| Overall Grade: |
B- |
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| Story: |
B- |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
B- |
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| Visuals: |
A- |
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Future Of Confusion
by The Karp (movies profile)
Oct 18, 2007
1
of
1 people found this review helpful
THX 1138 is the unknown first film of brilliant Star
Wars director George Lucas. Derived from his 17 min.
college film, the full length THX pits the audience in
a universe completely controlled by the government.
All inhabitants take pills to ease themselves from
there emotions and consumption is a must. Any unwanted
activity is dealt with by the greatest looking cops
ever created.
The movie focuses on one individual, Robert Duvall's
THX 1138. 1138 is feeling a bit odd compared to the
rest of his counterparts. His pills haven't been
working and he's feeling a bit wierd... he's feeling
emotion. After a nuclear explosion at work, THX
comes home only to find that his akward companion LUH
3417 has been switching his pills, which is in
violation of the government. Soon, after yet another
breaking of a brainwashing government's law, THX and
LUH find themselves on the run for the rest of the
movie.
Despite how crisp my synopsis of the film sounds, THX 1138 really is a hard nut to crack. You're never
completely sure of what's going on and the world
itself is extremely unbelievable. Sure, it's science
fiction, but never what's so ever do you see the true
threat. You're always left in the dust to question
exactly what is going on in the movie. Believe me, I
don't mind thinking when I watch a movie, but to be
completely clueless, well that's not exactly my thing.
The movie is very hard to grasp.
With that being said, there are some very bright spots in the movie:
Lucas has always been known for being a master
"technical director", and it shows very much so in
THX. The sea of white that surrounds most of the
future world really gives you a sense of an expandedness of nothing. You really feel like you are trapped in an insanely unknown world. It doesn’t feel cheesy. In fact, it feels right at home with the rest of the movie. Also, when I mean the government is in complete control, I do mean COMPLETE control. They own every work place, every store, and they even “own god”, not to mention every person in the “world”.
Another thing that was just completely superb was the acting. Robert Duvall does an excellent job of transitioning from a vegetable to a fully functioning human being. Another performance to note is that of Donald Pleasence. His character has also come off of his drugs and now stalks THX. The character itself seems to be just another thing that helps make this movie completely wack, but the quirkiness of the character is played well by Pleasence.
Some last things to mention is that it was the movie that was suppose to catapult Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope into the big time. Instead, it bankrupted it (Obviously I wasn’t the only one that found this movie to make no sense). Also, this film contains nudity for no reason ever. There is no reason that you can’t imply sex without showing breasts. I have always disliked nudity in the movies, so I am extremely disappointed in “my man” George Lucas for doing so.
So overall, the movie was ok. It gives some insight into how consumerism has shaped our lives, and gives us a warning about government power. Still, the story itself is rough around the edges and confusion mares this film. THX moves at a slow pace that may bore many viewers. My suggestion: stick to Star Wars. |
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