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THX-1138

Play trailer Poster for THX-1138 PG Released Mar 11, 1971 1h 28m Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 66 Reviews 73% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
In the future, mankind lives in vast underground cities and free will is outlawed by means of mandatory medication that controls human emotion. But when THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) and LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie) stop taking their meds, they wake up to the bleak reality of their own existence and fall in love with each other in the process. But love is also illegal in this Orwellian dystopia, and the act of making love has made both of them outlaws on the run from an army of robotic police.
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THX-1138

THX-1138

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Critics Consensus

George Lucas' feature debut presents a spare, bleak, dystopian future, and features evocatively minimal set design and creepy sound effects.

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Critics Reviews

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Stefan Kanfer TIME Magazine Despite his scenes of bland horror, Lucas offers the 25th century as a arch, campy place, a conception not satiric enough to be accepted as comedy and not quite insightful enough to be taken seriously. Feb 8, 2018 Full Review William Paul Village Voice The empty space surrounding the vulnerable man emphasizes the exertion involved rather than the goal of escape: like the hologram who came to life because he wanted to, THX finally achieves his humanity by an assertion of will. Jan 18, 2013 Full Review A.D. Murphy Variety With political paternalism rampant at both extremes of the spectrum, Lucas is onto something. In any case, we'll know for sure in about a generation. Jun 5, 2007 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Lucas borrows from George Orwell’s novel '1984' and Fritz Lang’s... 'Metropolis' but it’s the vivid low-budget texture that makes the film so memorable, both visual and aural. The sound design by Walter Murch is something to hear. Oct 28, 2023 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault The movie drags at times and the stark white interiors are wearying, but this is generally more involving than most entries in the genre. Rated: B Nov 29, 2022 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...devoid of even the most basic exposition designed to draw the viewer into its oddball futuristic landscape... Rated: 1/4 Dec 7, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Alysha S The final scene has to be one of the best in cinema, all time. At the least, folks who have been in rigidly controlled societies would appreciate THX 1138. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/21/24 Full Review Sahooon C I don't get why this is rated as high as it is. Perhaps is nostalgia vision combined with the lack of amazing cinema at time of release. It's a drama so relies a lot on the writing and acting and I just couldn't connect or care enough to enjoy this film properly. Maybe on a rewatch in a few years I'll change my mind but TL;DR VERY skipable film. You won't miss anything by missing this Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/21/23 Full Review Rami A This film is in the "visual" category. George Lucas is a visionary, as seen by the Star Wars films and even by his debut film, THX-1138. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/27/23 Full Review Alec B A pastiche but an immensely effective one that uses dystopias and science fiction that came before to find even more ideas. Proof that Lucas was always thinking of things on a higher level. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/13/23 Full Review Red T A Sci-Fi Cult Classic. The cinematography, acting, and music is all really well done. The special effects in particular are jaw dropping and some of the best in any Sci-Fi movie I've ever seen. There honestly decades ahead of there time. This immerses you with amazing camerawork, a suspensful & creepy score, awesome set design, and costumes. This is a very visually driven affair with sparse dialouge throughout but the actors ado a really good job expressing themselves in a robotic but human way if that makes sense. While the editing and pacing are solid this is where it has some issues. This is a slow burn save for the ending the entire way and in the middle it can get bogged down in dragging certain things out and being abstract with certain scenes even though there very immersive. The execution though is so strong that your able to sit through it and make enough sense because the visuals are so strong and the special effects are amazing. Anyone who is a fan of Sci-Fi, any actors in this, Lucas, or New Hollywood films should check this out. You can see flashes of what will come especially in the special effects quality and in other Sci-Fi's like Blade Runner. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/15/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Movie is admirable, Some astounding images, Very impressive given the low budget, But plodding pace, and downbeat tone, hurts the impact, Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/31/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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THX-1138

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the future, mankind lives in vast underground cities and free will is outlawed by means of mandatory medication that controls human emotion. But when THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) and LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie) stop taking their meds, they wake up to the bleak reality of their own existence and fall in love with each other in the process. But love is also illegal in this Orwellian dystopia, and the act of making love has made both of them outlaws on the run from an army of robotic police.
Director
George Lucas
Producer
Larry Sturhahn
Screenwriter
George Lucas, Walter Murch
Distributor
Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers, Zoetrope Studios
Rating
PG (Some Sexuality|Some Nudity)
Genre
Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 11, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2008
Runtime
1h 28m
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