Synopsis: A chilling exploration of the future is also a compelling examination of the present in George Lucas’s THX 1138, starring Robert Duvall as a man whose mind and body are controlled by the government. THX makes a harrowing attempt to escape from a world where thoughts are controlled, freedom is an impossibility and love is the ultimate crime.

Review: We all know of Star Wars, the epic films that made George Lucas a very wealthy man and a famous director (even though he only directed the first of the original trilogy,but whatever!).  THX 1138 is his lesser-known 1971 film debut.  Its based on a short film he did for film school.  The film is very jarring and experimental, you can tell it was made in the same era that gave us a Clockwork Orange.  

THX 1138 is basically a sci-fi epic about a future controlled by machines with no soul and the sterile world around us.  The characters struggle to exist in this new world.  There are plenty of allusions to the dangers of technology and our curiousity getting the best of us.  Many of these ideas would later be explored by the Terminator film and tv franchise.   I must admit though, my favorite part of THX 1138 is the fact that the band Nine Inch Nails sampled the film in the beginning of the song "Mr. Self Destruct".   

This one is a great sci-fi cult classic, and it actually looks good on blu-ray.  The natural palet of the film is absent of most colors other than whites and silvers, but it still looks great!

Links: www.warnerblu.com

Interest Range: Sci-Fi, George Lucas, Nine Inch Nails, NIN