Considered a transitional period in many ways, the 1990s were not only the last decade of the Twentieth Century but also the last to arguably have a distinct identity. This applied to not just the styles of clothing, but even the music, genres, and movies.
For instance, there were particular tropes and cliches in 90s movies which separated them from movies in other decades. But while some cliches would appear in later movies to an extent, others faded away. Whether it was due to changing trends or greater social awareness, these 90s tropes don’t usually show up in movies nowadays.
Cool Characters That Wear Small Shades
In 90s movies, we saw characters sporting sleek small shades as opposed to the round bulkier ones from the 80s and earlier. The point, though, was the same, as it gets across the coolness of the character wearing shades without saying anything.
Sometimes, these small shades would be paired with long black trench coats clothing-wise, as clearly seen in the Blade and Matrix movies. Plus, cool characters would wear shades regardless of what genre their movie was whether it was action-related or comedic. These days, shades are typically worn by cool characters in action movies and not much else.
Obvious Environmental Message That’s Shoved In
Before Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, there was a growing awareness in the 90s about our impact on the environment. This in turn led to movies that attempted to raise such awareness by having characters protect the environment from cartoonishly evil bad guys.
Granted, most of these were kids movies such as FernGully and Once Upon a Forest. But there were a couple that involved notable action stars such as Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris, who starred in On Deadly Ground and Forest Warrior respectively. Since the 90s, the only major film that was obvious in its environmental message was James Cameron’s Avatar.
Alternative Rock Or Hip Hop Music In Soundtrack
With origins in 80s grunge and urban street music, alternative rock and hip hop were arguably the two most popular music genres during the 90s. So naturally, many movies during this period would incorporate either genre into their soundtracks in order to be ‘hip with the kids’.
Some movies even featured popular artists from these genres as a form of self-promotion with examples like Cool as Ice which starred the rapper Vanilla Ice. Or at the very least, these artists would make a cameo. Now while band cameos still happen in movies alongside hip hop/rap-oriented soundtracks, alternative rock seems to have gone out of favor lately.
One Person Who’s A Goth/Emo Kid
Though there isn’t a clear delineation, Goths and Emos have some differences. For instance, while the Goth movement was influenced by 1800s art and literature, Emo relates to a type of punk music. But clothing-wise, they are very similar and this style became more noticeable during the 90s.
Subsequently, there would be at least one character in a movie who is a Goth/Emo kid or influenced by the clothing style. A few popular examples include Nancy Downs from The Craft and The Crow’s titular character. While a Goth/Emo kid does occasionally show up in current movies, it’s not as common.
Monkey Who Serves As A Quirky Animal Companion
For whatever reason, the 90s had a lot of movies that featured monkeys as animal companions. These ranged from small Capuchin monkeys like Fingers from Monkey Trouble to Orangutans such as the titular ape of Dunston Checks In.
While arguable precursors to these kinds of movies could be seen in 50s comedies like Bedtime for Bonzo, they weren’t as common compared to 90s ones. These include films that used real monkeys like the Ace Ventura movies as well as actors in ape costumes such as George of the Jungle. But with the advancement of CGI, there’s no need to use costumes or real monkeys.
Skater/Surfer Dudes That Show Up At Least Once
During the mid to late 90s, extreme sports became incredibly popular. These included skateboarding and surfing, which had well-known celebrities like Tony Hawk and Kelly Slater. As a result, it became an unspoken requirement to include skater or surfer dudes in movies.
While some focused on characters that participated in one of these sports like Surf Ninjas, others had such characters show up at least once. Quality-wise, only a handful of these were genuinely good while the rest were soon forgotten. Additionally, as extreme sports became more of a niche interest, fewer skaters/surfers showed up in the media.
Teenage Hackers Who Can Do Anything
Living in a world where the Internet has become integrated into our daily lives, one has to marvel at some of the ridiculous notions people had about it in the 90s. After all, the Internet was just getting started and so the possibilities seemed endless.
Thus, we got a bunch of movies that had teenage hackers in them who could literally pull off anything on the computer. Some famous examples include the teens from Hackers, which included a young Angelina Jolie, and the girl Lex Murphy in Jurassic Park. Now while hackers do still show up in movies nowadays, they tend not to be teenagers.
Nerdy Character Gets A Makeover To Be Accepted
From Clueless to She’s All That, most 90s teen movies had at least one scene where a nerdy character gets a makeover that makes them prettier. Typically, these nerds were female and they were either doing it to fit in with the popular kids or get the attention of a guy they liked.
At the time, this trope seemed harmless as there were predecessors like Grease and The Breakfast Club. Yet some feminist sites like Refinery29 have pointed out problems with the trope. Though since the early 2000s with movies like The Princess Diaries, makeover scenes don’t show up as much.
Man Dresses Up As Woman For The Sake Of Comedy
Even though comedy is meant to make us laugh, it is also subject to change depending on people’s tastes. For instance, men crossdressing as women was a common trope in many comedic movies. This was especially true in the 90s, with the popularity of such films as Mrs. Doubtfire and The Birdcage.
But as The Guardian points out, they end up perpetuating stereotypes about how women should behave and look. In addition, some of them come across as unintentionally insulting to the transgender community. So given that recent cross-dressing comedies like Jack and Jill weren’t critically liked, it’s a sign of changing times.
Token Native American Characters Who Are Mystical
Because of the long and complicated history regarding Native Americans, their depiction in media has changed a lot. For instance, they were originally depicted as "The Other." Then in the 70s, Native American rights were protested followed by a shift in the media to portray them as more sympathetic.
Yet this led to another stereotype where a Native American character is mystical and aids the white protagonist. A clear example of this can be seen with The Indian in the Cupboard and other 90s kids movies. Since then, the only recent film that had such a character was The Lone Ranger movie in 2013 and there was significant racial backlash against it.