Available on: Amazon US, Amazon UK (for rent)

No Escape (1994)

Before he made GoldenEye (1995), Casino Royale (2006), and Green Lantern (2011), Martin Campbell made No Escape, which is like Lord Of The Flies but with prisoners instead of sadistic rich kids. Ray Liotta stars as a disgraced ex-marine (he was jailed for not following orders) who winds up on a prison island full of bloodthirsty inmates. By fair means or foul, Liotta plans to find away out of the godforsaken place. While it lacks the memorable lines and sense of humour of Stuart Gordon’s Fortress, No Escape is servicably action-packed, and Liotta makes for an unsual but effective choice of leading man. Plus: Lance Henriksen and Ernie Hudson.

Is it worth seeing? It’s unremarkable but solidly made.

The Puppet Masters (1994)

Alien parasites take over the brains of a small American town in this low-budget adaptation of Robert Heinlein’s 1951 novel. By the time it came out, the paranoid themes had already been thoroughly established in cinema by the likes of the Body Snatchers movies – even though Heinlein’s story predated them by several years. Unfortunately, The Puppet Masters isn’t directed by someone on a par with Don Siegel, Philip Kaufman, or Abel Ferrara, so it lacks the psychological bite of those other invasion movies. It does, however, have a really good cast, including Donald Sutherland, Keith David, Yaphet Kotto, and Andrew Robinson.

Studio meddling took its toll, though, and even co-writer Terry Rossio described the resulting movie as “piss-poor”.

Is it worth seeing? Just about, but it’s disappointingly lacking in tension.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Project Metalbeast (1995)

What’s more terrifying than a werewolf? Why, a cyborg werewolf, of course. The US military, in a misguided attempt to create the perfect, hairy soldier, capture a werewolf and turn it into a bullet-proof monstrosity. The thing then breaks its bonds and rampages through a science facility, with gory results. A kind of lycanthropic take on Universal Soldier, Project Metalbeast stars Kim Delaney and Barry Bostwick, while Kane Hodder appears under a mountain of latex and fur as the titular beast. It’s the kind of film that was often found lurking on the bottom shelf of video shops in the mid-90s.

Is it worth seeing? Only for the morbidly curious.

Available on: Amazon US, Amazon UK

Screamers (1995)

One of the more obscure attempts to bring a Philip K Dick story to the screen (his short tale Second Variety), Screamers has all the hallmarks of a cracking cult film. RoboCop’s Peter Weller stars as a future soldier on a planet overrun by a race of artificially intelligent robots – the Screamers of the title – in a story adapted by the late Dan O’Bannon. Explosive action against some quite cool-looking armoured robots soon gives way to something far more chilling: the more evolved versions of the Screamers are capable of impersonating humans. That added layer of paranoia turns Screamers from a decent cult film into something even more compelling.

Is it worth seeing? Definitely.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

Before Keanu Reeves hit box-office gold with the Matrix trilogy, he starred in this quintessentially ’90s adaptation of William Gibson’s novel. Reeves plays the title character, a futuristic courier who delivers sensitive information for his corporate clients. Johnny soon finds himself a target for a group of assassins after the data stored in his head. Reviews of Johnny Mnemonic weren’t kind back in the 90s, but viewed today, it has cult item status written all over it, from its strange cast – Dolph Lundgren, Ice-T, Udo Kier, and Takeshi Kitano – to its quaintly outdated CGI.

Is it worth seeing? As a snapshot of how much filmmaking’s changed in 20 years, yes.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent)

Strange Days (1995)

For our money, this is one of the very best films to emerge in the wake of the VR flap that kicked off in the 90s. Rather than get bogged down in showy special effects, as The Lawnmower Man did, Strange Days is smart enough to focus instead on the psychological implications of future technology. In this case, it’s a device called a Squid, which allows its users to experience the memories of other people.

Ralph Fiennes is superb as a lank-haired, sleazy dealer who sells these memories on the black market, until he’s drawn into a conspiracy that involves what is essentially the first-person experiences of a murder victim. Kathryn Bigelow’s direction is, as always, lean and fast-moving, and it’s a mystery why this cracking sci-fi film didn’t find an audience on release; in theatres, it failed to make more than $8m on its $42m budget.

