The Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movies of the 1970s

The Crazies (1973)

The Crazies was written and directed by George A. Romero during the strange twilight phase between his feature debut, 1968’s Night of the Living Dead, and its blockbuster sequel, 1979’s Dawn of the Dead. During that period, Romero experimented wildly, turning out one authentic masterpiece (Martin) and several other interesting titles, most of which did not get wide distribution. One of those is this, in which a military bioweapon gets loose in a small town and turns all the residents into homicidal maniacs.

The satirical edge that Romero brought fully to the forefront in Dawn gets a shakedown cruise here, as local town officials, the military, and the federal government are either seen as incompetent, venal, or both, while the tormented townspeople are the unwitting victims of the catastrophe unfolding around them. While the budget doesn’t quite match Romero’s aims and some of the acting is less than top-notch, The Crazies is chilling both in its continued relevancy and its bleak outlook.

Soylent Green (1973)

Yet more ecological catastrophe is the driving force behind one of the 1970s’ most iconic sci-fi entries, with noted conservative Chuck Heston coming out in this film against both rampant population growth and the destruction of the environment. Unfortunately, as the film opens, it’s too late, with New York City now home to more than 40 million residents, food and housing shortages rampant, and societal collapse seemingly seconds away.

We probably all know by now the solution that the corporate elites who run this world come up with to ensure a steady supply of food, but it’s still an effectively chilling moment when Heston’s detective comes upon the answer himself. Also powerful is Edward G. Robinson’s death scene in a so-called suicide parlor where he is put to sleep while watching vast IMAX-like images of towering trees, clear lakes, and unblemished sunsets. Like other films of the time, Soylent Green uses a metaphorical hammer to get its point across, but with Earth on track for disaster even as we speak, the film is more prescient than ever.

Westworld (1973)

Here’s where it started, folks: written and directed by Michael Crichton (yes, that Michael Crichton, he was a director too!), Westworld is set in an amusement park of the future called Delos. There, high-paying customers can enjoy life in recreations of the American Old West, medieval Europe, or ancient Rome, with lifelike androids on hand to kill, fuck, or entertain—until the androids have had enough.

Of course Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy spun this simple premise out into an expensive, hopelessly enigmatic and complicated TV series, but Crichton keeps it simple and relatively low-key here. James Brolin and Richard Benjamin are the hapless pals who get more than they bargained for on their vacation while Yul Brynner is genuinely creepy as an android version of his classic Magnificent Seven persona. Still great fun to watch, this Westworld arguably says more about dangerous technology and corporate greed in 90 minutes than Nolan and Joy did in four seasons.