Here is a list of five cult
sci-fi flicks from the 1970’s that you should watch at least once. Most
hardcore cult film fans have probably seen these already. Have you seen them
all?
Turkish Star Trek AKA Turist Omer Uzay Yolu’nda 1973
This is a Turkish produced film that is considered Turksploitation,
which were unauthorized Turkish film adaptations often using American
copyrighted characters, movies, and television series. These films would often
use soundtracks from the original films, and various clips from the films.
What’s great about the Turkish
Star Trek is that they didn’t even try to change anything; they lifted
everything from the original Star Trek television series including the set
design, monsters, costumes, and characters. The Turkish film is a recreation of
the episode entitled “The Man Trap” except for the addition of a Turkish
character called Omer the tramp, who was a well known comedic character in the
country. The Omer character creates a fish out of water scenario and is able to
add some comedic elements that wouldn’t have been part of that episode. In
order to make it a feature length film, they added some additional scenes from
other classic episodes including the fight between Spock and Kirk.
This Turkish rip off isn’t as action packed and entertaining as Turkish Star Wars, 3 Dev Adam, and some
of the other rip off films. This one would interest true Star Trek fans the
most in order to see how another country handled the original source material.
Zardoz 1974
“I have seen the future
and it doesn't work” [1]. In the year 2293,
the world has been divided into two groups, the civilized immortal Eternals and
the barely civilized mortal Brutals. A group of Brutal Exterminators maintain
control and kill the other Brutals, at the orders of a huge flying head called
Zardoz. In exchange for food that is collected, Zardoz exchanges weapons for
the Brutal Exterminator. One Exterminator named Zed (Sean Connery), hides on
Zardoz to discover what is on the other side. There he discovers the true
origin and nature of the god called Zardoz.
This one will probably cause a divide in opinion among sci-fi fans, you’re either going to love it or hate it. It has some amazing imagery, especially the large Zardoz head and the look of the Brutals. The overall cinematography is great; it is a pretty mesmerizing movie. There is some humor, plus you’ll either love or laugh at the way Sean Connery looks in this. The downside is that the plot can get confusing and slow at times, plus the big reveal moment may not be as exciting as people had hoped for.
This was written,
produced, and directed by John Boorman, who had previous success with Point Blank, Hell in the Pacific, and
most notably Deliverance. It was his
commercial success with Deliverance
that gave him free reign on this. In his career, he has been noted for being a
bit pretentious and for going on ego-trips [2]. He should be
commended for trying to push the boundaries in the hopes of making something
that was on the level of the Stanley Kubrick directed sci-fi classic 2001. The movie did
not do very well at the box office, but has a cult following among sci-fi fans,
“playing at revival houses, on college campuses, and on the midnight movie
circuit for several years”[2].
Phase IV 1974
“Adapt or die”! [3]. A pair of
scientists is sent in to a desert town to research ants that have shown a
strong collective intelligence and have been getting violent towards the local
residents. Along with a stray girl they rescued, they must try to communicate
with the ants or destroy these creatures that have shown that they are
constantly learning and adapting at a very fast rate.
This has to be most realistic bug
horror film that has been made, up until the trippy ending. It is thoroughly
engaging, gripping, suspenseful, beautiful, and haunting with a unique story,
good acting, and some absolutely amazing insect sequences. There are so many
great close up shots of the ants and things that they do throughout the picture;
such as birthing, attacking and disintegrating various opponents, and so forth.
It contains a powerful statement
about how man may not be the most powerful force on this planet, a line in the movie
said that ants are “so defenseless in the individual, but so powerful in
masses.” If you’re scared of ants or bugs, then you have to watch this.
Bug 1975
“They Look Like Rocks...Possess A
High Intelligence...Have No Eyes...And Eat Ashes...They Travel In Your Car
Exhaust...They Make Fire...They Kill” [4]. Based on the Thomas
Page novel called "The Hephaestus Plague,"
an earthquake releases a group of prehistoric bugs resembling cockroaches that
create fires in order to feed off of the carbon ashes. A science professor
played by Bradford Dillman tries to figure out how to destroy them, leading to
even weirder events.
This movie is strange, creepy,
and is somewhat confusing. If you are scared of bugs, then this will creep
the living shit out of you; with the big cockroaches going around and doing
things that would freak out bug haters, along with tons of close up bug shots.
The high pitched tonal music and the noises that the bugs make to communicate
add to the overall creepiness of the picture. The confusing part of the movie is
the motivation for the scientist, who ends up doing things that he should have
realized were probably going to be a bad idea.
The direction is well done, with
some very good scenes; including several disaster sequences, and close ups
panning towards Dillman’s face showing him break down. This film is as much
about bugs as it is the scientist’s descent into madness, with Dillman having a
good performance as essentially the only important character in this production.
A Boy and His Dog 1975
“The year is 2024... a future
you'll probably live to see”! [5]. Based on a series
of short stories turned into a novella by author Harlan Ellison, it is a post
apocalyptic tale of a teenage boy (Don Johnson) and his telepathic dog working
together in order to survive. It’s pretty much as if Mad Max and Clockwork Orange screwed
each other, had a baby and popped this sucker out. The film is basically a
buddy comedy, mixed with rape and ultra violence as the boy finds food for the
dog and the dog sniffs out women for him to rape. In between, they have some comedic
banter and run into all sorts of weird groups.
The movie is all sorts of crazy
and that’s what makes it great. Its lack of financial success has made it grow
as a cult film and has also inspired other films and media. It is obvious that
this is an inspiration for the Mad Max
trilogy; there are several scenes from this that were clearly recreated in The Road Warrior. Max also has a dog as
a companion in the second picture, even though it doesn’t talk to him. This was
also an inspiration for the popular video game series Fallout [6].
Share these great 70's cult sci-fi classics!
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Works Cited
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Works Cited
[1]
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"IMDB,"
IMDB, 17 2 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070948/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 17 2 2016].
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[2]
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D. Peary, Cult
Sci-fi Movies.
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[3]
|
"IMDB,"
IMDB, 11 3 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070531/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 11 3 2016].
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[4]
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"IMDB,"
IMDB, 31 3 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072750/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_51. [Accessed 31 3
2016].
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[5]
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"IMDB,"
IMDB, 4 4 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072730/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 4 4 2016].
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[6]
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"The
Escapist," The Escapist, 4 4 2016. [Online]. Available:
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/issues/issue_211/6283-Junktown-Dog.2.
[Accessed 4 4 2016].
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