Review of THX 1138 (1971) by Raymond L — 13 Aug 2010

First off, let me say that all things considered I found this film GREAT. To echo what a lot of other reviewers have said before, the quality of special effects are amazing for the time when this film was created (ignoring the remastered CGI scenes).

But what makes this film fantastic is the depiction of the dystopia future in which the characters live. Lucas paints a frightening future where humans are medicated and numbed into losing their emotions for one another. I found it very 1984-esqe.

It is rare for a film maker to create a genuine sense of attachment to the characters and Lucas does a amazing job at doing just that. You find yourself curious as to the true nature of what is going on and as the plot progresses I found myself cheering THX 1138 as he makes his escape from the android police.

The film is for lack of a better word creepy. What freaked me out the most was the faceless android police, chasing THX 1138 through the film saying, "BE CALM" as they relentlessly chase THX 1138.

I could go on and on about why I enjoyed this film, but I'll just say that it is without a doubt a must see, especially for any fan of Lucas or dystopian futurist movies.

They only point of critique I have with the film is the addition of several CGI scenes which although do not effect the plot at all are somewhat distasteful. Like I said before they really do not effect the plot and although not seeing the film before, I could clearly tell that these were added into the film ex-post-facto for no apparent reason.