Many Hollywood successes of the 1970s are still watched today. But not all ideas can be winners, as these 70s hits that have aged terribly prove. Sometimes, you just wonder what drew audiences in the first place.
Airport
Airport stars an ensemble cast of big names in Hollywood from the era, including Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, and Jacqueline Bisset. Airport was hugely successful on release and received multiple Oscar nominations, even winning Best Supporting Actress, but the dramatic storyline seems outdated and over-the-top now.
Love Story
The romantic drama movie Love Story tells the story of a couple from very different backgrounds struggling together to make their romance and marriage work. Despite eventually succeeding and finding their feet, they are heartbroken to discover that they can’t start a family. The cliche love story now seems overly sentimental and is clearly written for maximum emotional impact.
Billy Jack
Billy Jack focuses on the character of the same name, played by Tom Laughlin, who also co-wrote and directed. Part Native American, he defends Freedom School from those who dislike its hippie culture. He acts as a vigilante to protect the neighborhood, but the poor acting and preachy plot have not proved popular with modern audiences.
The Omega Man
The sci-fi thriller The Omega Man, based on the book I Am Legend, sees the protagonist Robert Neville (Charlton Heston) believe he is the sole survivor of biological warfare. He eventually finds a handful of other survivors and teams up with them to find a more permanent solution to the infection. Although it performed reasonably well at the time, the storytelling is not memorable, and the special effects don’t look impressive.
The Poseidon Adventure
The Poseidon Adventure is a disaster movie set aboard the SS Poseidon, a luxury vessel nearing scrappage. An undersea earthquake and tsunami capsize the ship, resulting in her floating upside-down, meaning the only escape route is to head upwards to the outer hull. It was a massive success, but the campy dialogue and melodrama make it harder to watch by modern-day standards.
Live and Let Die
Roger Moore’s debut performance as James Bond in Live and Let Die was a financial success, grossing $161.8 million at the box office. However, many aspects of the film have not aged well, from the racial stereotypes and farcical deaths to the slow-paced plot and dated action sequences.
Westworld
Westworld is a sci-fi Western that was successful enough to get a sequel and two TV shows. Set in a futuristic amusement park, it saw the guests hunted down by the android “entertainment” when their programming malfunctioned. Despite its popularity, the original movie has not aged that well, with the special effects seeming dated.
The Towering Inferno
Another disaster movie, The Towering Inferno, is set in a newly built skyscraper where an electrical fire starts. The residents and guests must try to evacuate past the fire below, with the building standing an impressive 135 stories high. It was one of the most successful disaster movies of the decade, but modern viewers may find it too predictable.
Smokey and the Bandit
An action comedy starring Burt Reynolds as Bo “The Bandit” Darville, Smokey and the Bandit pits him against Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason), also known as “Smokey Bear.” Bandit is hired to get bootleg beer to Atlanta, acting as a red herring to run interference while his friend Cledus “Snowman” Snow (Jerry Reed) has the cargo. The humor and car chases now seem dated despite the original movie getting two sequels.
King Kong
A remake of the 1933 movie of the same name, King Kong, was intended to modernize it and be a massive spectacle blockbuster. It was hugely successful, but the special effects looked clunky then, with significant problems encountered during production.
Saturday Night Fever
A dance drama and coming-of-age movie, Saturday Night Fever was a cultural phenomenon when it was released in 1977 and is credited with popularizing disco. Not only do the disco scenes and melodrama seem outdated now, but the misogynistic views are also stuck in the past.
Moonraker
Roger Moore’s fourth outing as Bond sees him investigating the theft of a Space Shuttle, joined by astronaut scientist Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles). It was released to mixed reviews but was a box-office success, setting a record for Bond movies that remained unbroken until GoldenEye. There are still positives watching it now, but the plot is campy and predictable, widely seen as a redo of The Spy Who Loved Me.
The Amityville Horror
Based on events from a real-life mass murder, The Amityville Horror sees newlyweds George (James Brolin) and Kathy Lutz (Margot Kidder) moving into the house where the murders happened. What unfolds is a classic haunted house movie, but the effects have not stood the test of time and are viewed as less frightening than in later entries.
10
The rom-com 10 has the bizarre premise of a middle-aged man falling in love with someone else’s bride at a single glance. He then proceeds to pursue her to Mexico, rescue her husband, and discover she’s not what he expected. Despite being popular at the time, later audiences have been less kind.
Every Which Way but Loose
In an unusual comic outing for Clint Eastwood, he stars as Philo Beddoe in Every Which Way But Loose, a truck driver who lives and travels with an orangutan called Clyde. Audiences flocked to the cinema, but the tedious plot and unfunny attempts at humor don’t hold up to modern scrutiny.
The Omen
The Omen is a supernatural horror movie about a boy who is swapped at birth and is gradually revealed to be the Antichrist through a series of horrifying events. Despite being terrifying for early audiences, its predictable nature and over-the-top scares have dampened its legend.
Earthquake
The main draw of the 1974 disaster movie Earthquake was its Sensurround gimmick, which allowed audiences to “feel” the tremors at the same time as the characters on screen. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much more to this movie, with a pointless plot and mediocre writing.
The Exorcist II: The Heretic
A direct sequel to The Exorcist, the second installment focuses on Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) four years later. She remembers nothing about the previous movie, but Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher) believes her memories are suppressed. Without the unexpected twists of the first movie, The Exorcist II tries to do too much and ultimately falls flat.
