12 Best 1990s Sci-Fi Movies

9. 12 Monkeys

FIfth Element
Universal Pictures

Terry Gilliam doesn't exactly have the greatest reputation for working within the studio system, so it seems a little ironic that 12 Monkeys not only managed to come in on time and on budget, but also starred two of the biggest names in Hollywood in the leading roles and went on to become the biggest box office hit of his career.

As a filmmaker, Gilliam has always shown a preference for the existential, so it comes as little surprise that a mind-mending time-travel movie would bring out the best in him. The plot might become increasingly convoluted to the point of near-incoherence, but the big ideas of memory and each individual's unique perception of their reality still shine through.

Brad Pitt might have stolen the show with his Academy Award-nominated performance, but Bruce Willis anchors the whole thing by dialing down his established onscreen persona as his James Cole figures out exactly what the hell is going on at roughly the same rate as the audience does.

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