The sci-fi genre is one of the biggest in not just cinema, but in popular culture. Speculative stories involving humanity’s complex relationship with technological advancement and the scientific world always seem to capture the collective imagination of their audience, offering up thought-provoking and engaging narratives. Practically every decade can boast solid entries into the genre, but the best sci-fi movies of the 1990s seem to fit almost into a subgenre of their own. A decade on the precipice of a new millennium, the ’90s saw a boom in sci-fi that imagined the direction of humankind’s increasingly computerized existence, providing many excellent and outlandish stories.
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Many of the decade’s greatest sci-fi stories are well known, but there are many overlooked ’90s sci-fi movies worth watching. Perhaps due to the societal anxiety of the rapidly approaching 21st century, there were so many sci-fi movies in the 1990s that even some of the decade’s most interesting releases got lost in the chaos. Just because they aren’t widely remembered, though, it doesn’t mean their stories wouldn’t work today, with several 1990s sci-fi movies standing out as especially perfect for a modern reboot.
5) Cube (1997)
1997’s Cube blends its sci-fi elements with dark 1990s horror and remains one of the decade’s most visually stunning releases. Its story concerns a group of strangers who find themselves attempting to escape a series of deadly, labyrinthine cube-shaped rooms. While Cube enjoys a mild cult following, it has been largely forgotten by the world at large.
Cube is a perfect example of ’90s sci-fi that would benefit from a modern reboot. The success of movies such as Escape Room and the Saw franchise proves that Cube‘s premise is still capable of attracting audiences, and as long as its gorgeous visual design and practical effects remain central, a reboot could work brilliantly. As Cube stands out as especially ahead of its time, a modern reboot would be a great way to revive this forgotten gem.
4) Johnny Mnemonic (1995)
Johnny Mnemonic is a pretty curious film. Starring Keanu Reeves as a data courier in a futuristic society run by megacorporations, it is one of the 1990s’ defining cyberpunk stories. Despite being poorly received by critics, its legacy lives on, as it is credited with inspiring many celebrated sci-fi stories from the years that followed, including a certain other Keanu Reeves-led cyberpunk movie known as The Matrix.
The success of the Matrix franchise, as well as Johnny Mnemonic‘s narrative similarities to the hugely popular Cyberpunk 2077, evidence how a reboot could be a great idea. It’s a great 1990s sci-fi movie that nobody talks about, largely because its visuals are now incredibly dated and its story needed additional polishing. Revisiting Johnny Mnemonic today highlights how much potential it has, and it could live up to it if it were simply given a modern facelift.
3) Strange Days (1995)
One of the most underrated cyberpunk movies of all time, 1995’s Strange Days deserves more attention. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, with a script co-written by James Cameron, it stars Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, and Vincent D’Onofrio. It doesn’t rely on star power alone, though, as its story, which involves an implant that allows its user to experience the memories of other people, is equally excellent.
Strange Days is another ’90s sci-fi that never quite got the love it deserved. Its continued cult following indicates that its quality still appeals to a modern audience, and its excellent premise and presentation of its sci-fi elements would potentially work even better in a modern blockbuster. Providing a reboot could tap into the same gritty cyberpunk atmosphere without losing any of the original’s charm; it could prove a huge success in today’s cinematic landscape.
2) Gattaca (1997)
Throughout the genre’s history, many sci-fi movies bombed harder than they deserved. 1997’s Gattaca is often listed among them, and, despite good reviews and an intriguing sci-fi premise exploring important sociological themes, it has been forgotten by the general public. With a stellar cast consisting of Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, and Alan Arkin, Gattaca‘s story involving a future society driven by eugenics and a caste system determined by genetics is as thought-provoking as it is intelligent.
There’s very little about Gattaca‘s story that doesn’t still feel deeply relevant in today’s society. It’s a great movie that truly deserves another chance to find an audience, and a modern reboot could help it achieve the success that evaded the original film. It’s exactly the type of cerebral sci-fi that makes the genre great, and would certainly appeal massively to modern audiences.
1) The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
The Thirteenth Floor is a victim of some of the worst timing in cinematic history. Released around a month after similar movies The Matrix and eXistenZ, it failed to find much of an audience, as the former dominated the box office and the latter fell squarely in cult classic territory. The Thirteenth Floor‘s story concerns a computer scientist who is implicated in the death of a colleague shortly before the launch of his groundbreaking virtual reality software.
Despite some similarities in premise to The Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor is an exceptional piece of neo-noir sci-fi. Given a modern facelift and a solid marketing campaign, a reboot could be a huge success, as the movie explores interesting themes with a more introspective angle than other comparable movies. It’s a movie that never should have been forgotten in the first place, making it especially deserving of a modern revival.
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Image courtesy of Monolith Productions, Nightdive Studios, Warner Bros. Games, and Atari
