Get ready for a blast from the past as we check out the best movies from 1997.
I was seven-years-old back in ’97, running around the park in Adidas Popper Pants and playing the best Gameboy games.
As a result, I definitely didn’t watch many of the movies in this list at the time. I have, however, dedicated a large portion of my life to watching as many films as possible, so you’re in good hands for the rest of this article.
From intergalactic agencies to a trip to Mount Olympus, this list of the best movies from 1997 will take you on a nostalgic tour of your youth.
Unless you were born after 1997… then it’ll be more like a historical journey into the past.
Man, I feel so old already and I’ve not even started.
Table of Contents
10. The Full Monty
Let’s kick off this list of the best movies from 1997 with the 90’s classic The Full Monty. Mark Addy, Robert Carlyle, and Tom Wilkinson all in one movie.
Talk about starting off with a strong cast!
If you haven’t seen The Full Monty before, then it’s probably not something you should watch with your parents. A film about a bunch of unemployed lads who think they’ll make money as strippers in 90’s Sheffield isn’t exactly family viewing.
It is hilarious though, and also touches on some pretty deep topics such as body image and depression.
For those of you that don’t know what ‘The Full Monty’ means, it means ‘everything including the kitchen sink’. In this case, ‘the kitchen sink’ means… well, it’s a film about strippers, so you can figure the rest out.
This film made $250-million and won multiple awards, as well as being the best selling film in the UK until the film at Number 6 surpassed it!
9. Men In Black
Come on, if you haven’t seen the duo of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in Men In Black, then have you really lived?
This secret group of special agents that monitor life outside of earth and protect humankind from being freaked out on a daily basis by aliens who live amongst them was who I wanted to work for as a kid.
Ok, so it’s not real, but who cares!
Plus the music video with Will Smith and the dancing alien was awesome back in the day.
Grossing $589.3 million worldwide, there’s no surprise that it spawned multiple sequels and a cartoon series. I had this film on VHS and played it so many times I’m surprised it didn’t get stuck in the VCR.
8. Liar Liar
Jim Carrey has been in some amazing movies through the course of his career thus far, and while his rendition of The Grinch in 2000 will aways be my favourite, Liar Liar is definitely one of his most critically acclaimed performances.
The idea of a lawyer that has always lied his entire life having to tell the truth for one-whole day and the change it makes on his life (for worse at first but for the better in the end) is brilliant.
I mean, lying through your teeth will always catch up with you in the end.
Standing as the middle film in the trilogy of films Carrey made with Tom Shadyac along with Ave Ventura and Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar is pure Carrey-brilliance from start to finish.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love Liar Liar, but maybe there are a few of you out there. Let us know your thoughts over on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
7. Hercules
Seven-year-old me loved the Hercules film. I went mad for the TV show too, and even went dressed as Hades one Halloween… though no-one knew who I was.
If you’ve never seen it, then this is a bona fide Disney classic. I’m a huge fan of Greek Mythology too, so anything loosely based on the Gods or their families is always a winner for me.
This is the first of two times Danny Devito will crop up in this list too, with the first time seeing him playing a faun called Phill.
The film follows Hercules, the son of Zeus, as he works to claim a place by his father’s side on Mount Olympus.
Along with his flying horse, Pegasus, Hercules must avoid a sticky end at the hands of his Uncle Hades, who is trying incredibly hard to stop him from succeeding.
This film was always going to have a place in this list for pure nostalgic reasons, but it’s also one of the most beloved Disney films of the franchise and one of the most exciting films of the 90s.
6. Titanic
I’m pretty sure that every-single-one of our readers has watched Titanic or at least seen part of it. It overtook The Full Monty to be the biggest grossing film in the UK, and it made James Cameron a heck of a lot of money too!
Titanic is the perfect mix of love and disaster intertwined with the true story of the Titanic sinking and the perils of the people aboard.
Compared to The Full Monty which cost $2.5 million to film, Cameron’s entry in our list cost a whopping $200 million!
