsYôji MatsudaYuriko IshidaYûko TanakaOn a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.6/10
Princess Mononoke’s ecological themes beget a somewhat monotonous tempo, but it remains too richly rendered to ignore. - DirectorJay RoachStarsMike MyersElizabeth HurleyMichael YorkA world-class playboy and part-time secret agent from the 1960s emerges after thirty years in a cryogenic state to battle with his nemesis Dr. Evil.6/10
Introducing one of Mike Myers's most iconic characters, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a witty and groovy sendup of the spy genre. - DirectorRobert ZemeckisStarsJodie FosterMatthew McConaugheyTom SkerrittDr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.6/10
Bloated and not quite as intellectual as it thinks it is, Contact still benefits from a determined Jodie Foster and a potent sense of cosmic wonder. - DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsSteven SoderberghScott AllenBetsy BrantleyFletcher Munson, the lethargic employee of a pseudo-religious self help company, and his doppelganger, the friendly but dull dentist Dr. Jeffrey Korchek.6/10
Bizarre and comedically arresting, Schizopolis more than lives up to its kooky title and should interest fans of Steven Soderberg, even if casual viewers need not apply. - DirectorGeorge ArmitageStarsJohn CusackMinnie DriverDan AykroydMartin Blank is a professional assassin. He is sent on a mission to a small Detroit suburb, Grosse Pointe, and, by coincidence, his ten-year high school reunion party is taking place there at the same time.6/10
Its crime-comedy genre-blending leaves Grosse Pointe Blank feeling a tad tepid, though in its endearing characterizations is imbued a genuine personality. - DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsMira SorvinoJeremy NorthamAlexander GoodwinThree years ago, entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease. Now, the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind.6/10
Mimic can only assume the thinnest veneer of character development and logic, but Guillermo del Toro's atmosphere and creature work keep it clicking. - DirectorBrian RobbinsStarsKel MitchellKenan ThompsonSinbadA dim-witted teenager and his new coworker try to save the old burger joint they work for from failing after the opening of a brand new burger restaurant across the street, which's planning to put them out of business.6/10
Overly energetic and rife with idiot humor, Good Burger is also strangely in on the joke, rendering this amiable kids comedy largely enjoyable. - DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNathan LaneLee EvansVicki LewisTwo stumblebum inheritors are determined to rid their antique house of a mouse who is equally determined to stay where he is.5/10
Mousehunt will retain the attention of little ones, though it ultimately falls into the trap of relying solely on slapstick to do so. - DirectorFrank OzStarsKevin KlineJoan CusackTom SelleckA midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.5/10
Kevin Kline and company inject In & Out with appropriate levels of levity, however the film's flippant attitude toward sensitive themes undermines its overall message. - DirectorDavid MirkinStarsMira SorvinoLisa KudrowJaneane GarofaloTwo dim-witted, inseparable friends hit the road for their ten-year high school reunion and concoct an elaborate lie about their lives in order to impress their classmates.5/10
It has a well matched Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow going for it, however Romy and Michele's High School Reunion's light approach to plot and humor make it a lukewarm affair. - DirectorCharles Martin SmithStarsMichael JeterKevin ZegersWendy MakkenaAn unexpected player joins the school basketball team - a circus dog who escaped from a cruel master.5/10
An easy free throw, Air Bud will appeal to the dog-lover demographic but refuses to flesh itself out beyond its simple setup. - DirectorSam WeismanStarsBrendan FraserLeslie MannThomas Haden ChurchA man raised in the jungle by apes falls in love with a wealthy American heiress.5/10
Enthusiastic but unable to transcend its own camp, George of the Jungle swings in and out of the viewer’s consciousness with little consequence. - DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsJeff GoldblumJulianne MoorePete PostlethwaiteA research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there, while an InGen team approaches with another agenda.5/10
