The change in Hollywood and the introduction of the MPAA at the tail end of the ‘60s meant science fiction in the ‘70s became grittier and less escapist. Then in 1977 George Lucas changed all that by going back to the adventurous feeling of old Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials with Star Wars. It was an interesting decade and with many seminal movies like Star Wars, Westworld, Logan’s Run and Alien many films fell under the rug.

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These are movies that aren’t brought up when talking about sci-fi from the decade. These definitely deserve a watch as they explore interesting ideas or deliver a great escapist adventure like Star Wars.

Rollerball

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Before The Hunger Games or even The Running Man there was Rollerball. This dystopian movie is set in a future where corporate greed is rampant and yuppies shoot down trees with flame pistols.

Initially a short story by William Harrison, it’s a striking social commentary on our desensitization to violence and how sports are an ingrained part of society. This definitely had an influence on other death sport movies and while there was a remake in 2002 this still remains the superior version.

The Black Hole

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This was Disney’s first attempt at a PG movie after a string of flops during their Dark Age. The Black Hole is a cross between Star Wars, a disaster movie and a thriller about a madman wanting to go through a Black Hole.

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There’s some subpar blue screenshots and the cartoonish robots are very much added to be the movie’s version of R2-D2 and C3-PO. However, there’s still much to like especially with the film’s cast all delivering great performances and the story is more science fiction than Star Wars’ science fantasy, the film many people felt it ripped off.

Silent Running

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Silent Running is very much a product of the early ‘70s and that's definitely not a bad thing at all. The pro-environment story follows Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) in his attempt to save his floating greenhouse from being destroyed on company orders. Lowell even goes as far as to murder his fellow crew members to keep his natural habitat alive!

Freeman also has robot companions (Dewey, Huey and Louie) that look similar to something out of Star Wars even though it yet to come out for another five years.

The Man Who Fell To Earth

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David Bowie’s first theatrical movie has him playing an alien who must save his home planet. This showed David Bowie can be a good actor as he plays the alien Thomas Jerome Newton really well.

While most of it is set on Earth there are a couple of parts that capture the other worldly nature of Newton like visions of his family crossing the desert or the unsettling scene with Newton surprising Mary Lou (Candy Clark) with his reptilian looking eyes.

THX 1138

THX 1138 in prison

George Lucas’ directorial debut is much bleaker than his most famous work. It does contain some remnants of Star Wars with the metallic oppressors having some similarity to the helmet wearing Storm Troopers and Darth Vader.

There’s also a riveting chase during the film’s climax as THX (Robert Duvall) escapes the white dystopian area where the humans are trapped. Even though it’s a student film expanded into a feature it’s still a great Orwellian thriller that’s definitely worth checking out.

Moonraker

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Image via United Artists

Coming off the success of Star Wars in the late ‘70s, this Bond adventure decided to have a sci-fi twist. While it’s not until the final act that Bond goes to space, this is still an underrated Bond movie and one of the best of the Roger Moore era. It’s very silly, however it embraces that silliness making it great escapist entertainment.

The space battle with everyone shooting each other with lazer guns is also one of the best action sequences of the franchise.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes

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The best of the original Planet of the Apes sequels is a thought-provoking exploration on speciesism. Cornelius and Zira time travel to 20th century Los Angeles where they find themselves in a society that are shocked by their appearance.

This entry improves itself over the convoluted Beneath the Planet of the Apes by focusing more on Cornelius and Zira. The ending is also extremely morbid and allows the story to continue in the next entry Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

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Image via Paramount Pictures

This is often criticized for being too slow and more like 2001 A Space Odyssey than Star Trek. However, it’s similarity to 2001 makes it unique amongst the Star Trek franchise. It features some amazing special effects for the time with the model work and psychedelic moments all being top-notch.

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It’s also great seeing the Enterprise crew return and reunite after the end of the third season in 1969. While the film lacks action, it makes up with interesting ideas and visuals.

Time After Time

Time After Time

This time travel story has H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) pursuing Jack the Ripper (David Warner) after committing a series of murders in the 20th century. This fish out of water story also has a thriller twist making it a unique blend of genres.

Malcolm McDowell and David Warner are both great in their roles with Warner being rather menacing. McDowell also has great chemistry with Mary Steenburgen before she was another time travel romantic interest in Back to the Future Part III.

A Boy and His Dog

Don Johnson and Tiger in A Boy and His Dog
Image via LQ/Jaf Productions

This post-apocalyptic movie predates when the genre became extremely popular in the ‘80s with Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. Vic (Don Johnson) travels with a telepathic dog in the future of 2024.

They scavenge food, discover dangerous foes and also a secret society in an underground lair. Based on a novella by Harlan Ellison this is an interesting movie that explores what people will do when the world comes to nothing.

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