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and featuring that weary song by Celine Dion, Titanic remains one of the best movies from 1997 and the most iconic films of the 90s.
It was actually the second film to make $2 billion. The first film was another one of Cameron’s films, Avatar! Everything this guy touches turns into gold!
5. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Lost World: Jurassic Park takes the 5th spot in this list of the best movies from 1997!
Do I really need to introduce this film? The second outing of Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough as Ian Malcolm and John Hammond is just as exciting as the first.
If anything, I like the darker undertones in this film more. It feels scarier, and Spielberg has used computer-generated dino’s perfectly while taking inspiration from The Lost World Novel by author Michael Crichton.
Head to Isla Sorna alongside Vince Vaughn, Julianna Moore, and a tonne of raptors.
This film, and indeed the book it is based on, are a product of the fans demanding more Jurrasic-action from Crichton. Talk about the pressure to be creative!
4. The Fifth Element
Sci-fi fans will no doubt know all about The Fifth Element starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Mila Jovovich.
Rescuing mystical stones in order to save the earth from a 23rd century-style attack never looked so good!
The period of time from the story being started to the film being shown in cinema took 22 years. That’s a labour of love right there, but the end result is phenomenal .
And the cinematography is incredible too. With Jean-Paul Gaultier in charge of costumes and famous comic book writers Moebius and Jean-Claude Mézières on board, it was always going to be a success.
I think the fact that Willis plays a taxi driver that ends up having to save the world is what makes this film so relatable. Ok, so it doesn’t exactly happen every day, but many of us dream of making a difference and getting out of the normal 9-5 to save the world every now and again… right?
3. L.A Confidential
Ok, so let’s forget the controversies around Kevin Spacey and just concentrate on how much of a great film L.A Confidential is.
A gritty crime film starring Guy Pierce, Danny Devito, Russel Crowe, and the fantastic Kim Bassenger, with undertones of corruption in the LAPD and a plot to uncover a massive conspiracy.
Everyone has their own agenda in this film, leaving the viewer piecing together different segments of information as they try to figure out who the killer is, who’s good, who’s bad, and what the heck is going on!
L.A Confidential feels very much like a modern day version of a Film-Noir title. Grossing $126 million, it’s not the biggest earner in our list, but it’s definitely one of the most cleverly-written and intriguing to watch!
2. Con Air
This film had to be in this list just for Steve Buscemi’s eyes alone! Con Air is my favourite Nicolas Cage movie, hands down.
A film about escaped prisoners is exciting enough, but when you add in an airplane designed to carry prisoners nicknamed ‘Con Air’, then things start to get even more manic.
The cast in this film is unreal too. As well as Cage and Buscemi, there’s also the mighty Danny Trejo, Dave Chappelle, and Ving Rhame.
The music is killer, as are some of the cons in this film too… It’s tense, it’s explosive, and it’s one of the best movies from 1997!
1. Good Will Hunting
Come on, it had to be, didn’t it? The best film of 1997 is undoubtedly Good Will Hunting starring Robin Williams and Matt Damon.
This is such a moving story and one of my favourite Robin Williams films other than Mrs Doubtfire. Matt Damon also gives a stellar performance as the titular character Will Hunting, a super-brainy guy who, while he could have any kind of job fit for a genius, works as a cleaner at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
I don’t want to tell you too much about the plot now, but I will say it’ll have you on the edge of your seat and then hugging whoever is sat next to you.
It’s a tale of kindness and believing in the potential of others, and it’ll 100% make you a better person for watching it.
Yes Good Will Hunting takes the top place in our best movies from 1997. Now please excuse me as I go and watch it with my dog Bilbo… he’s going to be the one crying, not me.
Seb Santabarbara has bought every Nintendo console that has ever been released in his 33 years on Planet Earth. His favourite game franchise is Zelda, and he’s patiently waiting for Banjo-Kazooie to come back to the fold. When he’s not playing games, he’s travelling the world in his self-converted camper van.
