70's Sci Fi films (1 Viewer)

[Winston T. Boogie]

So what are some favorite sci fi flicks from the 1970's?

I liked films from this decade because they seemed more interesting than later sci fi films which seem based more around special effects.

A film like Zardoz is quite strange and the big special effect in the film is Sean Connery in a red diaper but man the film is loaded with interesting ideas...so let's hear what you folks liked...

 

[Mark Shannon]

BLASPHEMY!!!!

YOU BLASPHEMER!!!

 

[Shawn_KE]

I like the funkyness of them. Plaid suits, polyester everywhere, disco lights, blinking lights and togle switches. Most try to copy 2001/Clockwork Orange.

Logans Run
Westword
Futureworld

 

[Rob Gardiner]

Let's give it up for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND.

 

[Mike Brogan]

How about "Soylent Green" and "The Omega Man" for some Heston-goodness?

And "A Clockwork Orange" would be at the top of my list.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Yet, 2001 featured truly futuristic elements (flatscreen video displays, accurate space shots, etc.).

Zardoz is "genuine" SF, whereas the rest of it is typical of what Hollywood always passes off as "SF." Of course, with Lucas's fantasy epic (not SF), the budgetary gloves that limited this genre came off. Now, we make big-budgeted cheesy movies that bear little resemblance and relation to true SF. Most of it is just noisy fantasy.

 

[Walter Kittel]

The '60s and '70s are one of my favorite periods of time for SF filmmaking. Generally speaking films from this period have a closer affinity to their heritage of SF literature when compared to later works in the post Star Wars era of SF filmmaking. Some favorites from that period for me include:

2001: A Space Odyssey - I know, I know; the original post stated '70s, but how I could list some SF films without mentioning the greatest SF film ever made?
A Clockwork Orange
Zardoz
Slaughterhouse-Five
Colossus: The Forbin Project
The Andromeda Strain
The Man Who Fell To Earth
Rollerball
The Illustrated Man
Silent Running

- Walter.

 

[Sam Favate]

Logan's Run was a sort of quintessential 70s sci-fi flick for me. I think it holds up well, too. I hear someone is planning a remake of it (from the original book as source material).

Even in pessimistic films about the future, there was an optimistism that came through in the art design. Every sci-fi flick made these days is dark, dark, dark, and that in itself is depressing. One need only look at the differences in appearance for Star Trek The Motion Picture (which also gets my vote for cool 70s sci-fi flick) and Star Trek Nemesis. The former was all bright colors and optimistim for the future, while the latter was all shadow and darkness (and depressing as hell for many reasons).

 

[Steve Christou]

[rant]"Don't give me any of that intelligent life crap! Find me something I can blow up!"[/rant]

Dark Star (1974)

 

[Cees Alons]

Speaking of Futureworld: it still didn't make it to DVD. Which is necessary, because any true collector already owns Westworld of course.

There's an inherent problem with SciFi: the best books aren't filmed or gave rise to rather awful movies, the best SciFi movies were only so-so books (or no book at all, or a "based on the movie" atrocity).


Cees

 

[Julie K]

No one has mentioned Alien(1979) yet...

But it could arguably be better classified as horror.


One of my favorites. "Time to go sleepy-bye you worthless piece of garbage"

 

[Zen Butler]

Jack beat me to the punch

A few others:

THX1138
The Omega Man
A Boy and His Dog
Death Race 2000

and don't laugh but I loved
Demon Seed

 

[Walter Kittel]

Definitely A Boy and His Dog. In spite of the film's complete undermining of Ellison's poetic finale with a line that went for cheap laughs.

- Walter.

 

[Steve Christou]

Great choice, one of the best sci-fi films ever made, and one of the best horror films ever made, and one of the best[STOP IT STEVE], a loose remake of Dark Star, and a lot scarier too.

 

[ChristopherDAC]

Okay, I second

THX-1138
Death Race 2000

And has anybody mentioned Battle Beyond the Stars? Yes, it's actually 1980, and yes, it's as hokey as a flick can be, but it's as hilarious as all hell. And you just have to love the Space Cowboy.

 

[Zen Butler]

Thank you Walter for the support. A film that rarely gets mention here at HTF.

 

[Cees Alons]

It's also the decade of the sequels of the Planet of the Apes, of the first Star Trek movie and of the Donald Sutherland Body Snatchers.

Not really bad.


Cees

 

[Walter Kittel]

Zen - I'm a big fan of Ellison's novella upon which the film is based. It was my first exposure to Ellison's written work ( although I had already viewed his work unknowingly ) in the form of the brilliant Demon With A Glass Hand episode of the original Outer Limits and the classic City on the Edge of Forever episode of Star Trek. The epiphany at discovering someone who would become one of my favorite writers was such that I've always valued this story. No doubt I've always enjoyed the film due to its association with the source literature, and while I am critical of the final scene the film otherwise does a fine job of capturing the story.

Blood wasn't the species of dog that I had envisioned from reading Ellison's story, but Tim McIntire's vocal characterization, and the strength of the script, were such that I was able to overcome those objections. Probably my favorite character in the film; certainly the best lines belonged to Blood.

- Walter.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Good stuff everybody. I thought this would be a cool topic because we could contrast films of the 70's with other decades. I thought the films from the 70's always had ideas and or a message that was more important than the special effects...

How about Silent Running?

 

[Zen Butler]

Walter, thank you. Although my exposure to Harlan Ellison is limited to a very few short stories, your post inspires me. I proceed with caution though, as in the case of Philip K. Dick (PKD), I have been continually let down by screen adaptations of his work. Although I felt a certain 1982 film surpassed its' source and Minority Report, a pleasant surprise.

I'm especially interested in seeing a certain Flying Nun episode which Ellison penned! Couldn't believe that when I saw it a while back on IMDB.


It has been mentioned and I love it.