THX 1138

This movie has been seen by most film buffs many, many years ago on late night TV. If you are like me, it was an interesting film purely as a reference point for a young George Lucas. If you remembered it at all, it was for the use of white space and the long periods during which almost nothing discernible happens.

Well, it is almost 35 years later (35 YEARS!) and for reasons best known to film and DVD marketers, George Lucas has pulled it out of the vaults. Instead of just transferring the original print to new film stock, Lucas has re-cut several critical scenes; added a tasteful bit of CGI; zipped up the sound track and film score; and, best of all, turned it into the best reason yet for digital projection. Whether this is the original version he had in his head as a 26-year-old or one that he has fleshed out over the years is sort of beside the point. What is on the screen now is definitely worth your $10.

Yes, it is still a bit tedious at times (in a '2001: A Space Odyssey' kind of way) and, yes, the plot holes and infamous continuity issues are still there.

But, Wow! The plot is a weird stew in which an allegorical Adam and Eve story is crossed with 'Brave New World.' (The Catholic act of confession will never be the same after you see it re-imagined here.) The crystal clear cinematography is a revelation. The characters' multiple layers are wonderful. Donald Pleasence's performance as the would-be leader/rebel is downright creepy. The way the camera lingers on a scene rather than quick cutting for effect is a welcome relief. This is adult subject matter and it is not what you expect out of Lucas. You have to ask why he didn't pursue themes like this in later films. (Who knows, maybe the upcoming Darth Vader fest will return us to the dark side.)

Be forewarned, this is not a casual film that you can sit back and munch popcorn while it plays out in front of you. This is definitely art-house fare by a young director finding his chops.

Many of the message boards and most of the reviews of this film point out how many elements carry over to later Lucas films. (C3PO, the climactic chase scene, drones in service to masters, etc.) For me, the touchstone is not for Lucas, but for the Executive Producer, Francis Ford Coppola. Many of the themes explored in THX show up in Coppola's 'The Conversation' three years later. Gene Hackman's Harry Caul character is a clone of Robert Duvall's loner forced to confront a faceless progenitor. See if you don't agree.

Though they are releasing the film to theaters ahead of the DVD release, the place to see it is in a theater with digital projection. Similar to 'Lawrence of Arabia,' much of the action takes place in the far corners of the scene and I can't imagine seeing this on anything less than a very large HDTV screen.

Set in the futuristic 25th century in the ¨1984¨ moody vein , it describes the automatism and slavery of a robotic future whose terrifying vision comes to life . Mankind lives under the surface of Earth where lifelike androids carry out survey and control of slaved people with drugs used to limit their will and they confess at confessional booths . The story centers around a man and a woman who rebel against their rigidly controlled society under command of robotlike where sex is prohibited and love is the ultimate crime . There in a totalitarian future society in which everything looks the same , a man whose daily work is a mechanical routine attempts to rebel by falling in love . As a valiant who handles radioactive materials in a factory begins to have thoughts of rebellion and love for a fellow member . Who controls the present controls the past .

Dystopian as well as imaginative story which a futuristic , state-run society controlled by a superior robotized intelligence and it packs a polemic denounce to totalitarianism . "THX 1138" is a workmanlike rendition based on an interesting screenplay from George Lucas and Walter Murch that captures the desolation and misery within a terrible future world . This thought-provoking as well as visually breathtaking film boasts vicious robots , intelligent but submitted humans who attempt to flee and a trick ending that is intriguing and unique . George Lucas has worked the title of this film , or parts of it, in some of his other film ; in American Graffiti (1973), the license plate of one car is "THX 138". In Star Wars (1977), a reference is made to "prison cell 1138" ; the cinema sound certification his company developed is called "THX". Impressive as well as evocatively atmospheric production design has been rendered with meticulous attention to period detail , the underground chase near the end was shot in a not-yet-completed segment of the subway system in San Francisco ; in addition , numerous scenes were inspired by Japanese theater, design and graphics . Very good acting by Robert Duvall as a human slave who finds himself stuck in a rebellion of the Earth of the future , he is a tragic figure who dares to fall in love within a totalitarian society where emotions are outlawed . Supported by Donald Pleasence who is perfect , as usual . Furthermore , brief appearances from Sid Haig , Ian Wolfe , Don Pedro Colley , Johnny Wissmuller Jr and David Ogden Stiers's film debut . The picture is rated : ¨PG¨, Parents Guide , for violence , nudism and some strong scenes .

George Lucas's original plan was to shoot the film in Japan , but Francis Ford Coppola did not give Lucas enough money in the film's budget to take the entire production to Japan , the feature was shot in San Francisco and Los Angeles . Adequate as well as strange musical score by Lalo Schifrin , usual composer of the seventies , and the music playing during the end credits is the first movement from Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 . And many of the electronic sound effects heard throughout the film are derived from telephone dial tones, pitch-shifted and electronically modified . The motion picture was well produced by Francis Ford Coppola , his first film for American Zoetrope , and compellingly directed by George Lucas , pre-Star Wars , and he considers to be one of the greatest achievements of his career . This film was made as a result of George Lucas's student film short project at USC, being an expanded of a prize-winning featurette . George Lucas , subsequently , would go on with big successes such as American Graffiti and many others . This is a superior science-fiction movie that will appeal to cinema buffs and interested in to watch an example of the kind of work filmmaker Lucas was doing at the beginning .

After all these years this movie never gets old! They did add some extra CGI stuff in the later releases but it really was not necessary.

Nameless man lives in an oppressive future society where behavior is controlled by mandatory drugs. Minimal budget, acting, dialog and special effects more than compensated by astute direction and soundtrack integration. Superior to "ZPG" (1972) and "Logan's Run" (1976). Viewers may also enjoy "Gattaca" (1997). (Rating: A-minus)

Before "Star Wars," George Lucas had another vision of the future, particularly in a long time from now in a galaxy that happens to be our own. "THX 1138" is his Distopia film, his "1984" or "Brave New World." It's directly inspired from those works, borrowing the ideas of drugs to sedate human emotion (Brave New World) and sex being illegal (1984). It's a visionary work, not a revolutionary one, but for the early 70s, it impresses. Lucas manages to bring his concept to life, even if it's not exactly as thrilling or interesting as what the Star Wars saga would be.

THX 1139 (Robert Duvall) is an ideal member of this "utopian" community where religion means stay calm and do as you're told. When his roommate, LUH, begins to change out his sedatives with other pills, he begins to fall in love with her. Consequently, the "big brother" equivalent finds out, and THX is taken captive.

"THX" can be boring at times. Though you can tell Lucas has put a lot of thought into this world, he doesn't care to offer any help to those struggling to make sense of it. There is no clarification dialogue -- you have to pay close attention to the images and surroundings to understand it. This is admirable, but makes things difficult for most viewers. The film therefore drags at points not necessarily because what's going on isn't interesting, but the viewer is missing contextual help to illuminate the action on screen.

Fans of the genre will appreciate Lucas' contribution and his imagination, but probably not love it. The themes are light and the drama low. There's no sense of danger or incredibly sympathy for the main characters. One thing to note is not to watch the Special Edition. As Lucas loves to do, the SE goes back and adds CGI to the film, which is a travesty. Part of what makes these movies so great is that they offer a vision of the future from the perspective of 30 years ago and today's technology doesn't interfere. Do your best to get a non-remastered copy.