Summary
- Sci-fi comedies of the 90s spoof genre eccentricities with timeless classics like Mars Attacks and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.
- Eddie Murphy shines in The Nutty Professor, showcasing his comedic instincts with fast-talking banter and brilliant slapstick.
- Men in Black stands out with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones’ dynamic as top-secret agents facing inventive creature designs and great physical humor.
The 1990s produced plenty of classic sci-fi comedies, including some beloved returning franchises and some fresh new ideas. Many of the best sci-fi comedies of all time happen to be from the 1990s, including Galaxy Quest, Men in Black and Space Jam. Some of the best comedy actors and directors of the era turned their attention toward sci-fi in the 1990s, creating some timeless classics.
Sci-fi comedy often spoofs the genre’s eccentricities, just like Mars Attacks and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. However, not all sci-fi comedy is inherently satirical in nature. There are a lot of great sci-fi comedies which strike the perfect balance between the two genres. They deliver laughs, but they also create interesting sci-fi stories that are up there with the very best that the genre has to offer.
Related 10 Best R-Rated Comedies Of The 1990s
The 1990s were a great time for adult-oriented comedy movies, with studios taking big gambles on creative premises that have stood the test of time.
1
10 The Nutty Professor (1996)
Eddie Murphy Remakes A Classic 1960s Comedy
The Nutty Professor is a remake of a Jerry Lewis from 1963, but Eddie Murphy’s version is entirely his own. Murphy often plays multiple characters in his movies, and he has a whopping seven roles in The Nutty Professor, including Professor Sherman Klump and almost his entire family. Klump devises an experimental weight loss drug, and he slims down and takes on a charismatic but dastardly alter ego by the name of Buddy Love.
The Nutty Professor
uses its sci-fi premise to get things moving, but most of the comedy is within Murphy’s comfort zone of fast-talking banter and brilliant slapstick.
Eddie Murphy cited The Nutty Professor as his favorite performance, and it’s clear to see why. The script gives Murphy free rein to indulge his comedic instincts without restraint. He’s often acting opposite himself, and the one-man-show is a joy to watch. The Nutty Professor uses its sci-fi premise to get things moving, but most of the comedy is within Murphy’s comfort zone of fast-talking banter and brilliant slapstick.
9 Muppets From Space (1999)
Gonzo Searches For Meaning While The Rest Of The Gang Are Up To Their Usual Hijinks
Muppets From Space
Director Tim Hill Release Date July 14, 1999 Cast Dave Goelz , Steve Whitmire , Bill Barretta , Jerry Nelson , Brian Henson
Although it probably isn’t among the best Muppets movies, Muppets from Space still packs in plenty of laughs. The plot follows Gonzo as he tries to uncover the mystery of his origins, although he is kidnapped by a government agency that tries to remove his brain along the way. Muppets from Space gives plenty of Muppets their chance to stand out. Gonzo may be the main character, but the team rescuing him from his imprisonment features some other beloved characters with enough time to shine.
Although it probably isn’t among the best Muppets movies,
Muppets from Space
still packs in plenty of laughs.
As with any Muppets movie, part of the appeal is watching the Muppets interacting with human characters. Jeffrey Tambor is perfectly measured as the head of the sinister government agency, always playing it straight against the strangest costars imaginable. Andie MacDowell also deserves plenty of credit for her minor role, and she has one of the movie’s funniest moments when Miss Piggy beats the living daylights out of her, seemingly for no reason.
8 Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill And Ted’s First Sequel Is Most Excellent
Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Peter Hewitt Release Date July 19, 1991 Cast Keanu Reeves , Alex Winter , William Sadler , Joss Ackland , Pam Grier , George Carlin , Amy Stoch , Jim Martin
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter exude goofy charm as Bill and Ted, two dimwitted but lovable dreamers who frequently find themselves wrapped up in cosmic duels far beyond their understanding. The first movie, Bill and Ted‘s Excellent Adventure follows the duo as they travel through time to assemble a team of historical figures who can help them on their history project. The sequel sends them to the pits of hell, although there is still some time-traveling tomfoolery to be had.
Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey
is a gloriously silly romp featuring two evil robots and a utopian society built on rock and roll music.
Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey is a gloriously silly romp featuring two evil robots and a utopian society built on rock and roll music. George Carlin pops up occasionally as the perfect counterweight to the unbridled enthusiasm of the two main characters, but he mostly takes a back seat for their bogus journey. Death plays an important role instead. Inspired by The Seventh Seal, Death challenges Bill and Ted to a game for their souls. He may adept at chess, but he isn’t so good at Twister or Battleship.
7 Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
The Wise-Cracking Cult TV Show Made A Movie Of Its Own
Mystery Science Theater 3000, or MST3K as it’s known, quickly became a cult TV hit. The show features a mad scientist who tries to torture a man and his two robot companions aboard the Satellite of Love by subjecting them to the worst movies ever made. The movie is no different, except that the film shown to Mike, Crow and Tom, This Island Earth, received positive reviews when it was released in the 1950s.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
turns the time-honored tradition of talking during a bad movie into art
Although it was once the peak of sci-fi, time has not been kind to This Island Earth, and its effects and plot now look laughably outdated. MST3K: The Movie doesn’t hold back in its criticisms. It turns the time-honored tradition of talking during a bad movie into art. In between scenes from This Island Earth, there are scenes of the three friends trying and failing to escape back to earth.
6 Space Jam (1996)
Michael Jordan And Bugs Bunny Make An Unlikely Team
Close
Space Jam Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Joe Pytka Release Date November 15, 1996 Cast Charles Barkley , Bob Bergen , Dee Bradley Baker , Michael Jordan , Larry Johnson , Larry Bird , Danny DeVito , Maurice LaMarche , Tyrone Bogues , Kath Soucie , Bill Murray , Theresa Randle , Billy West , Patrick Ewing , Bill Farmer , Wayne Knight , Shawn Bradley Expand
Although LeBron James’ reboot didn’t get much love, the original Space Jam starring Michael Jordan is a nostalgic 1990s classic. The plot features Jordan teaming up with the Looney Tunes to take on a team of super-powered aliens who have stolen the talent of several NBA stars. Wisely, Space Jam surrounds Jordan with some brilliant comedic actors in human form, including Bill Murray and Wayne Knight.
Space Jam
features an interesting blend of animation and live-action, offering the Tune Squad the opportunity to wreak havoc on the real world.
Space Jam features an interesting blend of animation and live-action, offering the Tune Squad the opportunity to wreak havoc on the real world. Although their surroundings aren’t as comedically rich as the wide deserts of Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner, the way that the characters move and interact is classic Looney Tunes. With time running out in the fourth quarter, Jordan goes full cartoon-mode, elongating his arm like a noodle to secure the victory.
5 Mars Attacks! (1996)
Tim Burton Pays Tribute To Sci-Fi’s Cinematic Roots
Mars Attacks! Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Tim Burton Release Date December 13, 1996 Cast Jack Nicholson , Pierce Brosnan , Sarah Jessica Parker , Annette Bening , Glenn Close , Danny DeVito , Martin Short , Michael J. Fox , Natalie Portman
Mars Attacks is filled with notoriously patchy special effects, but this only adds to its B-movie charm. Two years before Mars Attacks, Tim Burton directed Ed Wood, a farcical biopic about the man who has been dubbed the worst director of all time. Wood’s influence is clear in Mars Attacks. The director would have approved of Burton’s schlocky sci-fi spectacle, complete with poor effects and an overblown story.
Mars Attacks
pays homage to the sci-fi movies of the 1950s, using a more modern lens to expose the inherent silliness in sci-fi classics such as
The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Mars Attacks pays homage to the sci-fi movies of the 1950s, using a more modern lens to expose the inherent silliness in sci-fi classics such as The Day the Earth Stood Still. Mars Attacks separates itself from such movies, and the scores of imitators, with an impressive all-star cast which includes Jack Nicholson, Sarah Jessica Parker and Pierce Brosnan. Tim Burton’s upcoming remake of 1950s sci-fi touchstone Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman may be a spiritual sequel to Mars Attacks.
4 Death Becomes Her (1992)
Meryl Streep And Goldie Hawn Unite For A Camp Classic
Close
Death Becomes Her Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Robert Zemeckis Release Date July 31, 1992 Cast Meryl Streep , Bruce Willis , Goldie Hawn , Isabella Rossellini , Ian Ogilvy , Adam Storke , Michelle Johnson , Mary Ellen Trainor
Death Becomes Her received a few lukewarm reviews when it was first released, but it has since been reclaimed as a camp classic. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play two Hollywood stars obsessed by image and beauty who discover the secret to eternal youth. Their attempts to remain young and vibrant lead to an all-out war between the two of them, with increasingly bizarre slapstick as they fight to the death without being able to die.
