The Sci-Fi Westerns film subgenre falls under the Sci-Fi and Westerns genres and also includes film subgenres such as Modern Westerns, Sci-Fi Films Set in Space, Bad Aliens, Time Travel Films and Action Adventure Films. Sci-Fi Westerns typically feature 2 distinct scenarios – where Sci-Fi elements are part of the Old West Period in the 1800’s or Western film tropes that are used in a Sci-Fi setting or world.
Sci-Fi films started using the themes of Westerns starting in the 1970’s with Westworld (1973) and Mad Max (1979). However, it was arguably the most popular Sci-Fi film of the decade (and perhaps of all-time) that successfully integrated Western themes and tropes into its Sci-Fi world and narrative in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
In the 1980’s, even more Sci-Fi films used different Sci-Fi film subgenres with Western themes and settings. Timerider: The Adventure of Lynn Swann (1982) and Timestalkers (1987) featured a modern setting where individuals were transported via Time Travel back to the Old West. Battle Beyond the Stars (1981), The Road Warrior (1981) and Outland (1981) all used various themes from Westerns in their Sci-Fi settings. Battle Beyond the Stars used situations and themes from the popular Western, The Magnificent Seven (1960). Outland used a similar narrative found in High Noon (1952) with Sean Connery’s Marshal waiting to battle it out with the hired killers arriving at his mining colony in Space. And The Road Warrior featured an often-used Western theme of a hired gun helping settlers against lawless outlaws. Other notable Sci-Fi Westerns of the 1980’s included The Ice Pirates (1984) and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989).
The 1990’s saw a decline in Western-themed Sci-Fi films with Back to the Future Part III (1990) being the only classic film of the subgenre during this decade. Other notable subgenre films from the 90’s included Oblivion (1994), Atolladero (1997), Purgatory (1999) and Wild Wild West (1999).
The 2000’s and 2010’s would see a variety of different Sci-Fi and Action subgenres incorporate Western themes. Cowboys & Aliens (2011), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Logan (2017) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017) would feature the Comic Books and Superheroes subgenre with Western themes. Serenity (2005), John Carter (2012), Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) and Prospect (2018) would all feature Western-themed films set in Space. And Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) would combine genres such as Horror, Sci-Fi and Westerns with different subgenres such as Zombie Films, Survival Horror and Post-Apocalypse Films. Other classic and notable films of these two decades included The Rover (2014), Young Ones (2014), The Dark Tower (2017) and Bacurau (2019).
Our list of Sci-Fi Westerns includes over 30+ films from 1973 – 2019. For our list of Top Sci-Fi Westerns You Haven’t Seen, we created a list that represents various Sci-Fi subgenres that all use different Western themes and motifs that we hope you enjoy.
Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Here is our list of Top Sci-Fi Westerns You Haven’t Seen:
