’90s sci-fi movies were some of the most influential productions within the genre. Here are a few ones that paved the way for modern sci-fi and sit with perfect scores on the Letterboxd throne.
Until The End Of The World (3.86)
Where To Watch – The Criterion Channel
Science-fiction movies in the ’90s stuck to some basic formulae. They were either about time travel or alternate realities or straight up near future story arcs. Until The End Of The World is none of those things. It has no such visual spectacles to gloat but Letterboxd ratings still give it a solid 3.86 score. The story is about a man and a woman who are on the run from the CIA. All the while, a groundbreaking new technological device is recording their entire journey, down to their dreams and experiences. The original version was more than 20 hours long but it has been trimmed down to a feature length of 287 minutes.
Ghost In The Shell (4.00)
Where to Watch – Roku
Based on the hit manga series by Masamune Shirow, Ghost In The Shell is not just sci-fi but also a commentary on society’s definitions of what constitutes humanity and identity. Without Ghost In The Shell, the cyberpunk genre would have been lost to time and movies like The Matrix (more on that in a bit) would have never graced the world. The premise is rather interesting. In the future, brain-hacking technology exists and when a villain called the Puppet-Master threatens to wreak havoc, cyborg agent Motoko Kusanagi is called in to save the day.
Jurassic Park (4.11)
Where To Watch – HBO Max
’90s science fiction does not get more iconic and titular than 1993’s Steven Spielberg classic – Jurassic park. This is a movie that people still enjoy today and is called one of the most rewatchable movies of all time. The story is about an island where scientists have reverse engineered dinosaur DNA and have created them from scratch as part of a theme park attraction. The Dinosaurs soon escape captivity and all hell breaks lose. The T-Rex scene itself is still better than most Hollywood CGI today.
The Matrix (4.14)
Where To Watch – Hulu
While the world was headed into a new millennium, the Wachowski brothers gave us The Matrix. The movie came at the very perfect time and totally changed the sci-fi action genre. It’s wild premise and incredible characters made us fall in love with the entire franchise. The Matrix is a cult-classic and even after more than two decades of its release, no name in Hollywood is as memorable as Neo. The movie employed some cutting edge special effects and was a radical new project lightyears ahead of its time.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End Of Evangelion (4.41)
Where To Watch – Netflix
You have no idea about this movie if you are not even remotely involved in the world of anime. For the ones reading this who fall into t hat category, we have to say that Neon Genesis Evangelion is our first recommendation if you ever want to dive into anime productions. End Of Evangelion is a follow up movie that tells the polarizing ending of the original anime series from a whole new perspective. End Of Evangelion was so well received by fans that hated the anime series ending that almost half of the fans gave it a perfect 5 star rating.