Death Becomes Her
received a few lukewarm reviews when it was first released, but it has since been reclaimed as a camp classic.
Death Becomes Her is one of the best dark comedies of the 1990s. It dissects the absurd contradictions of society’s treatment, especially women in the public eye. By trying to stay young forever, the two main characters do everything that society asks of them, but they must resort to ghoulish necromancy. Visually, Death Becomes Her takes inspiration from Frankenstein, especially as the characters start to decompose.
3 Back To The Future Part III (1990)
Doc And Marty Round Out The Trilogy In Style
Close
Back to the Future Part III Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Robert Zemeckis Release Date May 25, 1990 Cast Michael J. Fox , Christopher Lloyd , Mary Steenburgen
The final entry in the Back to the Future franchise sends Doc and Marty all the way back to 1885 for a Western-themed adventure. The DeLorean is out of commission for the majority of the movie, so the action unfolds like a typical Western in some ways, although Back to the Future‘s satirical comedic style shakes things up. Back to the Future Part III gets a lot of laughs out of putting a cocky 1980s teenager 100 years in the past.
Back to the Future Part III
stands out from the other two movies due to its setting, but it’s just as funny and sweet.
Just like the two movies which preceded it, Back to the Future Part III can’t resist tangling the timeline even more. However, it ends on the optimistic note that neither Doc nor Marty know what the future holds for them anymore. This is the perfect way to end the trilogy, and it’s a big reason why most fans are happy to leave the franchise as it is. Back to the Future Part III stands out from the other two movies due to its setting, but it’s just as funny and sweet.
2 Galaxy Quest (1999)
The Star Trek Spoof Has An Outstanding Cast
Close
Galaxy Quest Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Dean Parisot Release Date December 25, 1999 Cast Daryl Mitchell , Sam Rockwell , Sigourney Weaver , Tim Allen , Tony Shalhoub , Alan Rickman
Galaxy Quest is a fantastic Star Trek spoof, but it still works well even for audiences with little knowledge of the franchise. The story follows the cast of an old sci-fi show who are trying to relive their glory days at conventions and other public appearances, before they are abducted by aliens who believe the show is real. Galaxy Quest plays with the tropes of the sci-fi genre, as each character is aware of exactly what kind of story they are in.
Galaxy Quest
plays with the tropes of the sci-fi genre, as each character is aware of exactly what kind of story they are in.
There have been rumors about a potential Galaxy Quest 2 for years, but making a sequel without Alan Rickman would lack some of the appeal of the original. Rickman is at his deadpan best as a classically trained Shakespearean actor who is only known for playing an alien. Sigourney Weaver is also excellent as an actor who resents her role as a sex object in the show’s male fantasy, and Tim Allen is the star of the show who considers himself to be the de facto leader of the group.
1 Men In Black (1997)
Will Smith And Tommy Lee Jones Are A Buddy Cop Duo Like No Other
Close
Men In Black Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
Director Barry Sonnenfeld Release Date July 2, 1997 Cast Tommy Lee Jones , Rip Torn , Linda Fiorentino , Will Smith , Vincent D’Onofrio
Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones make a wonderful duo as two top-secret agents tasked with keeping New York City’s population of extraterrestrials in check. Smith is the brash rookie, while Jones plays his world-weary mentor. Although it gladly conforms to many of the tropes of the buddy cop genre, Men in Black has plenty of originality with its inventive creature designs, and an emotional core that surpasses any stringent genre cliché.
Men in Black
uses plenty of great physical humor, with Smith being tossed about in his newly-pressed suit and Jones offering little more than a disapproving grimace.
Men in Black is filled with hilarious quotes, and Smith isn’t the only performer who gets to deliver a few punch lines. The movie also uses plenty of great physical humor, with Smith being tossed about in his newly-pressed suit and Jones offering little more than a disapproving grimace. The dynamic between the two is endlessly charming. Their back-and-forth provides some grounded, relatable comedy, even as an Arquillian warship enters Earth’s orbit.