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The 1990s happened relatively recently. Despite that, a lot of people already has trouble remembering some of the more obscure science fiction movies and TV series that premiered in the decade. For every Terminator 2 or The Fifth Element, there are a dozen of science fiction movies that never received the same level of attention.
In some cases, the fact that they're mostly overlooked has nothing to do with their quality. Some of the best forgotten sci-fi movies from the 1990s stood the test of time and work even today, making it an ideal opportunity to give them a chance and discover what the fans of this genre have been missing out on so far.
Updated December 6, 2022, by Kath Leroy: With dozens of new science fiction movies premiering each year, it might almost seem that there's no need to return to older sci-fi movies from the 1990s. However, these movies have a lot to offer to the 21st century audience.
Not only are they more likely to star actors who are still active, but they offer special effects that work to this day, considering the 90s aren't as distant as other time periods. What's more, the best forgotten sci-fi movies from the 90s help demonstrate that some ideas and storylines are nothing new in the world of cinema. These themes keep returning over and over again, albeit in different forms.
9 The Rocketeer (1991)
These days, it might seem like that superhero movies are the domain of the 21st century. However, fans of superheroes don't have to rely only on the likes of the MCU, the DCEU, or TV's Arrowverse. Early in the 1990s, a superhero not associated with any of the big teams, such as Avengers or Justice League, took the world by storm.
His name was the Rocketeer, and he appeared in this fast-paced, pleasantly nostalgic movie set in the late 1930s. The movie offers several solid performances from well-known names, such as Timothy Dalton, Alan Arkin, and Jennifer Connelly. And speaking of the MCU, some viewers compared The Rocketeer to the first Captain America movie from 2011. That might not be a coincidence, since both movies share the same director, Joe Johnston.
8 Stay Tuned (1992)
Dealing with the Devil is never a good idea because he plays his own game, one that might prove deadly for everybody else involved. In this movie, the Devil manages to lure a married couple into a game, and they will spend the eternity in Hell if they lose. What makes this game unique is that the heroes are running through various TV programs, and their looks as well as the settings change with each program. That makes for some imaginative scenes, such as when they find themselves in a cartoon for children very similar to the classic Tom and Jerry.
Of course, at the heart of it, it's still about their struggle to survive which makes it easy to cheer on the heroes and wish them success. The movie has a strong cast, especially Jeffrey Jones as the Devil steals every scene he appears in for himself. Stay Tuned suggests that spending too much time watching TV can be detrimental to someone's life which is an idea that will resonate with many people even today.
7 Doctor Who: Shada (1992)
One of the best known stories from the classic Doctor Who never got completed...until it received this reconstruction in 1992. While the story still isn't finished, Doctor Who: Shada does its best to bridge the gaps and is a must-watch for all fans of the show, especially if they like the adventures of Tom Baker's Fourth Doctor.
Baker returned to the movie as both the Doctor and its narrator, and he as well as the other actors manage to create an adventurous Doctor Who story that also got a novelization of a similarly high-quality. If the viewers have already seen the entire Doctor Who and all related shows, Doctor Who: Shada is an enjoyable trip to the same world.
6 Memoirs Of An Invisible Man (1992)
When somebody says science fiction, most people don't think about this movie because it puts a strong emphasis on the romantic storyline as well. At its core, though, Memoirs of an Invisible Man is still a sci-fi story about a man who becomes invisible, has to deal with the people who pursue him and have evil intentions. And also, he has to figure out how to get back to normal...or not.
Despite the fact that Nick, played by Chevy Chase, gets into danger multiple times, Memoirs of an Invisible Man still comes across as a feel-good movie thanks to its ending and the sense of humor that's present in the story for the bigger part. So even though more dramatic movies about invisible people, such as the 2020 modern version The Invisible Man, also have a lot to offer, this movie is a classic that doesn't disappoint. What's more, it has Sam Neill in a wonderfully villainous role which is something many fans of the actor or science fiction in general will appreciate.
5 The Visitors (1993)
Time travel is one of the most popular science fiction storytelling tropes. However, the more common course of action is to travel into the past, not the future. In this French movie, Jean Reno plays the knight Godefroy who travels hundreds of years forward, to the 20th century. He and his servant Jacquouille (played by Christian Clavier) have to figure out how to get into their own time before it's too late. The movie is primarily a comedy, as both Godefroy and Jacquouille have a hard time figuring out how the 20th century and all its inventions work. Of course, the fact that they both look and speak like historical figures doesn't help their case.
The movie is hilarious and has the power to make the audience laugh out loud thanks to the dynamic between Reno and Clavier. At the same time, the viewers and the heroes alike know the clock is ticking which brings a sense of urgency to the story. The Visitors got three sequels, with the second one coming in 1998, but the first movie also remains the best one of the series. The movie is well known in Europe, but a lot of American viewers might have missed out on watching it despite the fact that The Visitors have a lot to offer.
4 The City Of Lost Children (1995)
If an audience is looking for a movie working with a city that could very well be one of the main characters, they need to look no further as the strangely poetic The City of Lost Children. The movie centers on the mad scientist Krank who's unable to dream, so he kidnaps children to steal their dreams and fantasies.
Miette, a brave young girl, joins forces with strong man One (Ron Perlman) and together, they try to find and save One's brother. The movie offers a complex and unpredictable story. Combined with its unique atmosphere and visual, The City of Lost Children remains one of the most imaginative movies of the 1990s.
3 The Green Planet (1996)
When aliens visit Earth in sci-fi movies and TV shows, more often than not they do so because they have nefarious intentions - these usually include staging an invasion. However, the French movie La Belle Verte (which means The Beautiful Green) is an exception to this rule. The main character, the alien Mila, arrives at Earth not to destroy it, but to get to know it better.
She soon learns that the Earthlings are strange, even more so when her journey leads her to Paris. The movie offers many humorous situations that show Mila learning more about Earth and humans. The best-known actress in the movie is Marion Cotillard, but the cast does a great job overall, including Coline Serreau as Mila.
2 The Mating Habits Of The Earthbound Human (1999)
In a lot of science fiction movies, aliens invade the Earth and hurt a lot of humans. But just like in the movie The Green Planet, they sometimes have purer intentions for their visit to Earth, such as scientific curiosity. Invisible aliens study the mating habits of humans by following the developing relationship of two young people, Jenny and Billy, and the more they watch the progress of the romance, the more they doubt that the mating habits on Earth make any sense.
The movie is one of the most original romantic comedies of all time. It not only makes the audience laugh but also asks them to consider some of stranger aspects of dating. Despite the movie's overall quality, it only has over 6 thousand ratings on IMDb at the moment, making it one of the best hidden sci-fi jewels of the 1990s.
1 The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
This lesser-known sci-fi movie works with many themes popular in the genre. Most notably, these include time travel and virtual reality. Both of them make an appearance in the story about a murder of an older man. The suspect is his younger colleague, who has to try and solve the case before the law pins it on him, or the murderer comes back to finish the job.
The movie successfully bluts the lines between fiction and reality, between the past and the present, as part of the story is set in the 1990s and part in the 1930s. It has the power to surprise the audience and Vincent D'Onofrio in a wonderfully villainous role. Some fans compared the movie to Matrix but thought The Thirteenth Floor is even better. Whatever the case, the movie is worth watching for all fans of the genre.