Is it worth seeing? Absolutely.

Tank Girl (1995)

Some comic book fans were horrified by the way director Rachel Talalay adapted Jamie Hewlett’s Tank Girl, and a broader audience didn’t exactly flock to see it, either. But Tank Girl captures the grungy spirit of the early-to-mid 90s, with its rock soundtrack, crazy camera angles and dialled-up performances making the film feel more like a $25m indie film than a major studio release (back then, $25m was still quite a lot of money).

Sure, the action plot’s thin and the acting’s a bit uneven, but if you’re in the mood for its noisy, anarchic vibe, there’s lots to enjoy in Tank Girl. Plus, this is an instance where Malcolm McDowell seems to be actively enjoying his role in a 90s sci-fi film. He’s great value as the preening villain, Keslee.

Is it worth seeing? As a time capsule from the decade of grunge, it really is.

Available on: Amazon UK

Village Of The Damned (1995)

John Carpenter worked wonders with 1982‘s The Thing – a new version of John W Campbell’s story Who Goes There, previously adapted by Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks. Carpenter tackles John Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos (previously adapted by as Village Of The Damned in 1960) here, with far less convincing results. Moving the story to the usual small town in America, the basic gist of Wyndham’s story remains: the town’s womenfolk spontaneously fall pregnant and give birth to worryingly intelligent, sparkly-eyed children a few months later. A doctor, Alan (Christopher Reeve) is among the few to suspect an extraterrestrial origin for the small army of brats with bad haircuts.

Less bold in its interpretation of its source material than The Thing, Village Of The Damned instead feels like a tame retread of the 60s film than a fresh new take. Reeve, always a good actor, does his best, but Village Of The Damned is far from Carpenter’s best work.

Is it worth seeing? For Carpenter completists only, we’re sorry to say.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Virtuosity (1995)

This mix of sci-fi and serial killer thriller is even more curious than it sounds. Russell Crowe plays SID, a Max Headroom-like artificial intelligence – an amalgam of all the evil people who’ve ever lived, or something – who manages to escape from the virtual realm and starts killing people in our own. Denzel Washington plays the cop charged with tracking SID down, and much gunplay, fighting and posturing ensues.

Crowe’s better known for his deadly earnest turns in things like Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind and Noah these days, so it’s surprising to see him marching around in a purple velvet suit and shouting at people here. Neither he nor Washington have voluntarily brought Virtuosity up in interviews since.

Is it worth seeing? If only for the sight of a pre-Oscar-win Crowe sneering and cackling in a purple suit, yes.

The Arrival (1996)

Another film from director David Twohy, who also wrote the script. It’s a conspiracy thriller about Charlie Sheen’s astronomer, who captures alien radio signals and is then embroiled in an attempt to cover up the discovery. It’s an especially good performance from Sheen as the awkward, geeky protagonist, and Twohy’s clever story takes in climate change, aliens and advanced technology. Reviews of this smart, lean sci-fi thriller were hugely positive, but frustratingly, the film failed to gain the traction it deserved.

Is it worth seeing? Very much so. The straight-to-video 1998 sequel, Arrival II, is not.

Available on: Amazon US, Amazon UK

Space Truckers (1996)

Stuart Gordon’s output in the 90s was nothing if not eclectic. Space Truckers saw the horror maestro take on a big-budget sci-fi fantasy, and the result is like a kind of proto Guardians Of The Galaxy – well, minus the talking tree and Chris Pratt, of course. Although Gordon’s mischievous style of filmmaking’s probably better suited to the macabre horror of Re-Animator, From Beyond and Castle Freak (the latter released just one year before Space Truckers), there’s plenty to enjoy here, including some amusing performances from Dennis Hopper and Charles Dance – the latter unusually cast as a killer cyborg.

Is it worth seeing? It isn’t Gordon’s best film, but it’s still an entertaining bit of SF hokum.

Available on: Amazon US (for purchase), Amazon UK (for rent)

Event Horizon (1997)

Critics were largely hostile to this space-going horror opus. Your humble writer, for his sins, went to the cinema to see it twice. It’s a fairly straight gothic chiller in the Alien mould, with a crew exploring a seemingly deserted ship and realising too late that the demonic presence that killed the crew is still aboard.

