I was watching one of my favorite movies the other night. The film, by the way, is Children of Men. It's immersive science fiction that has only grown more relevant over time and I think it should be essential viewing for anyone interested in the genre.
I absolutely see myself recommending it to people ten years from now and even twenty years from now. But how many younger people are aware of its existence?
Wow, just writing that sentence made me feel old.
People were more than happy to share recommendations after Redditor cartstanza asked the online community:
"You have to recommend an absolutely must see, pre-2000 movie to a teenager... which one is it?"
The Truman Show (1998)
"The Truman Show has marked me, and I feel like this is even more relevant than back then."
Universe-mmt
Giphy
It absolutely is!
It's honestly grown more disturbing to me the older I get.
A remarkably prescient and emotional film.
Jurassic Park (1993)
"I was born too late for the Star Wars craze but I hear my older friends and family members go on about how incredible it was, watching the first Star Wars in the theatre."
"Jurassic Park is the same for me and my friends who are in our late 30s/early 40s; we all vividly recall seeing those dinosaurs on that giant movie screen, and how it changed the way movies were viewed from that point on. Absolutely incredible."
orange-cuse
Giphy
Jurassic Park has aged beautifully and should be essential viewing for anyone who loves a good sci-fi film.
Back to the Future (1985)
"Back to the Future. I showed this to kids recently and they had one issue. They had trouble telling the difference between the two times. To them, both are so long ago no cell phones etc. They don't get the difference in clothes and music."
NBNJ
Giphy
Wow, way to make me feel old with this statement.
Help.
Office Space (1997)
"Office Space. Surprisingly, only gets more accurate over time."
"If you go the college-educated route, there is a good chance this will be your life. Yeah, yeah, we have open office plans now which knocked down the actual cubicle walls, and the computer screens have gotten flatter, but Lumbergh and Milton still exist."
One_Standard_Deviant
Giphy
Considering that Gen Z has continued to push back against traditional office culture and has embraced remote work, I think many of them would appreciate much of what Office Space has to say.
Airplane! (1980)
"Airplane! I feel like a lot of older comedies haven't aged very well, but Airplane is still just as funny now as when it was new, and a lot of the humor definitely is the type that appeals to a teenager."
ElToberino
Giphy
A classic!
Leslie Nielsen was such a talent.
How has he been gone for so long?
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
"Saving Private Ryan. Yes, the opening scene is graphic but that’s the point."
ElToberino
Giphy
Steven Spielberg pretty much won the Best Director Oscar for the opening scene alone.
Definitely a must-see for anyone interested in checking out his filmography.
Ghostbusters (1984)
"Ghostbusters. So they can know that there's a good reason they keep going back to that well - the first one kicked ass."
Ranger-Prick
Giphy
Yeah, let's just ignore everything else that came after it.
Wasn't that good, and I say that as someone who is not in love with the first film, either.
But if you want to get into movies from the 1980s, then Ghostbusters is absolutely essential viewing.
Mallrats (1995)
"Mallrats. It is the perfect microcosm of 90s culture. Exaggerated, yes, but wonderful in so many ways."
Lexi_Banner
Giphy
This film, Clerks, and Chasing Amy pretty much defined Kevin Smith's career and made him into an indie darling.
His films are very different now.
It's interesting to note his evolution.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
"The Shawshank Redemption."
"No other movie even comes remotely close. There's other 10/10 brilliant movies out there, but Shawshank is the only truly 11/10 movie ever made, it transcends perfection."
Archiive
Giphy
Indeed a classic in every sense of the word.
It's a thrilling and engaging film.
Frank Darabont's three Stephen King adaptations–the other two being The Green Mile and The Mist–are beautifully rendered.
Heathers (1989)
"Heathers. I recommended this for my niece's slumber party 10 years ago and they rang me in the middle of it to tell me how great I was for making them watch it."
Different-Street-919
Giphy
I saw this as a teenager, loved it and then was pretty disturbed by how dark it got toward the end.
A gripping film from start to finish.
Well, what are you waiting for?
There are so many more films to see, but honestly, these are a great start. It'll be interesting to see how different this list might look in the next 20 years or so!
Have some suggestions of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
@_TheLoneFox_/X
@EliasGravesLit/X
@chirurgus84/X
@MichaelSalfino/X
@flyingspghetti/X
@EraRemix/X
Comedy Central
Comedy Central
