Review of THX 1138 (1971) by Gary D — 19 Apr 2009
This is one of the best examples of a 1970s dystopian science fiction movie, a sub-genre which Lucas subsequently killed off a few years later with Star Wars.
The level of invention is superb, and the opening scenes are a nightmare of sound and vision that gradually make sense of the future world. There are more throwaway ideas here than in any film Lucas later worked on.
The film does lag a little in the middle, and Pleasance's character never amounts to much, but the ending has both a cynical and uplifting feel to it. This Director's Cut adds - typically - some new CGI effects: these work very well at the start, opening the underground world out with some larger vistas and bigger crowds, although the climactic car chase additions and some quite poor CGI monkey-men feel very out of place. It's a shame Lucas never seems happy with his achievements, especially in this film, which (as a great fan of the original Star Wars trilogy) I think is his best work.
This review of THX 1138 (1971) was written by Gary D on 19 Apr 2009.
THX 1138 has generally received positive reviews.
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