The 1990s were an exceptional decade for filmmaking, and many of the movies that came out during this period were in conversation with the dystopian genre. Part of this was becauseemerging technologies and innovations were developing at an exponential speed,making creatives question what the world would look like in the future. Additionally, since the end of the century was approaching, anxieties around Y2K and the new millennium sparked interest in these dystopian stories. Many of these aresci-fi masterpiece movies everyone should watch, while others only have small speculative fiction elements.
The Matrixis a prime example of the style and tone of dystopian movies of the 1990s. There’s little question thatmany of these titles, likeThe Matrix, were inspired by projects from the 1980s,which was a huge decade for sci-fi and action movies, likeBlade RunnerorEscape From New York. Though the ’90s isn’t the only decade that uses dystopian realities as the settings for stories, it’s notable because of the major happening in filmmaking and in the real world. Looking back at the projects and what they predicted about the future is always interesting.
Kevin Costner directs and stars inThe Postman,a story that focuses on the rebuilding of society after an apocalyptic future comes to pass. His character, only known as the Postman, is one of the few people still alive after a number of world-ending events. He travels throughout the U.S. looking for food and shelter. After he starts wearing an old postal carrier uniform, the people he encounters react with hope and skepticism alike, wanting to believe in the possibility of life returning to some kind of normality.
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ThoughThe Postmandidn’t receive critical or audience acclaim, it’s a gentler addition to the dystopian genre that scratches the same itch without bringing you down. Additionally, some of the creative choices can be seen through a campy lens, as many of the performances are over-the-top. Despite its flaws,The Postmanis an interesting look at an overlooked side of the dystopian genre and isa passable film when it’s not taken too seriously.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger stars inTotal Recallas Douglas Quaid,a man whose memories and conception of reality are consistently tested and subverted throughout the film. Released during Schwarzenegger’s meteoric rise to fame,Total Recallwas immediately poised to do well at the box office following the success ofThe Terminator, though the character of Quaid wasn’t the infallible hero or destructive villain he usually portrayed. In fact,Total Recallforces the audience to question whether Quaid has lost his grip on reality.
At the end ofTotal Recall, it’s difficult to know who to trust, asmultiple parties claim to have reprogrammed Quaid’s brain to give him conflicting memoriesthroughout the story. While the effects and action can be a little campy at times,Total Recallmanages to give the audience the option of believing that everything they’ve witnessed was a dream. Though theTotal Recallmovie remakefrom 2012 failed to reach the heights of the original, the fact that a remake happened demonstrates the story’s longevity.
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Bruce Willis gives one of his best performances in12 Monkeys, the mind-bending dystopian thriller that later inspired the TV series of the same name in 2015. Willis' character, James Cole, is an incarcerated man forced to become a time traveler in the 2030s, sent back to the ’90s to find a virus that nearly destroys humanity. However,time travel isn’t easy or accurate in12 Monkeys, and James' consciousness is batted around,disorienting him and the viewer.
12 Monkeysargues that time is cyclical and it’s impossible to change the course of events that have already come to pass.
12 Monkeysargues that time is cyclical and it’s impossible to change the course of events that have already come to pass. However, even amid the nihilistic themes in12 Monkeys, there’s an interesting critique being made about the spread of information and understanding thanks to the emergence of new technologies. James realizes by the end of the film that knowing something and understanding it are two different things and won’t necessarily change anything.
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The sequel to the 1987 movieRoboCop,RoboCop 2, sees Peter Weller return as the titular robot police officer going on adventures and fighting crime in a dystopian version of Detroit. ThoughRoboCop 2didn’t receive the same critical or audience reception as the first film, it’s still a fun addition to the genre and incorporates engaging action sequences. It’s disappointing thatRoboCop 2doesn’t delve as deeply into its protagonist’s psyche as the first installment, butas an action film, the project delivers.
RoboCop 2sees its hero fight against evil corporations and against the spread of violent crime and drug use. These issues were topical subjects in the 1990s and now, givingRoboCop 2a relatable tone and thematic thrust no matter when it’s revisited. Not all the dystopian films from the ’90s leaned as far into gore and action asRoboCop 2, giving a mass appeal that some of these titles lack. Though the sequel is far from perfect, it helped establishRoboCopas an enduring franchise.
RoboCop 2 (1990)
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Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law star inGattaca, a film set in a world where eugenics have taken off and created a reality where those with money genetically augment their children before birth.Hawke plays Vincent, a young man who was conceived without interventionand faces discrimination at every turn because he isn’t considered smart or strong enough to excel in society. It’s an extreme example of the many discriminatory practices in government and social situations around the world.
The film questions what the purpose of technology should be and whether a person’s fate and potential are something that can be altered or predestined.
