×
Cookies help us deliver our Services. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn More.

Movies You Had No Idea Were 20 Years Old Already

It was the year boxer Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear, rapper Notorious B.I.G. was killed in a drive-by shooting, and WebMD went online, forever dooming nervous headache sufferers to self-diagnose themselves with brain aneurysms.

In other words, it was 1997. And amid publication of the first Harry Potter book and O.J. Simpson's guilty verdict in a civil suit, it was a pretty great year at the box office. From the blockbuster phenomenon that was Titanic to the much-anticipated Alien sequel, here are some of the flicks celebrating the big 2-0 in 2017.

I Know What You Did Last Summer

In I Know What You Did Last Summer, four recent high school graduates are stalked by a killer one year after covering up a car accident. The film stars then-heartthrobs Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze, Jr., who all went on to varying levels of acting success.

Gellar met future husband Prinze, Jr. on the set of this slasher flick, and she went on to gain a permanent place in pop culture history as Buffy Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Prinze Jr. also continued acting, making guest appearances on various TV series and starring in popcorn films like She's All That and Summer Catch. He also branched out into voice acting, taking on the part of Kanan Jarrus in Disney Channel's Star Wars Rebels.

After I Know What You Did Last Summer, Love Hewitt starred in TV shows like Ghost Whisperer, The Client List and, most recently, Criminal Minds. Phillippe currently stars in USA's Shooter and can be seen in 2017's fantasy thriller Wish Upon.

Good Will Hunting

Good Will Hunting tells the story of a secret math genius (aptly named Will Hunting, played by Matt Damon) who works as a janitor at MIT. With the help of a psychologist (the legendary Robin Williams, who won an Oscar for his work in the film), Will learns to overcome his demons and make plans for the future.

After Hunting hit and before his untimely death in August 2014, Williams took dramatic turns in a number of critically acclaimed movies, including One Hour Photo and Insomnia. He also continued to display his comedic chops in hits like Night at the Museum and Happy Feet. Damon, who cowrote the award-winning script for Good Will Hunting, went on to portray the titular character in the Jason Bourne franchise and will next appear in 2017's Suburbicon and Downsizing.

Ben Affleck cowrote the Good Will Hunting script with Damon and also starred as Will's loyal friend Chuckie. Affleck went on to have a successful career as an actor, producer and director, starring in the likes of The Town, Gone Girl, the Oscar-winning Argo and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He will reprise his role as the Caped Crusader in the DCEU Justice League movie as well as an upcoming standalone adventure.

Boogie Nights

The now-classic Boogie Nights tells the story of a group of misfit players in the late 1970s/early 1980s California porn industry. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the movie features such heavy hitters as Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle and William H. Macy. Here's where they are today:

  • Wahlberg, who portrayed the central character of Dirk Diggler, later earned two Oscar nominations for The Departed and The Fighter. He recently starred in Patriots Day.
  • Moore won an Academy Award in 2015 for her work in Still Alice. She's also acted in critically acclaimed projects like The Hours, Far From Heaven and The Kids Are All Right, and she'll appear in 2017's Suburbicon and Wonderstruck.
  • Reilly has taken on a wide range of roles since his turn in Boogie Nights, including The Lobster, Guardians of the Galaxy and Anchorman. He's slated to reprise his role as Ralph in 2018's still-untitled Wreck-It Ralph sequel.
  • Reynolds won a Golden Globe for his performance in Boogie Nights and continues to act in various movies and TV series.
  • Cheadle received an Oscar nod for 2005's Hotel Rwanda and recently starred in Showtime's House of Lies.
  • With numerous Emmys and SAG Awards under his belt, Macy has enjoyed a lengthy run on the acclaimed Showtime series Shameless as alcoholic Frank Gallagher.

Men in Black

In Men in Black, a police officer (Will Smith) joins a secret government organization that polices aliens on Earth. Smith costars alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the film, which resulted in two sequels that didn't quite match up to the original's critical and commercial success.

Smith has enjoyed a long career in TV, film and music, earning two Academy Award nominations for his work in The Pursuit of Happyness and Ali. He most recently appeared in Collateral Beauty and has signed on for two more Bad Boys films. The Oscar-winning Jones reprised the character of Agent K in the Men in Black sequels and will next appear in 2017's Shock and Awe and Villa Capri.

Batman & Robin

Batman & Robin is generally known as the worst Batman film, despite a cast that includes Oscar winner George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, the talented Uma Thurman and even Arnold Schwarzenegger (you know, before he served as governor of California from 2003-2010). In this installment, Batman (Clooney) and Robin (O'Donnell) face off against villains Poison Ivy (Thurman) and Mr. Freeze (Schwarzenegger).

Clooney won an Academy Award for his supporting turn in 2006's Syriana. More recently, he starred in 2016's Money Monster and wrapped filming on 2017's upcoming Suburbicon, which he directed and cowrote. Before landing his lead role on TV's NCIS: Los Angeles, O'Donnell guest-starred on shows like Hawaii 5-0, NCIS and Grey's Anatomy.

Thurman later starred in the Kill Bill franchise and appeared in various TV series, including Smash and The Slap. She's currently filming 2018's The House That Jack Built. Post-governorship, Schwarzenegger returned to acting, reprising his most famous role in 2015's Terminator Genisys and taking over for Donald Trump as host of Celebrity Apprentice's eighth season.

Starship Troopers

This satirical science-fiction action film follows a young soldier named Johnny Rico, a member of a futuristic military unit fighting against giant alien bugs for the survival of the human race. Though universally derided by critics, Starship Troopers—which stars Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, and Neil Patrick Harris—has since achieved one of the "largest cult followings in film history," according to IMDb. Here's what those actors have been up to since then:

  • Starship Troopers was a breakthrough role for Van Dien, who later played Johnny Cage in the successful web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy and acted in various TV movies, including 2015's Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf. He will next appear in 2017's Last Seen in Idaho.
  • Meyer has a slew of film and TV credits to her name, including the Saw franchise and a guest role in the 90210 TV reboot. She recently starred alongside Sean Patrick Flanery in The Evil Within.
  • Since Starship Troopers, Richards guest-starred in a 2016 episode of Jane the Virgin and appeared in various TV shows and made-for-TV movies. She can next be seen in the TV flick Tomboy.
  • Busey has put together a string of film and TV roles since starring in Starship Troopers, appearing in a wide array of projects that includes big-screen releases like the Michael J. Fox comedy thriller The Frighteners and From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series. His more recent movies include Shane Black's The Predator.
  • Best known for his roles in How I Met Your Mother and Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harris is without a doubt Starship Troopers' most successful alum. He also won a Tony for his portrayal of the titular character in Broadway's 2014 revival of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. You can catch him next in 2017's Downsizing.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

The Lost World centers around the fictional island of Isla Sorna, where the cloned dinosaurs made by John Hammond's InGen have been roaming free for the four years since the events depicted in Jurassic Park. Jeff Goldblum reprises his role as mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm, who's sent to study the animals but ends up facing off against an InGen team hell-bent on transporting some of the clones back to the U.S. for a new theme park. Notable costars include Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn.

Though you already know what Moore's been up to, Goldblum has since enjoyed guest stints on TV's Portlandia and Will & Grace, among others. He also appeared in 2016's Independence Day: Resurgence and can be seen in 2017's Thor: Ragnarok as the Grandmaster. Vaughn is well-known for his various comedic roles in films like The Break-Up, Couples Retreat and Wedding Crashers. He most recently starred in 2016's critically acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge and is slated to appear in 2017's The Forgiven.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery

A parody of the James Bond films, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery stars Mike Myers in the dual roles of Dr. Evil and 1960s secret agent/playboy Austin Powers, who emerges from a cryogenic state in the '90s to battle his arch nemesis. Elizabeth Hurley costars as Vanessa Kensington, the movie's version of the iconic Bond girl.

Between reprising the titular character in two Austin Powers sequels, SNL and Wayne's World star Myers also lent his voice to the animated Shrek franchise. He'll next appear alongside Margot Robbie in 2017's The Terminal and is rumored to be putting together a potential Austin Powers 4. The current star of E! series The Royals, Hurley is credited with guest stints on Gossip Girl and The Tomorrow People, along with reappearing as Vanessa in the first Austin Powers sequel, 1999's The Spy Who Shagged Me.

Air Force One

Harrison Ford stars as President James Marshall in Air Force One, a political action thriller in which Russian terrorists seize the famous plane—with the president and his family on board—in an effort to force America's hand in releasing infamous dictator Ivan Radek. Unbeknownst to the hijackers, though, Marshall is a war veteran who won't go down without a fight. Gary Oldman costars as lead hijacker Ivan Korshunov and Glenn Close appears as Kathryn Bennett, Marshall's trusted vice president.

Since his turn as Marshall, Ford has continued to star in the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises. His next role sees him returning to the character of Rick Deckard in 2017's Blade Runner 2049. The British-born Oldman delivered an Oscar-nominated performance in 2011's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and also played wizard Sirius Black in the Harry Potter films. You can check him out alongside Gerard Butler in 2017's Hunter Killer.

Six-time Oscar-nominee Close has voiced the role of Mona Simpson since 1995, in addition to appearing in films like Guardians of the Galaxy, The Safety of Objects and the critically acclaimed Albert Nobbs. She'll reprise her role as Nova Prime in 2017's Guardians sequel.

