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For much of the '80s and all of the '90s, most of the yearly summer event films were action extravaganzas. Something went horribly wrong, a square-jawed hero led a ragtag cast of common folk to safety, mankind was spared annihilation and/or unpleasant devour-ment at the last moment. Despite this predictable formula, the crowds showed up in droves to watch the Chrysler Building fall down yet again.

These films certainly still exist, but they no longer dominate the box office the way they once did. More importantly, they are no longer the guaranteed biggest ticket of the year; this decade has seen them supplanted in that role by comic book films. X-Men started it, Spider-Man made it for real, and with both The Dark Knight and Iron Man defeating Indiana Jones this summer, comics now rule the box office world.

Many of those high-octane, high-dollar '90s action flicks don't bear re-watching today. Pierce Brosnan will not be offended if you fail to rewatch Dante's Peak. Armageddon was bad, and Deep Impact was worse. And let's not even talk about Lake Placid. Still, a number of these movies hold up reasonably well today, for one reason or another – mostly obvious choices, but those are worth a fresh look.

By the way, I'm calling Titanic a romance, so it's out. No sequels, either. And, while I'm sure there are lots of nearly forgotten action gems, since we're talking about event movies here, I'm limiting myself to blockbusters. Incidentally, I really had to fight to convince myself not to include Air Force One. Rather than actually put it on an A-List, here's my recommendation: go rent both Air Force One and Ransom. Drink a case of beer. Watch both. Wander around the neighborhood yelling "Get off my plane!" and "Give me back my son!" until you pass out.

Eagle Eye is out today. If the year were 1997, it would be released on the fourth of July, and there would be a 30-foot-tall Shia billboard in the heart of Times Square. With that in mind – and noting that, despite the phase shift I spoke of earlier, it's Eagle Eye that's finally going to knock The Dark Knight out of our nation's IMAX theaters - The-A List presents the best blockbuster '90s action movies.

Jurassic Park

So this is the most obvious choice possible, and writing in 2008 about how great Jurassic Park was is more than a bit unnecessary. But this is honestly one of my favorite movies of all time, and I was going to find an excuse to rave about it sooner or later. I remember every moment of seeing Jurassic Park in the theater – I was eight, and probably not quite ready for velociraptor-related violence, so the experience etched itself firmly in my mind. I remember where I sat in the theater, I remember what I was doing before I went to the theater, I remember which lines I giddily quoted to my parents when I got home. I still watch it several times a year. While I still love the cast, the story, and the science of the film, watch it now and you'll see that the island is the true star of the show. Much like Spielberg's earlier perfect crafting of Amity Island, every aspect of every set on Isla Nublar adds something unique.

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