The '80s were an especially big period for innovation, both in technology and storytelling, with Hollywood being able to push the limit of what was possible on screen for audiences in theater seats. This trend continued into the early '90s, culminating in an entertainment age that contained blockbuster crowd-pleasers along with smaller stories that would only find a more modest audience, rounding out nearly every genre and type of film imaginable.

Thirty years ago may seem like a long time, but many of the social issues and dreams of the early '90s are shared by many young adults in the 2020s, which can be read as a reflection of how far we still have to go on many of our shared struggles or as a testament to how tenacious and determined human beings continue to be, in the face of so much.

Colorful animation, transgressive fiction, and stories that feel like they're pushing right up against the glass of the viewing screen are a staple of what was possible when corporate consolidation hadn’t quite gotten the grip it has today.

These are the best films from 1993 to watch if you’re looking for a good time, or just for a window into thirty years ago.

1. The Fugitive (August 26, 1993)

The Fugitive may be loosely adapted from a TV show from the 1960s of the same name, but Harrison Ford's riveting and emotionally charged portrayal of the falsely charged and on-the-run Dr. Richard Kimble is an iconic crime-thriller for the ages, and among the best in the genre.

The Fugitive is about a doctor whose wife has been murdered, and he’s been charged and found responsible. Now fleeing from authorities while also trying to exonerate himself, Kimble is locked into a high-stakes cat-and-mouse chase against a relentless U.S. Deputy Marshal, played by Tommy Lee Jones, in an equally memorable performance.

The Fugitive is available to stream on Max.

2. Jurassic Park (June 11, 1993)

The first Jurassic Park film is known for many things: Jeff Goldblum laughing unconventionally, somehow making Barbasol shaving cream cool, and Laura Dern sticking her hands in dinosaur poop. But perhaps above everything else, 1993's Jurassic Park is known for captivating audiences and taking them to a cinematic place that only feels possible inside the mind of Steven Spielberg.

When watching Jurassic Park even now, it's easy to forget the time it comes from, with how big and real everything feels, but this was due to the film’s tight combination of practical and computer-generated effects.

Jurassic Park is available to stream on Max and Hulu.

3. Army of Darkness (February 19, 1993)

Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series continues to impress audiences today, feeling very much like a modern horror franchise, so it may be surprising for some to learn how long the Evil Dead have been needing a groovy kick to the head.

Army of Darkness is an unholy amalgamation of violence, gore, mischief, and mayhem, in a story that could almost feel like a full-length animated Scooby-Doo feature, if not for Bruce Campbell's whirring, chainsaw-equipped arm and shotgun blasting back hordes of medieval monsters and demonic foes.

1993's Army of Darkness takes place after Evil Dead 2, trading the isolated locations and dilapidated cabins for a medieval village and castle, after Bruce Campbell's character accidentally travels back in time to the Middle Ages. Now it's up to him to save the world and time as we know it, and maybe even get a kiss, after the last demon's been destroyed.

Army of Darkness is available to stream on Netflix.

4. So I Married an Axe Murderer (July 30, 1993)

So I Married an Axe Murderer is just your standard romance story where a full-time beat poet (played by Mike Myers) is looking for love and finds it in the arms of a woman who might also be an axe murderer.

Part rom-com and part black comedy, So I Married an Axe Murderer is sharp and playful while also exploring the highs and lows of finding yourself and love when you're just not sure if you're cut out for it.

So I Married an Axe Murderer is available to stream on Max.

5. Swing Kids (March 5, 1993)

Swing Kids is loosely based on the kids who tried to resist what was happening around them in 1930s Germany--the swing kids that met in secret, sharing American music, dancing, and anti-fascist politics, all while their neighbors, family, and everyone else was swept up in a whirlwind storm of fascism, or simply looking the other way.

Swing Kids is available to rent digitally on Prime Video and other services.

6. Super Mario Bros. (May 28, 1993)

Before Nintendo and Illumination Entertainment collaborated on the colorful, CGI creation that gave us all Charlie Day's infectiously adorable portrayal of Luigi, we had 1993's live-action adaptation of the Super Mario Bros. It was filled with goombas that looked like humanoid lizards, and it was glorious, experimental, weird, and could only have come from the early '90s.

Taking inspiration from big, Hollywood, fairy-tale settings like The Wizard of Oz and the comedic rhythm and flow of 1984's Ghostbusters, the live-action Super Mario Bros. ultimately failed to find success financially or with audiences, but it has become a cult classic in the years since, with many people appreciating how much the film exercised the creative freedom granted by Nintendo.

Super Mario Bros. is not available to stream or purchase digitally but can still be purchased new on DVD and Blu-Ray.

7. We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story (November 24, 1993)

Another 1993 dinosaur film from Universal and Steven Speilberg, We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story was intended to be a family-friendly alternative to Jurassic Park. Though it failed to attract audiences and was largely considered a failure at the time, the animated feature later found an audience in the video rental market, helped in part by word-of-mouth and the continued success of the children's book sharing the same name, which was the inspiration for the film.

We're Back: is a colorful journey through the streets of New York, an exploitative circus led by an evil scientist, and the hearts and minds of a group of dinosaurs and the two kids they save and set on their path and way.

We're Back is available to rent digitally on Prime Video and other services.