For cinema, the 1990s marked the era of special-effects blockbusters versus low-budget indies, many of which grappled with ideas about techno-optimism versus techno-cynicism. Despite being considered a cheesy decade for film, nineties cinema revealed profound social and political anxieties that stemmed from an era of globalization and cultural change precipitated by late capitalism and cutting-edge technology. For all the hopes that these new technologies were supposed to bring, nineties cinema exposed the skepticism and fears that lurked beneath the optimistic surface.