5 1990s Action Movies Every ’80s Kid Thought Were Awesome But Are Ridiculous Now

The 1990s were a great decade for movies, with many memorable titles released in the final years of the 20th century. The media of the era is often described as being unnecessarily edgy, with too much focus on trying to establish how cool any given movie or TV show should be considered. This is particularly true in the action movies of the ’90s, where most films centered on a specific action star for their screen presence. However, the action of the 1990s typically lacks the more playful tone of the 1980s, and instead tried to make everything seem as cool as possible to its audience.

Kids of the ’80s who caught these films while growing up sadly fell for it, and many of them truly believed these movies were awesome. While there were many underrated action movies in the ’90s, there were many more titles that once seemed incredibly cool that no longer hold up. Watching these once awesome action movies back today highlights just how ridiculous some of the action trends of the ’90s really were.

5) Double Team (1997)

Jean-Claude Van Damme was undeniably one of the biggest action stars of the 1990s. Over the course of the decade, he appeared in several high-profile action movies, earning him the status of a household name in most countries around the world. Double Team was just one of those movies, featuring Van Damme as a counterterrorism agent alongside an arms dealer played by Dennis Rodman and a terrorist played by Mickey Rourke. While it was a relative commercial success, critics of the time gave it pretty poor reviews. Even so, many ’80s kids considered it an awesome movie.

Watching the movie back now with the added wisdom of age highlights that Double Team was never as cool as we once thought it was. Van Damme and Rodman’s lead performances are pretty poor, as is the movie’s script, and its action sequences don’t hold up at all, as they look incredibly dated in many ways. While Double Team still has a certain nostalgic charm, it’s simply nowhere near as good as we all thought it was upon its 1997 release.

4) Street Fighter (1994)

It’s no secret that video game movies are often pretty disappointing affairs, and that reputation wasn’t earned overnight. The 1990s saw the release of a handful of live-action movies based on video games, and very few of them are remembered fondly at all. 1994’s Street Fighter is one of the most notorious, adapting Capcom’s video game series of the same name. At the time of release, it proved a financial success, as many ’80s kids felt that seeing the video game come to life in live-action was truly awesome.

The years since have proven that opinion to be very wrong. Watching 1994’s Street Fighter back today is a pretty painful experience, as the film is poor on many levels. Its special effects, weak plot, and total lack of any considerable character development are all common criticisms of the movie, and it is often considered one of the worst video game movies of all time. Looking back now, it’s hard to understand why we ever thought this one was as awesome as we did, because once the novelty had worn off, it turned out to be an absolute stinker.

3) Judge Dredd (1995)

There aren’t too many 1990s comic book movies that are beloved today, and 1995’s Judge Dredd is no exception. Adapting the 2000 AD comic book character of the same name, the movie cast Sylvester Stallone as the titular lawman, attempting to translate some of his comic book appeal onto the big screen. Fans of the character, as well as general fans of the action and sci-fi genres, found 1995’s Judge Dredd an exciting and innovative movie that brought the iconic character to life in a way few ever would have thought possible, making Stallone’s portrayal of Dredd seem incredibly cool.

Watching Judge Dredd in 2026 is a very different experience. It’s painfully clear how many of the golden rules the movie broke regarding the character, most notably having Stallone remove the iconic helmet for much of the film. The action is pitiful in many ways, and the dialogue is painfully cheesy throughout. Everything about 1995’s Judge Dredd has aged poorly, making it clear just how ridiculous it is that we ever found it to be an awesome movie back in the ’90s.

2) Mortal Kombat (1995)

There were many action movies in the 1990s that hold up reasonably well in comparison to some of their contemporaries. 1995’s Mortal Kombat is often considered one of them, as it did a reasonably good job of adapting its video game source material. The first live-action incarnation of Midway Games’ series managed to bring the games’ characters to life in a way that seemed genuinely cool, especially to the ’80s kids who played Mortal Kombat and its sequels upon release in the early ’90s.

While seeing Mortal Kombat fights in live-action made the movie seem incredibly awesome in the ’90s, it doesn’t hold up as well today. The fights and special effects now look incredibly dated, and the movie’s story and characters feel pretty simplistic compared to those of more modern action movies. However, it’s worth noting that 1995’s Mortal Kombat is one of the few video game movies of the 1990s that’s actually still entertaining when watched today, even if it now seems ridiculous that we ever thought it was as awesome as we once did.

1) Universal Soldier (1992)

The 1990s were packed with Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, and very few of them hold up today. The third movie featuring the Muscles from Brussels on this list, 1992’s Universal Soldier, is also probably the objectively best movie we’ve mentioned. It follows a soldier named Luc Devereaux (played by Van Damme) who died in the Vietnam War in 1969 and finds himself returned to life by the titular secret military project, where he serves under Sergeant Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren). Its high-concept sci-fi premise combined with its major action star power made Universal Soldier seem undeniably awesome back in 1992.

The reasons that Universal Soldier no longer seems as cool as it once did are much the same as the other movies on this list. Its visual effects now look dated, and its storytelling techniques and character arcs feel very much of their time. With more than 30 years having passed since its initial release, Universal Soldier has understandably aged considerably, and it no longer feels like the awesome sci-fi action movie that got ’80s kids incredibly pumped back in 1992.