10 Best Sci-Fi Cult Movies of the 90s, Ranked

The science fiction genre of film is more like a portal of possibility: it’s never one thing but rather an amalgamation of horror, fantasy, action, and, occasionally, comedy. The sci-fi umbrella is home to innumerate sub-genres, sometimes resulting in marketing mishaps upon a film’s release. Though audiences might’ve missed a spectacular sci-fi opportunity in theaters, many classics attained revered cult status long after their initial launch.

The 90s were no exception to this phenomenon in the genre. Pivotal moments in science fiction in previous decades have precipitated a steady rise in fans of far-out concepts and interplanetary visitations. Big-budget offerings like Terminator 2: Judgement Day and The Matrix undoubtedly reached wider audiences and created breakthroughs in visual effects. The exact ingredients found in cult-worthy cocktails remain elusive, but sci-fi fans imbibe on the sweet nectar, regardless of its creation.

10 ‘Tank Girl’ (1995)

Director: Rachel Talalay

Based on the British comic book series, Tank Girl features Lori Petty as the title character and Naomi Watts as “Jet Girl.” The year is 2033, and Australia is a desert wasteland whose water resources are controlled by an evil overlord named Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell). Kesslee’s company, Water and Power (W&P), infiltrates Tank Girl’s home and holds her captive until a shy jet mechanic, Jet Girl, aids in their escape. Together, they join forces with the fringe militia group, The Rippers, to overthrow W&P and kill Kesslee, liberating water for everyone.

Upon the film’s release, critics quickly noted their distaste, with Rotten Tomatoes awarding an abysmal 45% rotten score. Against a $25 million budget, Tank Girl was considered a box office bomb, earning $6 million worldwide. Praise was directed at the movie’s soundtrack, which boasted an impressive 90s lineup of heavy hitters like Hole, Portishead, Bjork, Bush, and Veruca Salt. In recent years, critics have theorized that the movie’s feminist themes were too ahead of their time, and a male-dominated Hollywood determined the film’s final cut, resulting in alienation by some demographics. Since its debut in 1995, Tank Girl has had a resurgence and is considered a sci-fi gem worth treasuring.

Tank Girl

Release Date

March 31, 1995

Director

Rachel Talalay

Runtime

104 minutes

Writers

Alan Martin , Jamie Hewlett , Tedi Sarafian

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9 ‘Cube’ (1997)

Director: Vincenzo Natali

Five strangers meet in a small room with a hatch on every wall, floor, and ceiling. No one knows how or why they’ve been assembled or why they’re inside the Cube. Each person reveals a specific gift or talent, and each hatch opens to another room outfitted with various death traps. The group works together to unravel the riddle of their enclosure, resulting in a narrow escape, injury, or death while negotiating additional rooms. Fear and inexplicable circumstances lead to madness and mutiny as the body count and number of rooms rise.

Vincenzo Natali‘s vision for Cube was larger than his Canadian film budget allowance, so the director assembled one and a half cubes in a warehouse setting, implementing a budget of $375,000 (USD). Camera angles and colored lenses were used to distinguish one room from the next to create the illusion of other rooms. Because of budgetary restrictions, the movie featured unknown actors, and some critics cited dialogue and thin plot development as core issues. Despite a poor reception in its native Canada, Cube grossed $8.9 million worldwide and became the 2nd highest-grossing movie in France in 1997. Fans of the enigmatic mathematical science fiction mind-bender might have lingering questions, but the movie’s popularity has never been up for debate.

Cube (1997)

Release Date

September 9, 1997

Director

Vincenzo Natali

Cast

Nicole de Boer , Nicky Guadagni , David Hewlett , Andrew Miller , Julian Richings , Wayne Robson , Maurice Dean Wint

Runtime

1h 30m

Writers

Vincenzo Natali , André Bijelic , Graeme Manson

Production Company

Cube Libre

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8 ‘eXistenZ’ (1999)

Director: David Cronenberg

The year is 2030, and biotechnology has rendered electronics obsolete. Virtual reality game companies have become bitter rivals, and a guerrilla group known as Realists has waged war against all game companies to preserve human reality. Game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) unveils her latest game, eXistenZ, but is attacked by a Realist fighter. Security guard Ted Pikul (Jude Law) rescues Geller, but she is concerned that her game has been damaged. Pikul agrees to join Geller in the game, where the perimeters of reality are no longer discernible, to ensure the game is still viable.

