10 ’90s Sci-Fi Movies With CGI That Still Look Incredible in 2026

Before the world moved on to AI-assisted visuals and VFX, the 90s’ sci-fi movies pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved on the computer (while still mostly using film to shoot). Many of these 90s films have changed the industry for the better with their attention to detail and immersive craft.

Visionary filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and James Cameron brought their incredible ideas to life with VFX wizards like the artists at ILM and Digital Domain. Here are 10 sci-fi movies from the 90s with incredible CGI that still look fresh today.

1 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

There is a reason why James Cameron’s T2 remains a classic in not just sci-fi movie history, but also in terms of movie history. The highly anticipated sequel hit it out of the park with its incredibly heartfelt storyline, with groundbreaking action and visual effects. The morphing effect was legendary, opening new avenues in VFX and CGI. The film is still considered to be among the best sequels of Cameron and one of the best action and sci-fi films of all time.

Dennis Muren’s time at ILM is historic, with his work bringing 8 Oscars for Best Visual Effects and a Technical Achievement Award to the company. His work on Terminator 2: Judgment Day was one of them. The next one on the list also won Muren the Oscar.

2 Jurassic Park (1993)

Dennis Muren’s collaboration with Steven Spielberg goes way back, but Jurassic Park is arguably their biggest achievement. Mixing animatronics with full-scale CGI dinosaurs, the film brought the Cretaceous period (yes, T. rexes were not in the Jurassic period) to life. The Raptors scenes were incredible, and we can never stop gushing about Rexy. Jurassic Park changed the way blockbusters were perceived and is still one of the most influential sci-fi films of the 90s.

Muren was gloriously assisted by Stan Winston for the animatronic puppets and Phil Tippett for the creature CGI, who brought the dinos to life. The film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

3 Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (1999)

George Lucas’ 1977 masterpiece Star Wars changed cinema forever and started a franchise that had a release as recent as last month with The Mandalorian and Grogu. The 1999 prequel, The Phantom Menace, was also revolutionary, but in more technical spaces. The film rendered one of the first fully digital characters in live-action (Jar Jar Binks).

Other CGI and VFX-heavy sequences include the Tatooine pod race and the Naboo underwater scenes, which were incredible experiences. The pod race is the stuff of cinematic legend. While the storyline and writing have been criticized over the years, no one can deny its achievement in visual effects.

4 The Matrix (1999)

Well, everyone knows about the bullet time effect in The Matrix. The scene still hits even after so many years. VFX supervisor John Gaeta used multiple cameras fired in rapid succession to create the bullet time effect, and no matter how many copycats have emerged since then, the OG scene still works. It reportedly took a lot of planning for Gaeta’s team to get the bullet time effect right, including creating 3D simulations beforehand to place the cameras in the right position. The result is incredible.

Many other effects from the film have stood the test of time, including the flying sequence from the end. The Wachowskis, with The Matrix, changed sci-fi and the world with the concept of the Matrix, whose terminology has taken on new meanings today, but the film’s importance in the VFX industry is unparalleled.

5 The Fifth Element (1997)

Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element was divisive upon release but has now become a cult classic. The sci-fi film stars Gary Oldman and Bruce Willis, with the former having one of the best looks in his filmography. Besson’s futuristic vision was captured with incredible imagery, aided by VFX from Mark Stetson, Nick Allder, and Karen Goulekas.

Of course, the main element doing the heavy lifting in The Fifth Element is the production design, with the VFX and CGI used to extend the sets. It is delightfully gothic and maximalist, bringing in a sense of historic imagery to the otherwise cyberpunk future of the era.

6 Contact (1997)

Even before Project Hail Mary showed aliens in a positive light, Carl Sagan’s incredible sci-fi novel about first contact did an incredible job. Director Robert Zemeckis is known for his experiments with visual effects and has done some incredible work on films like Forrest Gump, The Polar Express, Back to the Future, and more. With Contact, his work with modified news reels and the opening sequence raised the bar. The opening sequence of the world being zoomed out was the longest continuous CGI sequence in a live-action movie at the time.

