The 14 Worst Sci-Fi Movies From the '90s

The ‘90s were a great time for science fiction movies, giving us everything from “Contact” to “The Matrix.” Unfortunately, not every sci-fi film of the time lived up to that lofty standard. To “celebrate” the 20th anniversary of 1998’s “Lost in Space” reboot/misfire, here are 14 sci-fi movies from the ‘90s that should never have left the drawing board.

'Captain America' (1990)

If there’s one genre Hollywood absolutely failed to get right in the ‘90s, it was superhero movies. That trend started early with this dreadful, low-budget take on the Star-Spangled Avenger. When you can’t find a more bankable star to be Captain America than J.D. Salinger’s son, you know your movie has problems.

‘Alligator II: The Mutation’ (1991)

Alligator II” came along 11 years after the original and, somehow, managed to do everything worse. It’s not even a sequel so much as a very underwhelming remake. It should go without saying that the one thing your giant, killer alligator movie needs to have is plenty of gator-induced carnage, but apparently everyone working on this one missed that memo.

‘Carnosaur’ (1993)

Carnosaur” is basically a bootleg version of “Jurassic Park,” produced by the man responsible for the infamous, never-released “Fantastic Four” movie. But it hit theaters a month before its rival and actually turned a profit, so who are we to judge? Scratch that. We watched "Carnosaur." We'll judge all we want.

‘Double Dragon’ (1994)

On some level, we have to respect the ambition driving this video game adaptation. Rather than simply replicate the dead simple formula of the games -- two brothers walk left to right and punch every goon in the city -- it attempted to build an entire post-apocalyptic punk universe as a backdrop for the punching. Sadly, everything about this adaptation is so poorly executed that its ambition counts for very little in the end.

‘Time Chasers’ (1994)

These days, “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” It’s certainly possible to have fun with this low-budget shlock-fest on an ironic level. But as an actual film dealing with the conflict between a heroic time travel inventor and an opportunistic businessman, it fails utterly.

'Waterworld' (1995)

Kevin Costner was quite the draw in the early ‘90s, thanks to hits like "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." “Waterworld” brought a swift end to that. There’s probably some version of this post-apocalyptic action drama, about a world covered by oceans, that lives up to its promise. But what we got proved to be a very expensive, very disappointing dud that even Dennis Hopper’s overzealous acting couldn't save.

‘Barb Wire’ (1996)

“Baywatch”-fueled sex appeal, with the actual movie clearly being a secondary concern. Neither serious enough to be a great sci-fi epic nor campy enough to work in the “so bad it’s good” department, “Barb Wire” is stuck in a bland middle ground.

‘Escape From L.A.’ (1996)

As much as director John Carpenter defined ‘80s cinema, the ‘90s made it tragically clear that he was running out of steam. Take this ill-advised follow-up to 1981’s “Escape From New York.” The appeal of being reunited with Snake Plissken quickly evaporated as it became clear that the sequel was a pale, goofy shadow of the original. We still can't scrub that horrendous surfing sequence from our memory.

'Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace' (1996)

1992’s “The Lawnmower Man” is, at best, a mediocre sci-fi film with then-revolutionary CG effects that don’t exactly hold up 25 years later. Its sequel, on the other hand, is widely regarded as one of the worst science fiction movies ever made. Clearly, New Line should have quit while it was ahead.

‘Theodore Rex’ (1996)

We’re not sure what was going on in the room when studio execs greenlit a film featuring Whoopi Goldberg teaming up with a talking dinosaur and solving mysteries. We probably don’t want to know. But, somewhere along the way, everyone involved seemed to realize what a huge mistake they’d made. “Theodore Rex” wound up being the most expensive direct-to-video flop released at the time.

‘Steel’ (1997)

This superhero adaptation made two critical mistakes right off the bat. First, it built itself around a supporting character in the Superman franchise without ever acknowledging Superman himself. Second, it featured Shaquille O’Neal in the lead role. 

‘Lost in Space’ (1998)

“Lost in Space” is a big-screen adaptation of the campy sci-fi TV that’s become all too familiar to moviegoers. It takes a beloved ‘60s property and squeezes all the fun and charm out of it, in favor of fancy effects and action. It's more notable for being the movie to finally dethrone "Titanic's" epic box office run at No. 1 from Dec. 19, 1997 to April 2018. And whatever esteemed thespians like Gary Oldman and William Hurt might bring to the table, there’s no getting around the fact that Matt LeBlanc is no action hero. At least the upcoming Netflix series has a low bar to clear.

‘Baby Geniuses’ (1999)

What if it were revealed that all babies possess a vast cosmic knowledge that fades once they learn how to talk? There’s probably a good sci-fi movie to mine from that premise, but it certainly isn’t "Baby Geniuses." This slapstick comedy is just plain dumb, and most of the adult actors look embarrassed to be appearing on screen. We can’t exactly blame them.

‘Bats’ (1999)

By the end of the 21st Century, studios had pretty much exhausted all angles when it came to the “mutated versions of ordinary animals terrorize small-town residents” formula. “Bats” didn’t exactly reignite that genre. Though you could argue its emphasis on camp over scares paved the way for Syfy’s brand of cheesy made-for-TV movies.