This is a list of science fiction films released in the 1970s. These 235 films include core elements of science fiction, but can cross into other genres. They have been released to a cinema audience by the commercial film industry and are widely distributed with reviews by reputable critics.
During the 1970s, blockbuster science fiction films, which reached a much larger audience than previously, began to make their appearance. The financial success of these films resulted in heavy investment in special effects by the American film industry, leading to big-budget, heavily marketed science fiction film releases during the 1990s. Collectively, the science fiction films from the 1970s received 11 Academy Awards, 10 Saturn Awards, six Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards and two Grammy Awards. Two of these films, Star Wars (1977, currently known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) and Superman (1978), were the highest-grossing films of their respective years of release.
List
Title Director Cast Country NotesAssignment: TerrorHugo Fregonese Tulio DemicheliPaul Naschy, Michael Rennie, Karin Dor, Craig HillSpainWest GermanyItalyBeast of Blood Eddie RomeroJohn Ashley, Celeste Yarnall, Eddie Garcia, Liza BelmontePhilippinesBeneath the Planet of the ApesTed PostJames Franciscus, Kim Hunter, Maurice EvansUnited StatesColossus: The Forbin ProjectJoseph SargentEric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon PinsentUnited StatesCrimes of the FutureDavid CronenbergRonald Mlodzik, Jon Lidolt, Tania ZoltyCanadaDr. Jekyll and Sister HydeRoy Ward BakerRalph Bates, Martine Beswick, Gerald Sim, Lewis FianderUnited KingdomGamera vs. JigerNoriaki YuasaTsutomu Takakuwa, Kelly Varis, Katherine MurphyJapanGas-s-s-sRoger CormanRobert Corff, Elaine Giftos, Bud CortUnited StatesHorror of the Blood MonstersAl AdamsonJohn Carradine, Robert Dix, Vicki Volante, Joey BensonUnited StatesThe Horror of FrankensteinJimmy SangsterRalph Bates, Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson United Kingdom I Killed Einstein, GentlemenOldřich LipskýJiří Sovák, Jana Brejchová, Lubomír LipskýCzechoslovakiaThe Mind of Mr. SoamesAlan CookeTerence Stamp, Robert Vaughn, Nigel DavenportUnited StatesNo Blade of GrassCornel WildeNigel Davenport, Jean Wallace, John HamillUnited StatesUnited KingdomOn the Comet Karel ZemanEmil Horváth, Magda Vášáryová, František FilipovskýCzechoslovakiaScream and Scream AgainGordon HesslerVincent Price, Christopher Lee, Peter CushingUnited KingdomSignals – A Space AdventureGottfried KolditzPiotr Pawłowski, Yevgeniy Zharikov, Gojko MitićEast GermanyPolandSpace AmoebaIshirō HondaAkira Kubo, Atsuko Takahashi, Yukiko KobayashiJapanToomorrowVal GuestOlivia Newton-John, Benny Thomas, Vic CooperSwitzerland, United KingdomTrog Freddie FrancisJoan Crawford, Michael Gough, Bernard Kay, Kim BradenUnited KingdomWhen Dinosaurs Ruled the EarthVal GuestVictoria Vetri, Robin Hawdon, Patrick AllenUnited KingdomUnited States Title Director Cast Country Subgenre/notesThe Andromeda StrainRobert WiseJames Olson, Arthur HillUnited StatesThe Blue PlanetViktor Chugunov Soviet UnionRomanceA Clockwork OrangeStanley KubrickMalcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael BatesUnited KingdomUnited StatesEscape from the Planet of the ApesDon TaylorRoddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford DillmanUnited StatesGamera vs. ZigraNoriaki YuasaKoji Fujiyama, Daigo Inoue, Reiko KasaharaJapanGlen and RandaJim McBrideSteven Curry, Shelley Plimpton, Woody ChamblissUnited StatesGodzilla vs. HedorahYoshimitsu BannoAkira Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki KawaseJapanThe Incredible 2-Headed TransplantAnthony LanzaBruce Dern, Patricia Ann PriestUnited StatesThe Million Dollar DuckVincent McEveetyDean Jones, Sandy Duncan, Joe FlynnUnited StatesOctamanHarry EssexPier Angeli, Kerwin Mathews, Jeff Morrow, David EssexMexico United StatesThe Omega ManBoris SagalCharlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe, Rosalind CashUnited StatesOut of the DarknessChatrichalerm YukolSorapong ChatreeThailandQuest for LoveRalph ThomasJoan Collins, Tom Bell, Denholm ElliottUnited KingdomThe Resurrection of Zachary WheelerBob WynnLeslie Nielsen, Bradford Dillman, James DalyUnited StatesTHX 1138George LucasRobert Duvall, Donald Pleasence, Don Pedro ColleyUnited StatesYou Are a Widow, SirVáclav VorlíčekIva Janžurová, Olga Schoberová, Eduard CupákCzechoslovakia Title