The 1970s dropped some heavy-hitter movies. Films like The Godfather, Rocky, Jaws, Halloween, and Dirty Harry launched franchises that still endure today, some more successfully than others. Science fiction also thrived in this decade, as innovations in special effects helped filmmakers create increasingly believable alien worlds and superhuman beings.
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For a variety of reasons, some sci-fi projects have aged perfectly. They have designs that have held up against the test of time, while others have timeless themes or visions of the future so prescient or unique that they’re still relevant. And a great ending doesn’t hurt, either.
Here are 7 sci-fi movies from the 1970s, which still feel fresh even today, in 2025.
7) Star Wars: A New Hope
We’re obligated to include Episode IV here, but it gets the last slot because it’s very difficult to see it in the form in which it debuted in 1977. Unless you have an old Laserdisc, VHS, or the DVD release from 2006, you’re watching the Special Edition with updated special effects and extra scenes.
The inability to see the theatrical version is a shame because the design, effects, and story have held up well on their own. The same reasons A New Hope immediately became a cultural milestone when it came out are why it’s still watchable today. Its themes of rebelling against tyranny, heeding the call to a greater good, and persistence in the face of overwhelming odds still resonate. Also, lightsabers and X-wings are still very cool.
6) Superman: The Movie
1978’s Superman looks very much like it came out in 1978, but it’s still as inspiring as it was when it debuted. Christopher Reeve plays the Man of Steel, whose parents sent him to Earth to guide and protect humanity. The actor’s earnest and sincere performance as Superman could have easily been corny, but he sells it.
Superman: The Movie has become the template for all future live-action versions of the character, and Reeve’s performance is still the standard for a lot of Superfans. That’s also true of the iconic theme by composer John Williams, which has gone on to appear in John Ottman’s score for Superman Returns, the theatrical version of the DCEU’s Justice League, and John Murphy’s musical score for James Gunn’s Superman.
5) Silent Running
An ecologically destroyed Earth was a recurring theme in the 1970s as human-made climate change, deforestation, and other causes increasingly entered public awareness, inspiring multiple movies to address that possibility.
Silent Running is a more introspective story that focuses almost entirely on a single character: Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern), the botanist on one of several spaceships preserving Earth’s forests. When the crew gets the order to destroy the plant life, Lowell kills his shipmates and makes off with the trees. His only companions are three service droids that he names Huey, Dewey, and Louie, after Donald Duck’s nephews.
It’s a bit of a slower burn, but Silent Running holds up thanks to its contained story, plausible premise, and timeless special effects.
4) Rollerball
The ’70s tried to warn us about the perils of giving corporations too much power, but the ’80s couldn’t see those warnings because their eyes had turned into little dollar signs.
1975’s Rollerball shows a corporate-run society using the titular, violent sport to pacify the masses. The most famous player, Jonathan E. (James Caan), threatens the status quo by being a) really good at rollerball, and b) still alive. As the point of the sport is to diminish society’s sense of individuality in favor of collective consumption, having one guy stand out is a big problem for the corporations.
Rollerball‘s impressive stunts and enduring theme make it feel just as relevant today as when it first came out. Projects like Alien: Earth, which has five massive companies running the planet, are still covering the thematic concepts it was tapping into back then.
3) Alien
Speaking of Alien, you can still watch the original today and have a great time. We credit this to its production design, which is so unique that it can’t look dated.
We aren’t just talking about the biomechanical xenomorph and facehugger eggs, although those are also timelessly creepy. We also mean the look of the USCSS Nostromo, which definitely communicates “spaceship,” but with enough human touches and idiosyncrasies that it stands out. For example, we didn’t think people would still be using mechanical keyboards in 2122, but it’s pretty rad that they do.
Alien also benefits from a really good monster suit and smart cinematography, so you never get a good look at the thing. Even decades later, it’s still convincing and scary.
2) Soylent Green
Like Silent Running, ecological ruin is also central to this story, which is entirely earthbound. In the far-flung nightmare future year of 2022, overpopulation, pollution, and climate change have caused massive food scarcity. All that most people can eat are bland, colorful wafers produced by the Soylent Corporation: Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow, with the brand-new Soylent Green set to launch.
Against this backdrop comes NYPD detective Robert Thorn (Charlton Heston), whose massive caseload now includes the murder of a Soylent executive. Soylent Green is more of a detective story in a dystopian universe, but the world is fully realized and endlessly tragic.
You probably know its famous twist, but the setting and social commentary still hit.
1) Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Not only is 1978’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers one of the best remakes of all time (along with The Thing and The Fly), it’s one of the best sci-fi movies ever. And that’s thanks to its scary premise and timeless themes.
Body Snatchers‘ intergalactic pod people hit you from every angle. It’s scary to imagine emotionless copies replacing your family and loved ones, and it’s also terrifying to imagine it happening to you. The remake heightens the horror by actually showing what happens to you when your duplicate takes over: Your body crumbles while your memories and consciousness transfer to the new version. It’s gross.
The tension and paranoia packed into Invasion of the Body Snatchers hold up, and its ending still haunts us.
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image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of Prokino Filmverleih
