Is this correct usage of “dated”?

Question

Star Wars is a film that has dated well.

The intent being that Star Wars has not shown its age as much as other movies. I would think "hasn't dated" or "has aged well" would be more correct but I'm not sure.

Answer 1

In that sentence I would definitely use:

Star Wars is a film that has aged well.

Technically you can use 'dated' in that sense as a verb:

To become old-fashioned.

But mostly it is used as an adjective:

Star Wars is a film that isn't dated.

However, that construction feels very awkward to me.

Answer 2

In this context 'dated' means 'has become dated'.

Also, your original sentence could also mean: has 'retained that late-70s look' well.

'dated': from a time ago, and can be negative
'dated well': dated, but as a positive
'hasn't dated' / 'not dated': dated, but still seems contemporary

'aged' has become older, neutral
'aged well' aged, but as a positive

So, you were probably more right with original wording!