RT Poll: ‘The Shashank Redemption' Best Film of 1994

Rotten Tomatoes conducted this fan poll, where tens of thousands readers voted on the best films of 1994, and Frank Darabont’s “The Shawshank Redemption” handily beat Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” in the final round. Sacrilege!

“Pulp Fiction,” a shapeshifting event for movie culture, changed the entire film industry, and the language of American cinema. The release of Tarantino’s film ended up unleashing numerous rip-offs, for decades to come. None were better than Tarantino’s iconic gangster film which is certainly my pick for best of 1994.

“The Shawshank Redemption,” which was a box-office failure at the time, has gained a major audience on television, home video and streaming. Decades after its release, the love for this film looms large and wide. ‘Shawshank’ is still the top-rated film of all-time on IMDb (9.3/10) with close to 3 million votes.

I should also give a major shout out to “Ed Wood,” the best film of Tim Burton’s career, also the most personal and provocative — a love letter to failed artists everywhere. Johnny Depp has never been better as the infamous filmmaker of “Plan 9 From Outer Space.”

1994 was also the year that Jim Carrey stormed the industry with three hits: “The Mask,” “Ace Ventura” and “Dumb and Dumber” — in fact the latter ended up in the top 4 on the RT poll. Of course, the “Dumb and Dumber” ranking is a tad too high, but I still love the film, one of the funniest comedies of the ‘90s.

Jordan’s 1̶0̶, 11 best films of 1994:

“Pulp Fiction”
“Ed Wood”
“Three Colors: Red”
”The Shawshank Redemption”
“Quiz Show”
“Heavenly Creatures”
“Speed”
“The Last Seduction”
“Bullets Over Broadway”
”Hoop Dreams”
“Satantango”

Honorable mentions: Once We Were Warriors, Red Rock West, Leon: The Professional, Exotica, Shallow Grave, Clerks, Chungking Express, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Crow, The Lion King, Forrest Gump.