A fairly underwhelming follow-up without being totally devoid of thrills, The Lost World: Jurassic Park still proves unable to recreate the same kind of dino magic. - DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsCasper Van DienDenise RichardsDina MeyerHumans, in a fascist militaristic future, wage war with giant alien bugs.4/10
Stuck somewhere in between satire and seriousness, Starship Troopers has all the Paul Verhoeven camp audiences are accustomed to but none of the discipline. - DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsPierce BrosnanJonathan PryceMichelle YeohJames Bond sets out to stop a media mogul's plan to induce war between China and the UK in order to obtain exclusive global media coverage.4/10
Competent but largely forgettable, Tomorrow Never Dies lacks the sociopolitical shrewdness it needs to support not only the themes but the plot. - DirectorJim GillespieStarsJennifer Love HewittSarah Michelle GellarAnne HecheFour young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.4/10
Derivative though not wholly devoid of thrills, I Know What You Did Last Summer and its quartet of young stars prove inadequate in engrossing the viewer in this particular campfire story. - DirectorMick JacksonStarsTommy Lee JonesAnne HecheGaby HoffmannA volcano erupts in downtown Los Angeles and a city official and a seismologist try to stop its inevitable flow through the city.4/10
While keeping a steady stream of perilous tension, Volcano's hackneyed approach to the disaster movie formula loses steam before long. - DirectorLuis LlosaStarsJon VoightJennifer LopezEric StoltzA "National Geographic" film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who forces them along on his quest to capture the world's largest - and deadliest - snake.4/10
A creature-feature with a serpentine twist, Anaconda loses its grip on the kind of climactic tension it needs before long. - DirectorMimi LederStarsGeorge ClooneyNicole KidmanMarcel IuresA US Army colonel and a civilian woman supervising him must track down stolen Russian nuclear weapons before they're used by terrorists.3/10
The Peacemaker is competently directed for an action-thriller but even that can't compensate for a flailing screenplay, particularly in the third act. - DirectorGary FlederStarsMorgan FreemanAshley JuddCary ElwesPolice hunting for a serial kidnapper are helped when a victim manages to escape for the first time.3/10
This Morgan Freeman-led police procedural benefits from some potent atmosphere, but Kiss the Girls falters narratively when it comes time for revelations. - DirectorSimon WestStarsNicolas CageJohn CusackJohn MalkovichNewly-paroled ex-con and former U.S. Ranger Cameron Poe finds himself trapped in a prisoner-transport plane when the passengers seize control.3/10
Brash, unrelenting and downright unpleasant, Con Air is one sloppy and over-the-top action setpiece with little self-awareness. - DirectorPaul W.S. AndersonStarsLaurence FishburneSam NeillKathleen QuinlanA rescue crew is tasked with investigating the mysterious reappearance of a spaceship that had been lost for seven years.3/10
Event Horizon has a sci-fi concept with plenty of potential, however it lacks the visual creativity with which to execute it. - DirectorPeter HyamsStarsPenelope Ann MillerTom SizemoreLinda HuntA homicide detective and an anthropologist try to destroy a South American lizard-like god, who's on a people eating rampage in a Chicago museum.3/10
Despite having an intriguing setup built into its DNA, The Relic is a poorly written creature feature without the fangs to execute it. - DirectorMel SmithStarsRowan AtkinsonPeter MacNicolJohn MillsThe bumbling Mr. Bean travels to America when he is given the responsibility of bringing a highly valuable painting to a Los Angeles museum.3/10
There's no denying Rowan Atkinson's dedication to the title character, however Bean's filmic transition from sitcom shenanigans remains bumbling at best. - DirectorJean-Pierre JeunetStarsSigourney WeaverWinona RyderDominique PinonTwo centuries after her death, a powerful human/alien hybrid clone of Ellen Ripley aids a crew of space pirates in stopping the aliens from reaching Earth.2/10
Alien: Resurrection wants to give Sigourney Weaver one last satisfying ride, though it unfortunately wraps up this era of the franchise in disappointing fashion. - DirectorRoger DonaldsonStarsPierce BrosnanLinda HamiltonJamie Renée SmithA volcanologist arrives at a countryside town recently named the second-most desirable place to live in America, and discovers that a nearby long-dormant volcano may awaken at any moment.2/10
