Four words that everybody hates to hear – “Ready to feel old?”

For many, the 90s may feel like they were just yesterday, but the cold, dark reality is that 1999 was almost 20 years ago. Now, you can be depressed by the passing of time, or you can reflect on the past fondly — we here at The Geekiverse are choosing that second option. With 2018 well underway, we’re taking a look back at what made waves in the entertainment industry 20 years ago. The crew has come together to highlight the movies, television shows, and video games released in the year that was 1998. You might just be surprised to learn what is already two decades old.

Today, we’ve got movies that turn 20 in 2018, tomorrow will be television, while later this week will be video games. Until then, enjoy a look at what the film industry was up to way back in 1998!

Mulan

Released June 19th, 1998

Walt Disney delivered another classic in the summer of 1998, this time taking audiences to an era and a culture rarely highlighted in Western film. Based on the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, Disney’s Mulan was a gorgeously-animated movie that stressed the importance of honor, appreciation for one’s family, and the capability of women. Fa Mulan, who secretly took up her father’s place in the military to protect him, is one of the greatest female protagonists to ever grace the screen for her fearless efforts against the invading Huns. It was a critical and commercial success, and earned nominations at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. 20 years later, it is easy to see why a live-action version of the film has so many people excited.

Saving Private Ryan

Released July 24th, 1998

Considered by many the greatest war film ever made, Saving Private Ryan also may very well have been the greatest film of 1998. This unflinching look at World War 2 never relented in showing the most gruesome aspects of combat during that historic conflict, least of all during its legendary 27-minute opening. Saving Private Ryan began with an extended look at the Omaha Beach assault on Normandy, which still stands as one of the most intense and most haunting in the medium. The movie only got more sobering from there, as Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) lead a squad to rescue paratrooper Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), the last surviving brother of four servicemen. There are a number of incredible performances throughout the film, but Hanks put on one for the ages as the noble, immeasurably-disciplined leader of a brigade tasked with a mission that none of them quite understand, but realize must be completed, nonetheless. Saving Private Ryan was a success in all capacities; it was the second highest grossing film of 2018, and absolutely cleaned up at the Academy Awards, earning a whopping 11 nominations and taking home five Oscars.

There’s Something About Mary

Released July 15th, 1998

This raunchy romantic comedy forever changed the way that we looked at hair gel, and reminded men why one of our worst enemies is the dreaded pants zipper. It’s well-deserved R-rating didn’t hold back its returns–There’s Something About Mary was the highest grossing comedy in 1998, and the fourth highest grossing film, overall, that year. It’s also widely regarded as being the film that launched Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz to stardom as two of the biggest names in Hollywood. Ted’s (Stiller) desperate quest to reconnect with Mary (Diaz) and win her heart is loaded with lewd, irreverent gags that were far ahead of their time. Its humor was so edgy, that former NFL Quarterback Steve Young turned down a cameo role written specifically for him. That role would eventually be claimed by another legendary Quarterback, Brett Favre, who, like most critics, clearly had no issue with the film’s boundary-pushing laughs.

Deep Impact

Released May 8th, 1998

Today, the blockbuster rage is superheroes–in the mid-to-late 90s, it was disaster flicks that earned the most cutting edge special effects, and many of the biggest box office grosses. The popularity of the genre was firmly established in the summer of 1998, when two very similar films in Deep Impact and Armageddon pulled huge audiences to watch their global catastrophes. A stellar cast featuring Elijah Wood, Tea Leoni, Robert Duvall, Morgan Freeman, and James Cromwell took take in this particular movie of a massive comet set to strike earth, one that had a rather harrowing climax. The lengthy sequence of worldwide devastation featured some of the best special effects ever seen in movies at the time. Deep Impact went on to gross almost $350 million worldwide, and finished as the sixth highest grossing of that year.

