When Hollywood transitioned from the ’80s to the ’90s, technology was a huge participant when the rules were changed. Suddenly, horror wasn’t as important as “looking good” inscience fiction, and plots tended to be put aside for the sake of a better “look and feel.” In budgets, changes were oriented towards special effects and finding at least a big name that could elevate a genre film into something more mainstream.
VHS was still a valid resource studios could look into when increasing sales, and perhaps it’s a reason why some of the films on the following list were seen overseas. Regardless, they’re far from being bad films. They’re survivors of an era where special effects could be the main character and these didn’t have the greatest budgets. As some of these show, sometimes it’s not about the budget size, but how you actually use that size.
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Updated on August 4th, 2023 byGaurav Krishnan:This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
20The Rocketeer (1991)
This film is one of the earliest superhero films that actually matters to this day.The Rocketeerhas everything you would expect from a Disney film, but it’s also a greatadaptation of a comic bookthat could be enjoyed by adults as well due to the more complex plot regarding Howard Hughes and the Nazis.
The story is about a stunt pilot who finds a jetpack and uses it to fly and fight crime. The special effects are especially good and blend well with the 1930s setting where the film takes place. This one’s all about the cast, which includes Jennifer Connelly, Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, Paul Sorvino, and Terry O’Quinn. It really doesn’t get any better than this.
19Freejack (1992)
1992’sFreejackis an action film that segues into a bonkers time travel and memory implantation plot in a matter of seconds, but then it goes back to action in a futuristic setting where Mick Jagger delivers hilarious lines without losing the essence of the villain he portrays.
There’s a star-studded cast and decent special effects, but the performances of the leads are too distracting. This has “studio intervention” written all over it because of its lack of consistency in the third act. Regardless, it’s a fun film that still looks good to this day and shows us the great Esai Morales in an early role that’s hard to forget.
18Fire in the Sky (1993)
A film about aliens that was based on a true story? How wasn’tFire in the Skymore successful? It was supposedly the plot’s fault that leaves unanswered questions. But it was a very faithful adaptation of the book about Travis Walton, a working-class man who claims to have been abducted by aliens.
The cast featured Robert Patrick, D.B. Sweeney, Craig Sheffer, and Peter Berg. The sequences portraying the abduction and what Walton experienced when he was up thereare pure nightmare fueland are among the best sci-fi sequences of the decade.
17Soldier (1998)
The ’90s got a bit repetitive with films likeUniversal Soldier, Demolition Man,andTotal Recallwhich were all rather similar in concept. However, Paul W. S. Anderson’sSoldierstarring Kurt Russell is perhaps the most underrated of the bunch.
It’s an all-out action sci-fi film that you can’t go wrong with, which is perhaps why Anderson decided to direct it after his box office bomb inEvent Horizon. Kurt Russell, Jason Scott Lee, and Jason Isaacs put in slightly above-average performances that make the film a bit more interesting than it actually is in what culminates in a pervading cliché ’90s sci-fi action flick.
16Bicentennial Man (1999)
Bicentennial Manis a massively underrated sci-fi flick that had its share of criticism and pitfalls. Chris Columbus’ direction may be questionable and in retrospect, the story lacks a bit of punch and is a bit of a drag, however, even the most ardent critics would agree that Robin Williams’ performance was poignant and impressive.
He plays a service robot who begins to develop human emotions. The film might be all over the place at times, but Williams drives the plot, and it’sarguably one of the actor’s best performancesfrom his ’90s catalog.
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15Body Snatchers (1993)
Abel Ferrara’s version ofBody Snatchersis an impressive science fiction horror film that heavily capitalizes on the ’90s stance of military entities. These are supposed to defend you, and you’re supposed to feel safe whenever they’re around. But not even a military base can safeguard a young woman who slowly begins noticing there might be something wrong with the people.
The special effects on this one may be the best on this list, and Meg Tilly’s performance is probably the best in her career. Carol Malone’s very cold speech led the trailers for the reimagining of the sci-fi horror classic that tried to stand out on it’s own.
14Strange Days (1995)
InStrange Days, memories are recorded. It’s a basic premise that only gets better with Kathryn Bigelow’s amalgamation of a futuristic cyberpunk crime thriller. While it’s faded into obscurity.Strange Daysdefinitely need to be reintroduced to modern audiences.
Like many other films on this list, it could be seen as a cautionary tale about our technology dependence. It still looks great to this day, and it’s an original film that’s a solid example of sci-fi merging well and naturally with other realms like action and neo-noir.
13The City of Lost Children (1995)
Imagine a science fiction film made by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Now add to that a costume design by Jean-Paul Gaultier and a score by Angelo Badalamenti. Hard to imagine? Not anymore.The City of Lost Childrenisa sci-fi fantasy masterpiecethat few people saw in 1995 and even fewer have seen it today.
It’s a story about a scientist trying to steal children’s dreams to prevent him from getting old only gets weirder every minute, but it’s a great example of the visual style Caro and Jeunet approached withDelicatessenand definitely improved on. It also stars Ron Perlman, which makes it infinitely better.
12Wedlock (1991)
Wedlock, the Lewis Teague-directed film is about a thief sent to a very peculiar prison:, one with no bars or cops. The prisoners have an explosive collar that links two of them, and if one tries to run away, the collars will explode.
Rutger Hauer plays the thief who meets his “partner” and decides to give the escape a try. We all remember seeing this one on VHS and applauding when Hauer’s Frank Warren barely escaped prison, only to find another great threat in the villainous Joan Chen masterfully.
11The Arrival (1996)
David Twohy, mostly known for being the mind behind Riddick’s franchise, madeThe Arrivalin 1996. It tells the story of an astronomer who finds evidence of intelligent alien life. When he decides to reveal everything, he becomes part of a dangerous conspiracy that will threaten his life.
It starred Charlie Sheen when he wasn’t as famous, and featured an exciting trailer with intense action scenes that didn’t really pay off in the film. Regardless, this one is actually a pretty good twiston the alien invasion themethat got incredibly popular due to shows likeThe X-Files.
