Thx-1138

I've never watched this. Not sure why - but for some reason today I got all intrigued about it. Looks dystopian and it's from George's better times. I see he's done an update on it.......

So, there must be people here who've seen it. Should I see it, what should I expect and which version should I watch - untouched or George-improved version?

i've only seen this once and it was the updated version, i'll definitely recommend it from what i remember. there are elements within this film he used in star wars plus i'd also recommend american graffiti again made by george lucas before star wars. i was felt it was a shame he didn't make more smaller budget films

I saw it last year. Pretty cool film. It's not great, but there's a lot to like.

I saw the original, and, just from what I've heard was changed, I would definitely go with the untouched version.

Whenever Lucas says he wants to go back to making experimental films (which he's been saying for 25 years or more) I think he must be talking about THX 1138. What makes it experimental? Let's see. Stylized dialogue, robotic performances, incoherent plot, general atmosphere of airless doom. Wait, I just described the prequel trilogy.

There is some of THX 1138 in the Star Wars movies especially whenever characters are in prisons or military facilities. I bet entire PhD. theses have been written about it. The Director's Cut also got the Star Wars treatment with new CGI shots. Sometimes it's surprisingly subtle and well done, but there are some scenes where Lucas tries to insert spectacle and it's like an invasion from a different movie and a different era.

The plot of THX 1138 is just a recycled version of the hoary escape-from-mechanized-dystopia that E.M. Forster dreamed up back in 1909. Maybe what makes it experimental is how plot points dribble out in cryptic asides, PA announcements and crazy people ravings. What I liked best was once in a while a sense of pure abstract composition showed up. I was glad to see Lucas still has an eye for pattern and color even in some of the new scenes.

Completely agree.

I've never understood why people always said they wished Lucas made more films like this. I thought it was pretty weak and didn't do much to entertain me. Duvall is a great actor, but he honestly didn't have much to do here, in a film that is basically a futuristic 1984 without all the good bits. Its rather boring and moody, not unexpected considering when it was made, but it definitely feels like a George Lucas film, with all the negative connotations that come with that.

Jeez, kids today.

What, its not a good movie from my point of view. I understand what he trying to do, and I like movies in a similar vein. But it always came off to me as very light on substance. Perhaps as an episode of The Twilight Zone it could have been great, but it doesn't work as a feature. Lucas just doesn't know how to get actors to emote what he has in his head. I came to this opinion far before the prequels made me start to hate him. I gave the special edition a chance a few years ago and my opinion was unchanged.

I don't know, it just seems THX-1138 won't get a fair evaluation today because it's being compared to films made over 30 years later. For its time it was a pretty out there film.

reave said:

I don't know, it just seems THX-1138 won't get a fair evaluation today because it's being compared to films made over 30 years later. For its time it was a pretty out there film.

Click to expand...

The fact that its not an overly dense film is due to the fact that filmmakers didn't feel the need to fill every pore of a movie with information.

Sent from my Swatch Phone using Tapatalk.