All buildup but with little genuine eruption, Dante's Peak won't give disaster movie junkies the kind of disaster they're looking for. - DirectorLes MayfieldStarsRobin WilliamsMarcia Gay HardenChristopher McDonaldAn absent-minded professor discovers "flubber," a rubber-like super-bouncy substance.2/10
As amoebic and flimsy as its title creature, Flubber may have Robin Williams but it can’t help but ooze incompetence. - DirectorRaja GosnellStarsAlex D. LinzOlek KrupaRya KihlstedtAlex Pruitt, an 8-year-old boy living in Chicago, must fend off international spies who seek a top-secret computer chip in his toy car.2/10
Without the franchise’s brightest stars, Home Alone 3 tries to inherent the same spirit of its predecessors but ends up shooting itself in the foot instead. - DirectorJohn PasquinStarsTim AllenMartin ShortJoBeth WilliamsA man learns he has a thirteen-year-old son who was raised in the jungle and brings the boy to New York City, turning his life upside down in the process.2/10
Unable to conjure the kind of comedic returns as Tim Allen’s other successes, Jungle 2 Jungle is an Americanized remake that should have spared the expenses. - DirectorStuart GillardStarsHarland WilliamsJessica LundyWilliam SadlerFred Z. Randall is a geeky spacecraft designer who gets the chance to make his dream come true and travel to Mars.2/10
With a derivative and largely unfunny central character, RocketMan crashes back down to Earth fairly quickly. - DirectorMichael RitchieStarsMartin ShortMara WilsonRobert PastorelliA bumbling fairy godfather tries to grant a girl's wish that her cabby father lands a Broadway role.2/10
So lowbrow even children will find it pedestrian, A Simple Wish should've pinned its hopes on funnier material or an original story. - DirectorJoel SchumacherStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerGeorge ClooneyChris O'DonnellBatman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.1/10
Utterly devoid of the dark gravitas that founded the franchise, Batman & Robin trades mysticism and intrigue for campy, neon antics. - DirectorStephen KesslerStarsChevy ChaseBeverly D'AngeloRandy QuaidIn the fourth outing for the vacation franchise, the Griswolds have to survive Vegas fever when they go to Las Vegas for a fun family vacation.1/10
A hollow shell of what the franchise used to be, Vegas Vacation doubles down on delivering another memorable trip but loses big time. - DirectorStanley TongStarsLeslie NielsenKelly LynchMatt KeeslarThe myopic millionaire defeats jewel smugglers in his usual bumbling manner.1/10
Borderline offensive and unable to decipher how Leslie Nielsen works best, Mr. Magoo is proof that some animated adaptations are better left unseen. - DirectorMark A.Z. DippéStarsMichael Jai WhiteJohn LeguizamoMartin SheenAn elite mercenary is killed, but comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil.1/10
With horrendous special effects and zero self-awareness, Spawn is an unpleasant and undisciplined bastardization of the source material come straight from Hell. - DirectorJan de BontStarsSandra BullockJason PatricWillem DafoeA computer hacker breaks into the computer system of the Seabourn Legend cruise liner and sets it speeding on a collision course into a gigantic oil tanker.1/10
Mind-numbingly erratic and an overall poor imitation of the first film, Speed 2: Cruise Control doesn't even make it out of the harbor. - DirectorKenneth JohnsonStarsShaquille O'NealAnnabeth GishJudd NelsonA scientist for the military turns himself into a cartoon-like superhero when a version of one of his own weapons is being used against enemies.1/10
As clunky as the titular character's suit, Steel and Shaquille O'Neal's wooden acting can't steel viewers for how lackluster this superhero adaptation is. - DirectorAnthony WallerStarsTom Everett ScottJulie DelpyVince VielufAn American man unwittingly gets involved with French werewolves who have developed a serum allowing them to transform at will.1/10
Wholly unworthy to even be considered a sequel, where the original film used camp to spice up the proceedings, An American Werewolf in Paris just becomes a sloppy mess. - DirectorJohn R. LeonettiStarsRobin ShouTalisa SotoJames RemarA group of martial-arts warriors has only six days to save the Earth from an extra-dimensional invasion.1/10
Somehow leaps and bounds worse than the first film, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation has some of the worst dialogue and fight sequences ever put to screen.