A superb cast livens up the B-movie trappings of the script, and the production design’s excellent – the ship is a spiky, unnerving place you wouldn’t want to explore alone. Full marks to Sam Neill, too, for throwing himself into the role of Dr William Weir, a scientist slowly driven mad by his own creation. An even more gory version of Event Horizon once existed before the studio got hold of it.

Is it worth seeing? Your mileage may vary, but we’ve always had a soft spot for Event Horizon.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Gattaca (1997)

In a future where science is capable of making people physically and psychologically perfect, those with genetic flaws are pariahs. Ethan Hawke plays the outsider intent on defying the law and pursuing his dreams of becoming an astronaut, and the dramatic friction that results is breathtaking. Jude Law turns in a career-best performance as a disabled genius who becomes Hawke’s ally, while Michael Nyman’s score is devastatingly beautiful.

Is it worth seeing? If you haven’t seen it already, you must. It’s an absolute classic.

Available on: Amazon US, Amazon UK

The Relic (1997)

Tom Sizemore spends much of this creature feature looking as though he’d rather be somewhere else, but the lighting’s so shadowy you can easily ignore this. An unabashed B-movie from an era that spawned an unusual number of them, The Relic’s about a huge, man-eating beast which runs amok in a Chicago museum. Sizemore’s joined by Penelope Anne Miller as an expert biologist looking for a means to halt the beast, which Stan Winston imagines as a cross between the Predator and a rhinoceros.

Is it worth seeing? Not the most memorable monster movie of the 1990s, but worth a watch.

Available on: Amazon US

Retroactive (1997)

Like Nacho Vigalondo’s magnificently creepy Timecrimes (2007), Retroactive sees its central character repeatedly try to travel back and change the past, only to make things slightly worse each time. Kylie Travis stars as a young hitchhiker who falls into the orbit of a horribly shady character played by James Belushi, while Frank Whaley adn M Emmet Walsh are among the supporting cast. Low-budget but well-written, Retroactive‘s an absorbing time-travel thriller.

Is it worth seeing? Yes. It’s a bit of an underappreciated gem.

Dark City (1998)

Alex Proyas’ Dark City is often compared to The Matrix, with both films sharing similar themes and even one or two identical sets (both films were shot in Australia). But Dark City is more an urgent noir thriller with sci-fi undertones than the out-and-out action of The Matrix, and Proyas gives it a brilliantly brooding, murky feel. Rufus Sewell’s protagonist wakes up in an unfamiliar hotel room with a corpse nearby, and he’s soon on the run from an army of bald, gaunt figures who look like cousins of the Cenobites in Hellraiser. Like The Thirteenth Floor and eXistenZ, Dark City takes its cue from the writings of Philip K Dick; here, reality is paper thin, and you only have to prod a finger through it to see the disturbing truth that hides behind it.

Is it worth seeing? Good Lord, yes. It’s a corker.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Deep Rising (1998)

Another 90s monster movie, this time on an abandoned ship in the middle of nowhere. Treat Williams leads an eclectic ensemble cast of likely victims (Famke Janssen, Wes Studi, Djimon Hounsou and Cliff Curtis are also among the familiar names), but the monster’s the real star – a big, tentacled thing that skulks around in the dark.

Is it worth seeing? It’s pure hokum, but trashily entertaining nevertheless.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Phantoms (1998)

One year after he shared in the Oscar glory for Good Will Hunting, Ben Affleck starred in this sci-fi horror, also distributed by Miramax. It’s fair to say it didn’t quite share the former’s adulation or box-office success. Adapted by Dean Koontz from his own novel, Phantoms is a variation on The Thing; an entity has taken over a small town in Colorado, and is capable of mimicking the lifeforms it comes into contact with. Affleck plays a local sheriff, Peter O’Toole’s a scientist and Liev Schreiber’s another cop with the hilarious name Deputy Wargle. Appreciated as a pure B-movie, there’s lots to enjoy in Phantoms.

Is it worth seeing? Well, we quite like it.