Gattacais a stressful film to watch, as the stakes are high for the characters. Vincent begins posing as a genetically modified man and must constantly be impersonating him and ensuring that he doesn’t shed his own DNA, as this is how the government would catch him. The film questions what the purpose of technology should be and whether a person’s fate and potential are something that can be altered or predestined. Throughout its runtime,Gattacanever fails to balance its tension with its social commentary.
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Possibly the best-known dystopian movie of all time, not just of the 1990s,The Matrixspurred the development of a franchise and a devoted fanbase, even if the first film is still the best many years later. Starring Keanu Reeves in the role that would cement him as an action star,The Matrixis a movie made by film lovers.The directors, Lana and Lilly Wachowski have a deep interest and understanding of storytelling that comes through in the details ofThe Matrixthat make it so compulsively watchable.
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The Matrix is rightly considered one of the most influential sci-fi action movies of all time, but some aspects of the film haven’t held up.
As Neo, Reeves is the perfect stand-in for the audience and fulfills the fantasy of wanting to be special and the prophesized Chosen One, even in such a messed-up world. The story itself might be one that viewers have seen rehashed many times, butThe Matrixputs a fantastic spin on the concept that your reality isn’t what it seems. Entrenched in the critique of the growing corporate lifestyles of the time,The Matrixincorporates amazing action and vivid practical effects to immerse the audience in its synthetic universe.
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Though it feels a little strange to classifyThe Truman Showas a dystopian movie, it’s a fitting classification for a reality where a person’s life is fabricated and made into a show for the world’s 24-hour viewing pleasure. ThoughJim Carrey is best known for his comedic work,The Truman Showhelped cement him as a dramatic actorand is easily the bestJim Carrey movie of the 1990s. In conversation with surveillance technologies and the reality TV boom,The Truman Showremains a searing cultural critique.
This development of wider consciousness and discovery of the unknown is a huge part of the human experience and the reason whyThe Truman Showis considered such a phenomenon to this day.
In the movie, Truman’s entire life has been filmed and created by a TV crew from the moment of his birth, and everyone in his life is an actor. As the story progresses, Truman slowly begins to realize that something isn’t right in his life and that the world doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to. This development of wider consciousness and discovery of the unknown is a huge part of the human experience and the reason whyThe Truman Showis considered such a phenomenon to this day.
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Before Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director for her work onThe Hurt Locker, she was entrenched in the pulpy genre film world of the 1980s and 1990s.Strange Daysis a great example of her early style, as it incorporates crime, murder, sci-fi, and sex into the story, creating a thrilling combination. Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett lead the cast as Lenny and Mace, a former cop and a bodyguard who team up to track down a killer.
Set in a dystopian version of Los Angeles,Strange Daysleans into the urban decay seen across the genre. The conceit ofStrange Daysimagines a world where sensory experiences can be downloaded and distributed. While this practice is illegal in the story’s world, it’s how Lenny and Mace uncover a large conspiracy connecting almost everyone they know. Though it came out in 1995,Strange Daysis set during the turn of the century,demonstrating how much anxiety the coming of the 2000s was sparking.
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Jennifer Connelly stars inDark Cityas Emma alongside Rufus Sewell, who plays John Murdoch, the film’s protagonist.Reality is something that can be altered at will for some of the characters inDark City,a movie that takes its name from the fact that the city Murdoch is being chased across is plunged into constant nightfall. Drawing inspiration from film noir, sci-fi, and surrealism,Dark Cityis a case study of what makes someone human and explores whether or not memories and identities can be shed and created anew.
Many dystopian thrillers from the ’90s don’t end as happily asDark City.
There are many shocking plot twists and unexpected reveals inDark City, but the best way to enjoy the film is to let go of searching for a specific logic or set of rules and let the story slowly open up before you. While the narrative gets pretty grim inDark City, it ends on a surprisingly uplifting note, giving the audience a sense that there’s something deeper and more powerful inside humanity than anyone realizes. Many dystopian thrillers from the ’90s don’t end as happily asDark City.
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Ghost in the Shell, the 1995 adaptation of the beloved manga, quickly drew comparisons withBlade Runnerand other cyberpunk movies of the previous decades. However, though there are plenty of aesthetic and thematic similarities,Ghost in the Shellstands out in the genre. Set in a future where cyborgs are a large part of the population and cyberterrorism is a major issue,Ghost in the Shellfocuses on the cyborg protagonist, Motoko Kusanagi.
Visually stunning,Ghost in the Shellhas a cohesive atmosphere that blends the futuristic elements into the familiar urban landscapethat was becoming so prevalent in the 1990s.Ghost in the Shellisn’t just a great work of animation but a highly influential piece of late 20th-century filmmaking. The high-concept story investigates what the source of consciousness is and what it means to be a sentient being with autonomy, as shown in the discussions of sentient technologies. Motoko’s existence as a female-presenting being is also an interesting interrogation of the female body within sci-fi films.
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
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