Review of THX 1138 (1971) by Daniel K — 27 Sep 2011

3: It seems rather incredible that this is the same George Lucas that went on to make the Star Wars pictures. He definitely seemed to be satisfied with an art-house audience here, whereas he branched off into a more commercial realm and became a multi-billionaire later.

The seeds of Star Wars can definitely be seen here though, despite the fact that this world is far bleaker and more dystopian. Perhaps most significantly, we see images of a Buck Rogers serial at the outset, which obviously echoes the opening credit sequences of Star Wars.

Buck Rogers was essentially a less operatic version of Star Wars, while this is something else entirely. However, there are numerous similarities as well. There are android police here, whereas Star Wars has cloned stormtroopers.

There is the same focus on black and white tones, while the entire production design seems somehow familiar. Few sci-fi pictures have been this unique and single-focused though. I've always loved how clean Lucas's worlds have seemed, in particular his portrayals of the darker sides of humanity.

This is no exception. I'm curious what his home(s) looks like. I also have a strong feeling that I've mever seen a version quite this impressive before. I think Lucas has altered many of the scenes with digital effects in recent years, and for the better.

Great ending as well.