10 Most Underrated 1990s Sci-Fi Movies
The '90s were the Sci-Fi gift that just kept on giving... even if you didn't know it at the time.
Science fiction is undoubtedly a timeless genre, entertaining us lot for centuries now through short stories, novels and eventually film and television. The truth is that we can't help but love a bit of sci-fi, simply because it teases us with the prospect of the unknown, and in many cases, how humanity reacts to it.
Like each decade that came before it, the '90s saw the sci-fi genre reach a whole new level of grandiosity, thanks in no small part to improved special effects and the subsequent revival of the science fiction/disaster movie blockbuster that came with it. A decade that gifted us with groundbreaking classics like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Men In Black and Independence Day, it's hard to imagine what the cinematic landscape would look like without the leaps and bounds that were made as we approached the end of 20th century.
That being said, not every film in the genre was quite as lucky - or even memorable - as those aforementioned trendsetters. Whether they were poorly received at the time of their release, reviled by the critics who watched them or just completely lost to history, there are some sci-fi gems that deserve more attention.
With that in mind, let's get to know some of them...
10. Tank Girl
The '90s had its fair share of comic book adaptations - the most famous of course being the three offerings from the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise. Unfortunately, this was long before the superhero renaissance that we're living in today - a renaissance that some of those Batman films were directly responsible for - so some of the more experimental films in the genre failed to make an impression. Tank Girl was one of them.
Based on the comic series of the same name, the sci-fi film that starred Lori Petty in the titular role bombed at the box-office, pulling in only $6 million (which, against a $25 million budget was not good) and polarizing critics. And yet, this writer can't help but feel that it deserved a little (or a lot) better than that.
Though not the best that the genre has to offer, Tank Girl is one of the better early examples of the all-too scarce female-led superhero film - mostly due to the fact that Petty is absolutely sensational in the leading role.
Yes, reception has softened towards the film over the years, with many now seeing it for the fun futuristic flick that it is, but that will never change the fact that more people should have been talking about Tank Girl when it was released.