In the year preceding the frantic energy of Y2K, the sci-fi genre was experiencing an exciting theatrical ascent with the release of The Wachowski‘s innovative, elastic mega-hit, The Matrix. The gravity-defying martial arts meets Alice in Wonderland virtual landscape of The Matrix eclipsed all science fiction competition in 1999. eXistenZ was not a box office success, grossing a mere $5 million against a $15 million budget (a far cry from The Matrix‘s $462 million box office total). Fortunately, David Cronenberg‘s reputation for creating unique, thought-provoking films with complexity transcends widespread consensus and fiscal achievement. For sci-fi fans, eXistenZ retains reverence and respect, which are more valuable than any currency.

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7 ‘City of Lost Children’ (1995)

Directors: Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Krank (Daniel Emilfork), an ailing scientific creation incapable of dreaming, decides to kidnap children to steal their dreams in a desperate attempt to survive. Residents aboard an offshore oil rig, including an army of trained fleas, a disembodied brain, and fellow human hybrid experiments, assist Krank in his dream quest. They abduct a boy named Denrée (Joseph Lucien), but he is the brother of a carnival strongman named One (sci-fi legend Ron Perlman), who will not stop until his brother is recovered.

City of Lost Children, a spectacular French steampunk spectacle, crept onto the 90s sci-fi scene to captivate and confound. Visionary directors Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, responsible for the disturbingly watchable cannibal fantasy, Delicatessen in 91, returned with another visual feast. The intricately woven plot and stunning cinematography and costume design of the film have been compared to works by Fellini and Kubrick, garnering positive reviews from critics — despite being confused. Rotten Tomatoes bestowed a fresh score of 80%, though the movie was technically considered a box office flop. In the sci-fi genre, City of Lost Children is not only a cult staple; it’s a reminder of the human capacity for creative ingenuity.

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6 ‘Strange Days’ (1995)

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Strange Days is a film noir with science fiction features and political overtones. Ralph Fiennes stars as Lenny Nero, a former police officer turned illegal vendor of SQUID recordings, navigating the dystopian and corrupt streets of Los Angeles in 1999. Mace (Angela Bassett), Lenny’s driver and bodyguard, disapproves of Lenny’s SQUID hustle, selling illegally downloaded sensory memories as experiences, but her feelings for him keep her around. The pair find themselves involved in a murder conspiracy perpetrated by those sworn to protect– Lenny’s former fellow officers.

In 1986, James Cameron had an idea for a movie that would eventually become Strange Days. In a collaboration with former wife, director Kathryn Bigelow, the story was ahead of its time and didn’t fare well at the box office. Themes of racial inequality at the hands of the police, reversal of gender roles (Bassett’s character Mace is Lenny’s bodyguard and voice of reason), and violence against women proved unsavory for audiences in 1995. However, among sci-fi fans, Strange Days is a celebrated masterpiece, undervalued and overlooked. Bigelow’s careful eye and camera work are reason enough to reconsider the underestimated underground classic.

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5 ‘Dark City’ (1998)

Director: Alex Proyas

In a familiar science fiction narrative, a man, John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell), awakens disoriented, inexplicably transported to an unfamiliar place with no memory of previous events. Murdoch shares a hotel room with an unidentified murdered woman and is urged to flee after a call from a mysterious man, Dr. Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland). Murdoch is being hunted by a group of indistinguishable bald men clad in futuristic black leather Edward Scissorhands uniforms known as “the Strangers.” Murdoch learns that he can manipulate time, which leads to further horrifying discoveries.

Dark City broke even at the box office but wasn’t considered a huge commercial success. Critics were also split; some compared the film to Franz Kafka‘s works, while others viewed the plot as underdeveloped. Regardless of critical or fiscal dividends, director Alex Proyas‘s visual symphony and stylistic choices are undeniably rich in artistry. The cavernous, claustrophobic setting, coupled with a warped sense of reality governed by nondescript minions, is uncannily similar to themes in TheMatrix and Inception. For these reasons and many others, Dark City appears on countless lists celebrating sci-fi’s most outstanding achievements.

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4 ’12 Monkeys’ (1995)

Director: Terry Gilliam

The majority of the human race is obliterated by a deadly virus in the year 1996, which relegates survivors to an underground world. In 2035, a prisoner named James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to prevent the spread of the virus in exchange for a commuted sentence. Spanning multiple travels through time, Cole comes into repeated contact with Jeffery Goines (Brad Pitt). Cole believes Goines is behind the intentional spread of the virus through his affiliation with The Army of the 12 Monkeys, though Goines maintains his innocence. Goines directs Cole toward Goines’ scientist father (Christopher Plummer), a virologist, but time is of the essence and is rapidly running out for Cole.

