I was a couple of years too young to watch THX1138 when it was released in 1971. Somehow I have missed this film over the years and was introduced to it a couple of years back. The film seemed adequately rated and listed George Lucas as Director with the added bonus of Robert Duvall as the lead character. I had to like this one...well, I didn't.
I enjoy good science fiction, and George Lucas has built an "empire" on the genre. His broad imagination brought little to THX1138, his first film. Lucas wrote the story and screenplay as well as acting as Director on this project. He had to cut his teeth somewhere...unfortunately, I did not find this early work equal to his later films. Then again, I was never a fanboy of the Star Wars films, either. Although I will credit them with a far more intricate plot and well developed characters.
THX1138 takes place in a future where drugs are used to control the masses. Orwellian cameras keep track of the populace through automation. Human contact is shunned in favor of genetic engineering used to produce (or reproduce) future generations. Humans act more as slaves at jobs with incredible safety risks. Robots carry out the duties of enforcement while layers of bureaucracy calculate things like cost/benefit analysis. Even Confession is automated in telephone booth-like confessionals with a lighted portrait and looped dialogue (yes...I see...would you like to expound on that idea...yes...yes...mmmm...very good...)
THX (Robert Duvall) has a female roommate named LUH (Maggie McOmie). LUH decides to stop taking her sedatives (a criminal offense) and tricks THX into skipping his own meds. The two share illegal intimacy resulting in LUH's pregnancy. THX works with robotic devices to insert nuclear fuel rods into robots. One small mistake can result in fiery explosions and numerous deaths. Medication normally numbs the mind to the dangers of this work, but THX has not taken his. The results are nearly disastrous and result in a trial where THX is convicted and sent off to the whiteness. An endless jail without bars with a cluster of beds housing other criminals centered somewhere in the nothingness. THX conceives an idea to escape and ventures out to find whatever might lay beyond the confines of his world.
THX1138 was not unlike other films I have seen during the 1970s and 1980s. They are films that are basically a race against time for survival. The film has no real plot, only a simple objective with some obstacles thrown in along the way. Whether you are journeying to the center of the Earth or escaping from Alcatraz (or New York)...the story is in the journey. Films like this rely on strong characters and intriguing interactions or sub-plots along the way. With THX1138, I never felt rewarded with any small pleasures and was never engaged by the characters. So it was a race against time that really never mattered to me one way or the other. On that level, this film failed miserably.
Because this film was made in 1971, I allow a great deal of credit for the known technology at the time. We are nearly half a century into the future and look back at the massive banks of computers and monochrome computer monitors with the benefit of hindsight. The technology was not imaginative by today's standards, but was actually well thought out for the time frame. Even the special effects were decent for that era. The film did not rely heavily on special effects, but there were some decent creatures and a good car chase in the film. The tech side of it definitely shows some aging.
Duvall was decent in the film, but the story is sluggish and somewhat boring. A very sterile tone is set which is intended to create a mindless atmosphere that actually makes the film difficult to watch. The dry delivery of much of the dialogue adds to the frustrating pacing. Additionally, attempts at creating unique "futuristic" dialogue fell woefully flat. It was tedious and yawn inducing. I was disappointed, especially considering Duvall had a major role. McOmie didn't do much for me, either. She didn't have much in the way of dialogue and the hushed tone of the dialogue made it difficult to follow. Her delivery was sedated to the point of sleepiness. The cast could not do much to improve this snoozer.
Because TXH1138 deals with sexuality (as an illegal act) and the introduction of a couple of scenes with nudity and sex, the film was given an R rating by the MPAA. No one who is too young to see this movie is likely to be watching long enough to get to the "good parts." The chase scene regained my interest briefly. However, the ending became predictable making the film even less interesting. The R rating was fairly applied. This film has a run time of one hour, 26 minutes.
I did not care for THX1138. Maybe I got my hopes up to high because of the Director and male lead. Maybe the era that this film was produced in has a lot to do with its failure. Technology has increased by leaps in bounds over the past four decades making this film feel antiquated. At the time it was released, I am sure it was cutting edge. But that doesn't make the film any more interesting. The shallow characters, contrived dialogue and monotone feel never managed to grab my attention. Not recommended. 5/10.
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