In the 1970s, science fiction cinema went through a unique phase. While in previous decades the genre had sought first legitimacy and then its own identity, during this period it finally freed itself from many constraints, becoming bolder and more unconventional.
Sci-fi films of the 1970s were still trying to wrap their heads around pressing issues like social control, technology-induced fear, the environmental disaster unfolding before us, and the crumbling of institutions. But now they were doing so in a bolder, more uncompromising way than we'd seen before. The stories got a lot darker, the endings were often pretty hopeless, and the heroes were more often than not fragile or outright defeated. Many projects began with big ideas, and no shortage of ambition - but unfortunately, they didn't always have the budget or technical wherewithal to back it up. The result was a cinema that was anything but slick - but possessed a wild, unbridled freedom.
Even when these films tanked either at the box office or in terms of storytelling, they still somehow managed to retain a visionary power that just can't be ignored. The science fiction of the 1970s was like some sort of open experimental lab, where directors and screenwriters took wild swings at the audience, never really knowing if they'd get a reaction or just get laughed at. And to make matters worse, critics at the time tended to look down on the genre as just a bunch of 'fluff', preferring the 'serious' stuff.
It wasn't until later on that many of these gems got rediscovered & reevaluated.
This period of creative experimentation really came to an end around the end of the decade, when Star Wars came along and changed the whole dynamic of how the film industry viewed science fiction. From that moment on, the genre started pulling in big dollars & slick marketing strategies - a move that unfortunately meant a bit of the rough & tumble spirit that defined the decade before was lost in the process. Before that, though, it seemed like anything was possible.
One of the best examples of this spirit is George Lucas's THX 1138, a film released in 1971 that's as far removed from the epic space battles that would become his calling card as one can imagine. The film's all about an underground society where emotions are chemically suppressed, with individuality being seen as a threat. It's a super minimalist story - almost abstract at times - but the film's atmosphere is so cold and oppressive that the world feels genuinely disturbing. It was basically ignored on first release, but has since become a cult classic.
The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston as a man who may be the last one left on earth after a global pandemic wipes out most of humanity. Based on the novel 'I am Legend', the film takes a lot of liberties with the source material, focusing on action & tension over any deeper meaning. It's more of a twisted parable about isolation & the fear of the other, which was a pretty key concern at the time.
In 1972, Douglas Trumbull released Silent Running, and it's a powerful film with a strong environmental message. In a world where Earth has been stripped bare, the last bit of greenery is all that's left - and it's floating in space, cared for by one idealistic guy, Bruce Dern. The film is a bit of a mess, veering wildly from cheesy to genuinely beautiful - but its message is still just as strong today.
George A. Romero, on the other hand, decided to tackle social chaos in 1973s The Crazies, where a biological agent turns a whole small town into a living nightmare - & instead of focusing on the effects of infection, he went after the authorities & their total inability to handle the crisis. It's a scathing critique of power and just how easily society can crumble, and it's still as relevant today.
Ideally, closing this journey is Soylent Green (1973), one of the most famous dystopias of the decade. Set in an overcrowded and collapsing New York, the film tells the story of an investigation that leads to the discovery of a shocking truth. Direct in its message and lacking subtlety, it remains one of the most disturbing portraits of a possible future.
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