In December 1995, the sci-fi thriller arrived in theaters and claimed the #1 spot at the box office for two consecutive weeks, earning over $168 million. Because of the inflated budget and subsequent studio revenue loss on the prior science fiction vehicle, Waterworld, Universal Pictures couldn’t support another flop, offering only $29 million to produce 12 Monkeys. Fans of the genre can rely on the wealth of ideas from director Terry Gilliam, who artistically MacGyvered a cinematic masterwork irrespective of resources. Some moviegoers have never heard of Gilliam, but he reigns supreme in out-of-the-box splendor to sci-fi aficionados.

12 Monkeys

Release Date

January 5, 1995

Director

Terry Gilliam

Cast

Joseph Melito , Bruce Willis , Jon Seda , Michael Chance , Vernon Campbell , H. Michael Walls

Runtime

129

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Writers

Chris Marker , David Webb Peoples , Janet Peoples

Tagline

A convict, sent back in time to stop a devastating plague, is sent too far back and is hospitalized as insane.

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3 ‘Total Recall’ (1990)

Director: Paul Verhoeven

In 2084, construction worker Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) experiences recurring dreams of a life on Mars accompanied by a mysterious woman. Quaid visits Rekall, a company that facilitates the implantation of chosen memories for a fee. The implant installation doesn’t go to plan, and Quaid is plunged into a chaotic series of encounters that turn violent. Quaid, called “Hauser” by people claiming to know him on Mars, is pulled into a world where certainty is a dream and life is a nightmare.

Total Recall solidified Schwarzenegger as a film star and is also credited as one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made. The epic journey onto the big screen began in 1964 with a short story by Philip K. Dick (also responsible for Blade Runner), followed by countless rewrites, director exits, and production company games of leapfrog. Schwarzenegger was an early fan of the script but was told he wasn’t suitable for the lead role. In June 1990, Schwarzenegger proved them wrong. Total Recall hit theaters, grossing over $260 million worldwide, showcasing special effects and uncharted technological feats in the genre. Schwarzenegger’s contributions to science fiction are noteworthy (Terminator 2: Judgment Day was a $520 million box office behemoth). Still, Total Recall remains an integral moment in the annals of sci-fi film history.

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2 ‘The Fifth Element’ (1997)

Director: Luc Besson

In 2263, a great evil emerges in space, threatening to destroy everything in its path. The only known weapons of defense are elemental relics protected by aliens known as Mondoshowans. Their spacecraft is ambushed, and the fifth element’s sarcophagus is damaged. The element is restored to its human form through biochemical reconstruction, revealing a woman called Leeloo (Milla Jovovich). Leeloo knows where to find the four elements and enlists an unlikely partner in flying taxi driver and former U.S. Special Forces Major Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis). The duo, aided by an alien opera singer, human priest (Ian Holm), and flashy radio DJ Ruby Rohd (Chris Tucker), race against time (and Gary Oldman) to save the universe.

Despite its commercial success, The Fifth Element divided audiences and critics alike. It sashayed onto the scene at the Cannes Film Festival 1997 with an exotic flourish featuring a futuristic ballet and fashion show by Jean-Paul Gaultier. Some critics praised the sci-fi spectacular for its over-the-top costuming and punk rock visuals, while its campy feel put others off. Ultimately, the movie grossed $263.9 million, resulting in a record in France for the highest-grossing French film, which it maintained for 16 years. To this day, characters from The Fifth Element and their iconic wardrobes are fixtures in sci-fi convention scenes, cosplay events, and Halloween, an enduring tribute to the fan-favorite classic.

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1 ‘Event Horizon’ (1997)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

A missing spaceship, the Event Horizon, has reappeared near Neptune after a seven-year absence, and a crew of astronauts are on a mission to recover the vessel in 2047. The rescue ship, helmed by Captain Miller (Laurence Fishburne), is joined by the Event Horizon‘s designer, Dr. Weir (Sam Neill). Dr. Weir explains that his ship design includes an experimental gravity drive, which can fold time in space. Upon arrival, the crew determines there were no survivors aboard the ship through a recording depicting horrific acts of violence committed by the ghost ship’s former inhabitants. As they begin to investigate the carnage of the Event Horizon, so too begins their descent into madness.

Like many cult classics, Event Horizon was a box office failure, grossing $42 million worldwide against a budget of $60 million. At the time of release, Rotten Tomatoes gave it an abysmal 34% approval score, and famed film critic Roger Ebert gave it 2 out of 4 stars. However, through its video release and home audience enthusiasm, Event Horizon demanded reevaluation. It has been referred to as a combination of The Shining and Alien, and Neill’s dedication to his creation as Dr. Weir is interred in science fiction film history. The atmospheric energy and slow-burn deterioration of the conditions on the ship, coupled with its visual effects and performances, made Event Horizon an overlooked star that has since been upgraded to a planet.

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Next: The 10 Best Sci-Fi Adaptations of the 21st Century