Review of THX 1138 (1971) by Ignacio L — 09 Jan 2011

I get a really good feeling when I watch a first movie by a famous director, and George Lucas gives a great one. Though, THX 1138 is definitely artsy and might not be everyone's taste.

THX 1138 is about a man, THX, in a future where everything is treated to its most basic form. Work is merely a job, companionship is merely a pairing, religion is merely words, death is merely the loss of life. This is an emotionless and scary future that is constantly being monitored and watched. One day THX abuses his medication and is sent into a detention facility, but he refuses to conform to the law. Taking on communist future stories and predating a lot of movies of the sort, THX 1138 is a very big inspiration. This emotionless future that cannot overcome human emotion is a famous subject, and this movie proves to be quite facinating.

Directed by George Lucas and produced by his good buddy Frances Ford Coppola, this low-budget, independant movie has all that is needed to make an original and very cool looking movie. The entire movie contains very little colours. The enviroment is all white with shadows, which makes for very unique usage of cinematography. One of which when THX (played by the great Robert Duvall) is in the detention facility, which is literally an endless space in an entirely white room. Not only is this a cool set, but the use of lighting is strikingly unique, unpersonalizing all the characters with the lack of shadows on their face.

Though this movie is very inspirational, it is quite slow going. This is not an action movie, or really any genre movie really. This is a stylistic look of an influential theme. Not for entertainment, but can be enjoyed by movie lovers who want to see a unique movie, or if you're a Robert Duvall fan.