Available on: Amazon US, Amazon UK (for rent)

Soldier (1998)

Following the expensive box-office disappointment of Event Horizon, director Paul W S Anderson leapt straight onto this, more straightforward sci-fi action flick. That it’s written by Blade Runner’s David Peoples might suggest that we’re in for something with a bit of philosophical depth, but it’s really more akin to Universal Soldier (with similarly bloody violence) than Ridley Scott’s seminal movie, occasional allusions aside. Kurt Russell’s dependably good in the lead, though, and Jason Scott Lee and Jason Isaacs are decent villains.

Is it worth seeing? Just about, if you’re in the mood for some 90s-style mayhem.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent)

The Astronaut’s Wife (1999)

To all intents and purposes, this is Rosemary’s Baby with a possibly alien-possessed astronaut instead of Satan worship, and the results are as unimaginative as that sounds. Johnny Depp returns to Earth from a space mission a changed man, and Charlize Theron plays his increasingly concerned wife. There isn’t necessarily wrong with finding new slants on pre-existing ideas, but if you’re going to borrow from one of the most celebrated horror movies ever, you’d better be sure you have something new to add.

Is it worth seeing? Well, no. Not really. Charlize Theron deserved much better genre fare than this, and eventually got it with her superb role in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent)

Bicentennial Man (1999)

Chris Columbus’s direction is bland, but even Bicentennial Man‘s grumpier critics would surely concede that Robin Williams’ performance as a robot who gradually becomes more human is a thoroughly moving one. Based on the writings of Isaac Asimov, it follows Williams’ humanoid machine as he evolves over the course of 200 years. It’s an uneven film, for sure, but highly effective in its best dramatic scenes.

Is it worth seeing? Yes, if only for Williams’ leading turn.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

eXistenZ (1999)

David Cronenberg returned to his eariler brand of sci-fi horror only once in the 1990s, and it was for eXistenZ, a brilliantly-made piece of techno-surrealism that should have been a far bigger hit. Jude Law stars as Ted Pykul, a security guy for celebrity game designer Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh). When Geller’s attacked by a group of terrorists who object to her reality-bending games machines, she and Pykul go on the run, seemingly escaping their clutches but finding traitors and assassins in the most unlikely places – even in eXistenZ, Geller’s latest and most inscrutible game.

Cronenberg returns to many of the themes and ideas he introduced in Videodrome here, and it could be said that eXistenZ doesn’t compare favourably to that early masterwork. But there’s something irresistibly off-kilter about the world Cronenberg creates, from its sexually-charged performances, freaky production design and insistent jabs of body horror. It all builds to a satisfying and clever pay-off that may just be the funniest in Cronenberg’s career to date.

Is it worth seeing? Without a doubt.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent)

The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

Another late-90s thriller that plays with the boundary between fiction and reality, The Thirteenth Floor gives the sub-genre a film noir twist. In a simulated 1930s Los Angeles, Craig Bierko’s protagonist is trying to prove that he didn’t murder a computer genius played by Armin Mueller-Stahl. Other films handled their twists better, but The Thirteenth Floor has enough decent performances (Gretchen Mol, Vincent D’Onofrio) and clever moments to make it worth a watch.

Is it worth seeing? It’s certainly better than its initially negative reviews suggested.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent), Amazon UK (for rent)

Virus (1999)

Even experienced producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens) couldn’t steer this disappointing expensive space thriller to box-office success. Based on the comic of the same name, it sees an alien life form create deadly cyborgs out of dead humans and bits of scientific equipment. A solid cast, which includes Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin and Donald Sutherland, can’t save what is essentially a creaky (and at $70m, incredibly expensive) version of Hardware set on a boat.

Is it worth seeing? The effects are excellent, but everything else is gloomily derivative.

Available on: Amazon US (for rent)

Wing Commander (1999)

Attempting to take the hit videogames and craft them into a Star Wars-type crowd-pleaser, Wing Commander was roundly upstaged by 1999’s genre big-hitters – among them a certain Star Wars prequel. Everything about Wing Commander is weirdly ill-conceived, from its cast (a dull Freddie Prinze Jr, a maniacal Matthew Lillard) to some spectacularly awful miniature effects and alien suits. More strangely still, the videogames actually had a better roster of actors than the movie. Christopher Walken, Malcolm McDowell, John Hurt and Clive Owen had appeared in the games, while Wing Commander: the motion picture had to make do with a very uncomfortable-looking David Warner and David Suchet.

Is it worth seeing? No.