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Watch With Us loves a good science fiction movie. Outer space, killer robots, resurrected dinosaurs and bleak future dystopias — it doesn’t get any better than that.
We also love the 1990s. What better than to combine two of our favorite things into one defining list?
The Watch With Us team brainstormed and came up with a list of the very best sci-fi movies from every year of the ’90s. It was tough, since it was a decade of many classics like Total Recall, Jurassic Park and Mars Attacks!
Read on to see our list and whether you agree with our choices.
1990: ‘Total Recall’
Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Douglas Quaid, a construction worker in the year 2084. He visits a company that implants false memories so that he can imagine having visited Mars, but when the procedure goes wrong, Quaid discovers that his entire life might be a false memory.
Director Paul Verhoeven‘s ambitious sci-fi action-thriller received mixed reviews upon release, but has since gone on to be viewed as a bonafide classic, frequently listed among the best sci-fi films ever made. The exciting plot, impressive practical effects, complex themes about identity and freedom and standout performance from Schwarzenegger have allowed Total Recall to endure.
1991: ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’
This sequel to The Terminator is set eleven years after the events of the first film and sees young John Connor (Edward Furlong) targeted by a shape-shifting robot called the T-1000 (Robert Patrick). Meanwhile, a revamped T-800 robot (Schwarzenegger) is sent to protect Connor, and they go on the run with Connor’s mother, Sarah (Linda Hamilton).
While some people believe the second Terminator movie surpasses the first, it’s inarguable that Judgement Day set a benchmark for the high standards that sequels should aspire to. With impressive action set pieces, visual effects and iconic performances, Judgement Day has influenced sci-fi flicks for decades to come.
1992: ‘Alien 3’
Following the events of Aliens, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) crash lands on a maximum security prison planet called Fiorina 31, the only survivor of her spaceship that evaded the clutches of a facehugger on board. With a full-grown Xenomorph now killing the prisoners and guards, it’s up to Ripley to again destroy it — this time, without weapons.
David Fincher‘s directorial debut was initially considered a far lesser Alien franchise installment. But retrospective reviews and a revised “Assembly Cut” version of the film have given it a second life and the proper respect it deserves. Alien 3 is deeply underrated, singular in its bleak tone and striking visuals. It’s a unique take on the Alien franchise that is somehow satisfying in its nihilism.
1993: ‘Jurassic Park’
Paleontologists Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) are whisked away by billionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to tour his state-of-the-art amusement park with resurrected dinosaurs. But, well, life finds a way, and Sattler and Grant, alongside Hammond, find themselves struggling to escape Hammond’s own creations.
Jurassic Park set a new standard for blockbuster filmmaking, and not just in its record-breaking box office success. The movie boasts painstaking craft, memorable and lovable characters, an infectious score by John Williams and special effects that have managed to hold up for over thirty years.
1994: ‘Stargate’
Professor Daniel Jackson (James Spader) and retired Army Colonel Jack O’Neil (Kurt Russell) team up to unlock a wormhole that transports the two of them to a planet that resembles ancient Egypt. However, the planet is ruled by dictatorial Ra (Jaye Davidson), who stands in the way of Jackson and O’Neil’s return to Earth.
Critics praised Stargate as being a camp classic, with an entertaining narrative, great special effects and absorbing world-building. Ultimately, Stargate’s warm box office reception went on to generate an entire franchise, including many long-running, popular television series, which cultivated a passionate fanbase.
1995: ’12 Monkeys’
In a post-apocalyptic Philadelphia, prisoner James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to the 1990s in exchange for a reduced sentence to gather information about an impending plague that will slaughter humanity. There, he meets manic mental patient Jeffrey (Brad Pitt), who bears a connection to the inception of the epidemic.
The cold, bleak world of Terry Gilliam’s chaotic dystopian thriller is tough, rigorous, and disturbing, but immensely rewarding. With fantastic art direction, sound design and exhilarating momentum, this sci-fi success spurred a television series of the same time.
1996: ‘Mars Attacks!’
A fleet of Martian spacecraft surrounds Earth’s major cities, and the citizens of the planet gather to know whether the creatures really do come in peace. However, when the United States military meets their leader in the desert, they’re slaughtered, initiating a war of the worlds that puts humanity at a significant disadvantage. It’s a race against the clock to stop Mars from attacking.
This madcap sci-fi romp from Tim Burton features a terrific ensemble cast including Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Jack Black, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan. While Marks Attacks! flopped at the box office, it has since achieved cult classic status as a sharp and surreal sci-fi comedy.
1997: ‘Event Horizon’
The missing spacecraft Event Horizon mysteriously reappears orbiting around Neptune, and a rescue team is sent to investigate. Aboard the ship, they discover that the entire crew has died, but they have yet to discover the dark, supernatural force that has made its home on the Event Horizon.
While we will sadly never see director Paul W.S. Anderson’s original, 130-minute cut of Event Horizon — the deleted footage having since been lost or destroyed — the troubled film has enjoyed a deserved cult following. It’s a unique and chilling outer space nightmare full of disturbing imagery and an unforgettably creepy performance from Jurassic Park actor Sam Neill.
1998: ‘Dark City’
Alone in an unfamiliar hotel, John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens to find that he’s wanted for murder — trouble is, he can’t remember committing the crimes. Murdoch journeys to discover the truth of his identity, and in doing so, discovers a sinister underworld inhabited by beings called the Strangers.
Dark City masterfully combines science fiction with neo-noir to create an incredibly rich and original work of stylish, visionary ambition. It’s an aesthetically brilliant, exciting and imaginative film which many have noted bears apparent stylistic influence on The Matrix.
1999: The Matrix
Computer programmer Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) moonlights as the hacker “Neo,” soon catching the attention of Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss). When Neo learns that his whole life is a simulation, he also discovers that a mysterious figure named Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) believes Neo to be humanity’s savior.
The Matrix isn’t just one of the best sci-fi movies ever made; it’s one of the best movies ever made, period. The sci-fi epic has unforgettable action set-pieces, fight choreography, gorgeous aesthetic visuals and a sharp script — plus, one of the all-time great movie romances.
