Related
The 1990s were something of a Golden long time for big - budgetSci - Fi picture . Before superheroes conquered the blockbuster scene , screens were fill with cause of death robots , alien invasions , and in - over - their - heading heroes .
But for everyMatrixorIndependence Day , there were other plastic film that fell by the wayside as sentence expire . Films just as safe , but that have remained underrated for whatever cause . Maybe they were too weird and experimental , or maybe just too in advance of their time . But we are determined not to let these lost gem appease that direction . pour down some Zea mays everta and chop the planet with these 10Sci - FiMasterpieces you ’ve plausibly never experience .
Update : A previous reading of this article stated Ed Harris was inDark City , which is untrue . It has since been corrected .
Galaxy Quest(1999)
The resurgence ofStar Trekon TV thanks toThe Next Generationis an under - apprehended aspect of 90s Sci - Fi . So it seemed the perfect fourth dimension for a skewering of that fabled attribute with this clever comedy . But whileGalaxy Questdidn’t connect much with mainstream audiences , it became a cult classic almost immediately .
Fans love it for its uproarious hand and sincere sexual love ofTrek . But even if you do n’t likeStar Trek , Galaxy Queststill has awing consequence for a comedy , express joy out loud jokes , and a corking cast including sci - fi legend Sigourney Weaver .
The Rocketeer(1991)
Disney ’s attempts at Sci - Fi have always been remove or miss , but those who ’ve seen this film agree it ’s a hitting . A retro - futuristicIndiana Jones - style adventure , The Rocketeerfollows a unseasoned stuntman in thirty Hollywood who finds a jetpack and becomes a Nazi - fighting Heron .
The moving-picture show ’s pure tone is what separates it from its XC Sci - Fi brother . Light - hearted and optimistic , it ’s almost a spiritual prequel to director Joe Johnston ’s laterCaptain America : The First Avenger . The Rocketeermight be old - fashioned , but its playfulness is timeless .
Dark City(1998)
You ca n’t do a lean of underrated 90s Sci - Fi and not includeDark City . This flick has so much going for it besides just its incredible production design . The titular city is a shadowy labyrinth of buildings and pipes that would makeBatman ’s Gothamjealous .
A twisting , mind - flex mystery plot that keeps audiences on edge . As presently as you guess you know what ’s materialise , the movie throws you another curveball . With a stamp that includes Jennifer Connelly and Kiefer Sutherland you should definitely give it a watch . You wo n’t regret it .
The City Of Lost Children(1995)
Steampunk before Steampunk was cool , The City of Lost Childrenmight be a hard sell for some . It ’s French , first of all , and can cut into into some middling freakish imagery at time . Like the talking brain in a jar on a wheelchair .
But give it a opportunity and it ’s enchanting . Featuring apre - HellboyRon Perlmanas a circus strongman helping a petty little girl rescue her baby crony from a huffy scientist , there ’s a very sweet inwardness beneath all the weirdness . You wo n’t soon blank out this left fable .
The Faculty(1998)
At first glance , The Facultymight just seem like a teenage Riffian onInvasion of The Body Snatchers . Which it is , with malevolent alien need over the bodies of a gamy school staff and then their students .
But that riff get along good manners of a young Robert Rodriguez , with all the tough vigour he ’d later put intoSin CityandMachete . The roll of ninety teen stalwart like Elijah Wood and Josh Hartnett only add together to the experience . candidly , The Facultyis deserving watching just to see what Jon Stewart was up to beforeThe Daily Show .
eXistenZ(1999)
David Cronenberg is no stranger to weirdo Sci - Fi masterpieces . This is the guy who brought usThe Flyafter all . ButeXistenZ , essentially his follow - up toVideodrome , might be his last great swing at body horror . On the surface an examination of video games , the film soon reveals itself as realness - shifting , intellect - bending experience .
It forces interview to require where the plot ends and where world begins , and if that even matters . With gaming becoming more pervasive every year , eXistenZremains more prescient than ever .
Tremors(1990)
Like many series than spawn legion sequels of diminishing quality , it ’s easy to forget that the originalTremorsis a darn ripe little flick . concentrate around a small Nevada desert Ithiel Town under besieging from man - eat hugger-mugger worms , it ’s voguish about how it utilize a silly premise .
The mold is minor and likable , it never bends or breaks the rules about how the worms work , and uses them effectively as antagonists even when they are n’t on blind . Plus Kevin Bacon is in it ! Yeah , it ’s a lark , but it ’s a fun lark .
Gattaca(1997)
We ’re calculate that , if you have see this , you learn this in your High School biota class . If not , Gattacais honest-to-god - school social sci - fi . No gravid action , just ideas , but it ’s no less interesting . Gattacashows a existence where " room decorator babies " have take to a graded gild and Ethan Hawke ’s Vincent Freeman must game the system to accomplish his aspiration .
Hawke ’s fibre becomes a murder defendant and fancy him keep his secret identity blot out provides more than enough dramatic play . cast in Jude Law and Uma Thurman , and you ’ve got a thought experiment worth think about .
Hardware(1990)
Almost more repulsion than science fiction , Hardwareis certainly frightening . The first film of off-the-wall director Richard Stanley , the plot orbit around the stiff of a warrior robot given to a carver in a post - apocalyptic future . The sculptor turns the robot into her latest graphics piece , until it reactivate and attempts to kill her .
Claustrophobic and disorient , Hardwaregives the viewer of being trapped alongside our protagonist with this metal murder automobile . The automaton ’s unequaled design makes it all the more memorable .
Strange Days(1995)
The most underrated of underrated 90s Sci - Fi masterpieces . organize byThe Hurt Locker’sKathryn Bigelow , Strange Daysis a cyberpunkish neo - noir that interrogates internet doppelganger and simulations before those thing even exist .
Ralph Fiennes is Lenny Nero , a dealer of illegal VR experiences , who ends up in the midsection of a conspiracy involving police fierceness , doorknocker , and a series of brutal murders all in the middle of New Year ’s Eve . It ’s a motion-picture show that asks how we can tell what ’s true in a Earth where truth is immanent . More than any other movie on this list , Strange Dayssaw the world that was coming .
NEXT : Ranked , 10 Scariest 90s Sci - Fi Movie Monsters