Chasing Amy

This Kevin Smith romantic comedy stars Joey Lauren Adams as Alyssa Jones, a lesbian who enters into a relationship with comic-book artist Holden (Ben Affleck), much to the chagrin of the latter's best friend Banky (Jason Lee). Predictably, the relationship falls apart when Holden is unable to deal with Alyssa's sexual history.

We've already checked in with Affleck, but Adams appeared in films like Big Daddy and The Break-Up and enjoyed guest stints on TV series Switched at Birth and The United States of Tara. She later landed on CMT's Still the King with Billy Ray Cyrus. Meanwhile, Lee starred in the Alvin and the Chipmunks franchise and enjoyed a cult audience courtesy of his NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl.

Scream 2

Two years after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is trying to move on with her life at Windsor College when a new Ghostface starts wreaking havoc on campus and killing all of her friends. Original costars Liev Schreiber, Courteney Cox and David Arquette all reprise their roles from the horror franchise's first installment.

Since her star-making turn as Sidney, Campbell delivered memorable performances in Wild Things, 54, and Three to Tango, in addition to a guest stint on Grey's Anatomy and a role in the acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards. Before landing the lead in Showtime's Ray Donovan, Schreiber appeared as Victor Creed in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and portrayed the role of Raymond Shaw in the 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate.

After meeting on the set of the original Scream, Cox and Arquette married in 1999 and had a daughter, Coco, before divorcing in 2013. Cox later starred in such TV series as Cougar Town and Dirt, but neither came close to giving her the stardom she enjoyed as Monica Gellar on the long-running sitcom Friends. Meanwhile, her future ex-husband found success as an executive producer on various TV series (including Cox's Cougar Town) and continued to act in shows like In Case of Emergency, Pushing Daisies and Jake and the Never Land Pirates.

The Fifth Element

Bruce Willis plays the role of Korben Dallas in The Fifth Element, which sees him team up with Milla Jovovich's Leeloo to track down mystical stones that will help defend planet Earth against an impending attack. Chris Tucker costars as talk-show host Ruby Rhod.

Willis has since carved an impressive niche for himself in action films, starring in Armageddon, the Sin City franchise and Looper. He'll next appear alongside Famke Janssen in 2017's Once Upon a Time in Venice and is rumored to be in line to reprise his famous role as John McClane in an upcoming Die Hard prequel.

Costar Jovovich embraced a similar trajectory as an action star in the Resident Evil franchise, though she also acted in comedies Zoolander and Zoolander 2. She'll be seen in 2017's Shock and Awe and Future World. Once the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, Tucker has since starred in the Rush Hour movies and delivered a supporting performance in the Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook.

Alien: Resurrection

In Alien: Resurrection, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver, whose performance as Ripley in 1979's Alien marked her first leading role) is revived as a human/alien hybrid clone who must continue her war against the aliens. Winona Ryder stars alongside Weaver as Call, a terrorist disguised as a crew member onboard the USN Auriga.

Weaver is widely known for her turn as Ripley, along with starring roles in the Ghostbusters and Avatar franchises. She'll next star in Netflix's The Defenders, a miniseries following Marvel heroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Ryder most recently achieved a career comeback with Netflix's Stranger Things, though she also appeared in 2010's critically acclaimed Black Swan and various other film projects.

Spawn

In fantasy thriller Spawn, Al Simmons (Michael Jai White), a military soldier/assassin, is betrayed by Jason Wynn (Martin Sheen), the head of a covert government agency. Al later comes back from Hell as a reluctant soldier of the Devil. The film also starred John Leguizamo as the Violator.

With his role in Spawn, Jai White—who has 85 acting credits to his name—earned the distinction of being the first African-American to portray a comic-book superhero in a major motion picture. He'll next appear in 2017's S.W.A.T.: Under Siege. Sheen, one of America's most celebrated actors, is known for his work in TV's The West Wing and the Oscar-winning The Departed. His more recent projects include 2017's Come Sunday.

Leguizamo later lent his unmistakable voice to various animated projects, including the Ice Age franchise and The Adventures of Puss in Boots. You can also catch him on TV's upcoming Hypno.

Titanic

This blockbuster film by James Cameron—which tells the tragic but inspiring story of star-crossed lovers Jack and Rose, two passengers aboard the doomed R.M.S. Titanic—ties with 2016's La La Land for the most Oscar nominations of all time. Titanic transformed the careers of stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and its controversial ending is still hotly debated to this day.

Since the difficult making of the beloved movie, DiCaprio has enjoyed a diverse and lustrous career, winning a long-awaited Academy Award for his role in 2015's The Revenant. You'll next see him on the silver screen alongside his Wolf of Wall Street costar Jonah Hill in the upcoming The Ballad of Richard Jewell. And although Winslet lost out on the Oscar for Titanic, she later took home Hollywood's highest honor for her performance in 2009's The Reader. She's slated to appear in 2017's Wonder Wheel and The Mountain Between Us.