While the film is often cited for its mind-bending mirror scene, other CGI sequences still stand the test of time. Contact is one of the most underrated films when it comes to CGI and VFX work, and Robert Zemeckis remains a pioneer of incredible visual effects.

7 Dark City (1998)

The VFX work in Dark City is not supposed to feel real, but is supposed to make you feel unsettled and uncomfortable. The neo-noir sci-fi film uses matte paintings and digital effects to give a feeling of creepiness to the city, making it an expressionistic take. It feels timeless precisely due to this direction. Consistency and continuity are not the priority here. Director Alex Proyas had a very specific idea of how the design of the world would look. The lack of a Sun in the city and the spiral imagery were all planned by Proyas.

The film was not a box office hit, earning only $27.2 million against a $27 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), but its influence runs high. Even The Matrix was partly inspired by its visuals, with the ‘real world’ in the film having a similar ‘no-Sun’ look. That alone speaks to its greatness.

8 Starship Troopers (1997)

Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers is a cult classic, blending sci-fi with political satire. However, the topical themes are not the only things that make it timeless. The design of Arachnids, the antagonist bugs of the movie, and its rendering are still incredible, thanks to the brilliant work of Philip Tippett. The bug-like creatures had many variations, and Tippett Studio did an incredible job in making them seamless. It is still hard to believe the film was released in 1997.

The film reportedly had over 500 shots of special effects, which was unheard of at the time. While Tippett Studio handled the bugs, other VFX studios like Sony Pictures Imageworks, ILM, and others were involved in the spaceship effects. Technology used on Jurassic Park was reportedly used to animate the bugs and improve the dexterity by Phil Tippett. The experiments they did certainly worked, especially for the number of shots they had and the time they got.

9 Men in Black (1997)

While other films in the list have either gone for realism or expressionism, Men in Black had the task of creating entirely alien creatures and making them fit into the real world. The aliens could be campy, consistent with the film’s tone, but they also could not fall into the uncanny valley. The result is a bunch of delightful CGI creatures with plenty of personality and seamless movement. This is the stuff of magic.

The film’s aliens were apparently the toughest to design, as there was a mandate from director Barry Sonnenfeld and producer Steven Spielberg not to make them humanoid. After many experiments, the film gave us some amazing aliens that we had never seen before, and still makes us wonder how they did it. The effects, like many 90s films, were a blend of animatronics and enhanced CGI.

10 The Mummy (1999)

Stephen Sommers’ The Mummy was a reboot of the popular 1932 monster film. However, the film leaned less into horror and more into the action/adventure zone, with Brendan Fraser’s Rick O’Connell bringing an Indiana Jones vibe to the whole thing. The CGI for the film was done by ILM, Cinesite, and Pacific Art Studio, with over 140 shots reportedly needing digital effects in post-production. The titular monster itself has plenty of transformations in the movie, including a sand-based one.

While much has been said about the sequel, The Mummy Returns, and its Scorpion King sequence, the original film still looks good due to its blend of practical and digital effects. The Mummy itself was reportedly a mix of prosthetics, models, and digital imagery done in post. The film was nominated for Best Special Effects at the Saturn Awards and the BAFTA.

Movie Name	Director	Release Date	VFX Supervisor
Terminator 2: Judgment Day	James Cameron	July 3, 1991	Dennis Muren
Jurassic Park	Steven Spielberg	June 11, 1993	Dennis Muren
Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace	George Lucas	May 19, 1999	John Knoll
The Matrix	The Wachowskis	March 31, 1999	John Gaeta
The Fifth Element	Luc Besson	May 7, 1997	Mark Stetson, Nick Allder, Karen Goulekas
Contact	Robert Zemeckis	July 11, 1997	Ken Ralston, Stephen Rosenbaum
Dark City	Alex Proyas	February 27, 1998	Mara Bryan, Arthur Windus, Andrew Mason
Starship Troopers	Paul Verhoeven	November 7, 1997	Phil Tippett
Men in Black	Barry Sonnenfeld	July 2, 1997	Eric Brevig
The Mummy	Stephen Sommers	May 7, 1999	John Andrew Burton Jr.

Which 90s sci-fi movie with great CGI do you think we have missed? Comment below.