Not the best of 1994, but not far off.

Rating: 9/10 (22 March 1999)

I was put off from watching Forrest Gump for a long while by the excessive hype and praise it received, especially at the Academy Awards. I felt that it (like Titanic last year) just couldn't be deserving of all those awards.
I still agree with countless others here that it didn't deserve all those awards in the face of the great competition it faced, but after seeing it for the first time a couple of years ago I think that Forrest Gump is a great film, and (unlike Titanic) it has a lot of depth to it, provides much to be enjoyed, and stands up well to repeated viewing.
It will never compete with something like The Shawshank Redemption in my eyes, but few films do. With some films it's just best to sit back and enjoy the way it looks, and the way it makes you feel, this is one of them.