Armageddon

Released July 1st, 1998

Audiences couldn’t get enough of asteroids on a collision course with Earth, as evidenced by the massive success that was Armageddon. Even though it released just two months after Deep Impact, Armageddon drew enormous receipts. At $553 million, Armageddon was the highest grossing film worldwide in 1998. No doubt, the movie’s ensemble cast played a role in its appeal, featuring the likes of Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Liv Tyler, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson, and William Fitchner. Although it wasn’t a darling in the eyes of critics, and even earned a number of Golden Raspberry nominations, Armageddon was well-regarded for its special effects, earning four nominations at the Academy Awards for its visuals and audio.

A Bug’s Life



Released November 25th, 1998

Perhaps the most underrated and often forgotten Pixar classic, A Bug’s Life was praised by both critics and fans, alike. It tells the story of Flik, an ant that gets his colony into a bit of trouble with the grasshoppers and goes out to search for “tough bugs.” He ends up finding circus bugs instead and what transpires is a game of wits and courage, proving that even the tiniest ant can do anything if he puts his mind to it and works hard. It’s a heartwarming tale for kids with hilarious writing for adults. There’s also an attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom called “It’s Tough to be a Bug” starring Flik and the other bugs from the film. And while it never did get a sequel, A Bug’s Life will always be one of our all time favorite Pixar films, especially for Geekiverse contributor Amanda.

Rush Hour

Released September 18, 1998

Rush Hour has a special place in the comedic hearts of The Geekiverse, especially those of editors Jeff Pawlak and Josiah LeRoy. Rush Hour stars the dynamic duo of Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as two cops whose paths become forever intertwined when a kidnapping conspiracy goes down. Chan and Tucker star as detectives Lee and Carter respectively, and the two would go on to become one of the most lovable buddy-cop pairings in cinematic history. Chan’s smooth, supremely-skilled martial arts combine with Tucker’s shrill, high pitch voice to form a match made in Heaven. The film would go on to spur 2 sequels and if everything goes right, a third. “Ah y’all look alike!” “Damn. He ain’t gonna be in Rush Hour 3.” We can’t believe it’s been 20 years.

GODZILLA

Released May 20th, 1998

America’s first take on a live-action Godzilla yielded mixed results, to say the least. Thanks to the name value of the character and the minds behind the film (Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich), as well as some very good marketing (that suggested we’d get a much more fearsome creature than what we ended up with), GODZILLA grossed $379 million. That number was good for the third highest worldwide gross in 1998. Unfortunately, critics were not so kind, while giant monster fans were justifiably ruthless. Tristar’s Godzilla’s gave the character a unique design, and brought some impressive CGI for the time, but lacked the spirit of the beloved monster. Godzilla is supposed to smash skyscrapers, breathe atomic fire, and laugh off military resistance; Tristar’s Godzilla had our eyes rolling as it ran away from helicopters and was eventually taken down by conventional missiles. Without either the powerful environmental themes or campy fun of the Japanese movies, the creature in Tristar’s Godzilla earned the name “GINO” from fans, which stood for “Godzilla In Name Only”. At least this all lead to an awesome animated series that was truer to the iconic monster.

Blade

Released August 21st, 1998

As we sit in the middle of the roaring success that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe (ironically enough, a movie entitled “The Avengers” released in 1998), it would only be right for fans to look back on Blade with appreciation, if not, respect. There’s a strong argument to be made that Blade was the first time that a Marvel Comics adaptation had success on the big screen. It may not have been narrative genius, but it wasn’t meant to be. Blade’s goal was to be a fierce, violent, exhilarating adaption of the vampire-hunting comic character (who is actually a vampire, himself; hello conflict!), and it absolutely accomplished that. The film did very well at the box office, and went on to spawn two sequels that would both earn strong grosses. Its cult following deserves to be bigger for what it achieved in the sphere of comic-to-film adaptations.

Other films released in 1998 – The Big Lebowski, Dr. Dolittle, Shakespeare in Love, Lethal Weapon 4, Spice World, The Wedding Singer, The X-Files, The Parent Trap, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Antz, A Night at the Roxbury, Bride of Chucky, American History X, The Waterboy, The Rugrats Movie, The Thin Red Line

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