The '70s was a decade characterized by rapidly changing cultural values, rooted in the menial drag of the Vietnam War and the socio-political shift of the '60s. A darker, grittier look at the future was presented on film, and the sci-fi genre reflected the collapse of Utopian societies, the rise of class wars, and the relentless incorporation of new technology.
Sci-fi adventure films were either dystopian adrenaline rides like Mad Max, or altruistic space operas like Star Wars, and always contained pragmatic philosophy to go along with their rusty starships and totalitarian governments. These 10 sci-fi adventure films may have been forgotten, but they're just as appealing today as they were in the '70s, and some even more prescient.
LOGAN'S RUN (1976)
In the 23rd century, humans enjoy an idyllic lifestyle where their every whim is catered to with only one catch - they don't live past 30. They believe at that point they're reincarnated for another bucolic cycle of life, but one man discovers the truth and decides to become a "runner" and escape to a concealed sanctuary.
Tackling issues of ageism and mortality, Logan's Run may look a little campy at times but its story remains timeless and compelling. It pioneered holographic visual effects around the same time as Star Wars.
ROLLERBALL (1975)
Rollerball's vision of 2018, where corporations have replaced countries, feels eerily prescient. Rollerball is the international support that pits various teams from around the world against one another in gruesome moving arena battles. The star of the Houston Rollerball Team is Jonathan E, whose cohort are frequent victors.
The film is filled with adrenaline and thought-provoking commentary on how corporations treat human life as completely expendable, with each new Rollerball tournament being broadcast as a death match. It was remade in the early '00s, but this version remains the best.
THE BLACK HOLE (1979)
The '70s was a period of time when Disney took risks with its films, both animated and live action. The Black Hole centered around the spaceship the USS Palomino and its encounter with the USS Cygnus, whose crew plan to be the first people to ever explore a black hole.
The film was Disney's first PG rated film, and the most expensive film it had made up until 1979. Featuring trippy special effects, eerily distinct music (by John Barry, who did the theme music for James Bond), and an impressive robot (Disney's answer to R2-D2), this space adventure isn't just for kids.
THX-1138 (1971)
THX-1138 presents a future where the human race lives in a society where emotion has been banned with the use of medication. When one man decides to no longer take it, he awakens to a full spectrum of feelings. He convinces another woman to do the same, and they attempt to flee their underground city, chased by robotic police.
George Lucas's filmography may have been eclipsed by the Star Wars franchise, but his first film is uniformly impressive. It's an homage to all manner of sci-fi moral quandaries, with a bit more of an adrenaline kink.
WESTWORLD (1973)
Before there was the popular HBO series Westworld, there was a movie by the same name. As in the series, wealthy visitors visit Delos theme parks inhabited by state-of-the-art androids, in environments that mimic the American West, Ancient Rome, Medieval Europe, and more.
While the public focused primarily on the intimidating presence of Yul Brynner as a black-clad gunslinger who begins killing guests, director Michael Crichton made the movie to highlight corporate greed. Delos puts its profits before human lives by not shutting down the park when the robot goes berserk.
DAMNATION ALLEY (1977)
In the same era of Star Wars and Mad Max, Damnation Alley combined sci-fi spunk with post-apocalyptic adventure. It presented a world in chaos after it's knocked off its axis after World War III. The planet is ravaged by giant wind storms, mutated scorpions, and hostile survivors.
A group of survivors brave the inhospitable terrain in their Landmaster, an impressive vehicle made from parts they found along the way. The film was in post-production when Star Wars became a huge success, and thus it suffered from several additions made to mimic its visuals, but it still stands on its own merit.
CONQUEST OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (1972)
The fourth film in the Planet of the Apes film franchise, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is the most violent and bleak of the series, but it carries a strong story. Two time-traveling apes leave their child on Earth, who will grow up to one day lead a revolt against humans in 1990. This event creates a time loop, leading to the events in the first film.
At a time when most sequels were intended to be cheap, disposable films made by studios to milk extra profits out of consumers, this film had a more dignified agenda, and became a spectacular social satire. It's also features the character of Caesar, whose story is the inspiration behind the Rise of the Planet of the Apes trilogy.
DARK STAR (1974)
In one of John Carpenter's early films, satire and adventure collide to create Dark Star, about the 20 year mission of the crew of a deteriorating ship to destroy volatile planets that might prevent future colonization.
Though the film began as a project of Carpenter's while still a film student at the University of Southern California in 1972, it was given the means to become a feature film in 1974, and marked his feature film debut. It works as both a spoof, and homage to, 2001: A Space Odyssey.
SILENT RUNNING (1972)
Bruce Dern stars in this quirky sci-fi adventure about an ecologist who maintains a greenhouse aboard a space station, preserving certain plants for future generations after botanical life ends on Earth. With the help of his crew, he resists orders to destroy his greenhouse in favor of cargo, even if it means the ultimate sacrifice.
The film is poignant, humorous, and gut-wrenching at times as the ecologist finds himself at odds with every person except for his robotic companions. In the end, it's one man and machines who risk everything to save the invaluable greens.
DEATH RACE 2000 (1975)
Death Race 2000 features a futuristic America on the brink of socio-economic collapse, where the only joy citizens get anymore is from the brutal Transcontinental Road Race. In it, teams compete to score the fastest recorded time finishing the race, as well as mowing over the most innocent bystanders.
Both whimsical and bloody, characters like drivers Frankenstein (David Carradine at the height of his Kung-Fu stardom) and Machine Gun (a pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone) don't ever let it take itself too seriously. It remains wildly entertaining, and was followed by the prequel Death Race.