Director Cast Country Subgenre/notes93° TunnelClaudinê Perina Camargo BrazilSuper 8 eco-dystopian film. Portuguese title: Túnel 93°.The AsphyxPeter NewbrookRobert Stephens, Robert Powell, Jane Lapotaire, Alex ScottUnited KingdomSci fi horrorBeware! The BlobLarry HagmanRobert Walker Jr., Gwynne Gilford, Richard StahlUnited StatesComedy horrorThe Boy Who Turned YellowMichael PowellMark Dightam, Robert Eddison, Helen WeirUnited KingdomAdventure family fantasyConquest of the Planet of the ApesJ. Lee ThompsonRoddy McDowall, Don Murray, Ricardo MontalbánUnited StatesActionDoomsday MachineHerbert J. LederBobby Van, Ruta Lee, Mala PowersUnited StatesDoomwatchPeter SasdyIan Bannen, Judy Geeson, John PaulUnited KingdomHorror mystery thrillerEolomeaHerrmann ZschocheCox Habbema, Ivan Andonov, Rolf HoppeEast GermanySoviet UnionBulgariaDrama romanceGodzilla vs. Gigan (a.k.a. Chikyû kogeki meirei: Gojira tai Gaigan)Jun FukudaHiroshi Ishikawa, Yuriko Hishimi, Minoru TakashimaJapanAction adventure family kaijuThe Groundstar ConspiracyLamont JohnsonGeorge Peppard, Michael Sarrazin, Christine BelfordCanadaUnited StatesAction crime mystery romance thrillerThe Happiness Cage (a.k.a. The Mind Snatchers)Bernard GirardChristopher Walken, Joss Ackland, Ralph MeekerDenmarkUnited StatesDramaHorror Express (a.k.a. Pánico en el Transiberiano)Eugenio MartínTelly Savalas, Christopher Lee, Peter CushingSpainUnited KingdomAdventure horror thrillerLove 2002 (a.k.a. Liebe 2002)Joachim HellwigChris Wallasch, Susan Baker, Emöke PöstenyiEast GermanyScience fiction/documentary hybrid short filmMan with the Transplanted Brain (L'homme au cerveau greffé)Jacques Doniol-ValcrozeMathieu Carrière, Nicoletta Machiavelli, Marianne Eggerickx, Michel DuchaussoyFranceItalyWest GermanyDrama horror thrillerNight of the LepusWilliam F. ClaxtonStuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, Rory CalhounUnited StatesHorror thrillerNow You See Him, Now You Don'tRobert ButlerKurt Russell, Cesar Romero, Joe FlynnUnited StatesComedy familyPhaethon - The Son of the Sun (a.k.a. Фаэтон - сын Солнца)Vasiliy LivanovMariya Babanova (voice), Aleksey Konsovskiy (voice), Yuriy Yakovlev (voice)Soviet UnionAnimated short filmSilent Running Douglas TrumbullBruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron RifkinUnited StatesDramaSlaughterhouse-FiveGeorge Roy HillMichael Sacks, Ron Leibman, Eugene RocheUnited StatesComedy drama warWon a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film.Solaris (a.k.a. Solyaris)Andrey TarkovskiyNatal'ya Bondarchuk, Donatas Banionis, Jüri JärvetSoviet UnionDrama mysteryWinner of the Grand Prize of the Jury and the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.SuperbeastGeorge SchenckAntoinette Bower, Craig Littler, Harry Lauter, Vic DíazUnited StatesThe Thing with Two HeadsLee FrostRosey Grier, Ray Milland, Don MarshallUnited StatesComedyThe Twilight PeopleEddie RomeroPam Grier, John Ashley, Pat Woodell, Jan MerlinPhilippinesUnited StatesAdventure horrorZPGMichael CampusOliver Reed, Geraldine Chaplin, Don GordonDenmarkUnited StatesThriller Title Director Cast Country Subgenre/notesBattle for the Planet of the ApesJ. Lee ThompsonRoddy McDowall, Claude Akins, Natalie TrundyUnited States ActionBeyond AtlantisEddie RomeroPatrick Wayne, John Ashley, Leigh ChristianPhilippinesUnited StatesAction adventure fantasy horror mystery thrillerBlackensteinWilliam A. LeveyJohn Hart, Ivory Stone, Andrea King, Roosevelt JacksonUnited StatesThe ClonesLamar Card, Paul HuntMichael Greene, Gregory Sierra, Otis Young, Susan HuntUnited StatesThe CraziesGeorge A. RomeroLane Carroll, Will MacMillan, Harold Wayne JonesUnited StatesAction horrorThe Creeping FleshFreddie FrancisChristopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Lorna Heilbron, George BensonUnited KingdomThe Day of the DolphinMike NicholsGeorge C. Scott, Trish Van Devere, Paul SorvinoUnited StatesDrama thrillerDigby, the Biggest Dog in the WorldJoseph McGrathJim Dale, Spike Milligan, Angela DouglasUnited KingdomAdventure comedy family fantasyFantastic PlanetRené LalouxJennifer Drake (voice), Eric Baugin (voice), Jean Topart (voice)FranceCzechoslovakiaAnimationThe Final ProgrammeRobert FuestJon Finch, Jenny Runacre, Sterling HaydenUnited KingdomThrillerFlesh for FrankensteinPaul MorrisseyUdo Kier, Joe Dellessandro, Monique van VoorenItalyFranceHorrorFrankenstein: The True StoryJack SmightJames Mason, Leonard Whiting, David McCallum, Jane SeymourUnited Kingdom