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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
85% Tomatometer 67 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 Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …the glitz and glamour of the CGI Phantom Menace add-ons featured in the director's cut of THX-1138 goes completely against everything that the aethetic of the original film supposedly stands for; it’s an absolute desecration of the text… Rated: 1/5 Jan 5, 2025 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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Geoff R Fantastic first effort but just not enough to sustain the movie. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/05/25 Full Review Christopher C Just seeing one of Star Wars’ George Lucas first efforts alone is enough, but also with producer Francis Ford Coppola is a watershed moment in film making for the sci-fi genre. Part of its beauty is in its starkness, sterile humanity and the foresight in 1971 that yes, the future is not so much a green garden eutopia as a bleak existence as a worker of the masses working in a devoid robotic, sterile environment where the possibility of being critically injured is not uncommon (think Amazon or any other corporate warehouse of today). See a talented young Robert Duvall cut his teeth in an understated set design and with a sparse script that challenges and shows his talents early in his career. Hell, there’s even a car chase with Lola sports cars modified to look even more futuristic, one of which in real life James Garner finished second in the 24 hours of Daytona. If your attention span is short or you can’t comprehend that dystopian stories can be subtly understated you may be challenged here. However for me, this remains one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time. Pure in the delivery of its story, before the silliness of Star Wars took over and dominated the movie landscape. Keep an eye out for a scene slightly reminiscent of a scene in the second Blade Runner remake (holograms). It’s important to note that in 2004 in retrospect Lucas has realized the importance of this visionary seminal film that holds up well over decades and returned to make a few tweaks with CGI slightly expanding its length and a new trailer. There’s also a separate version included on the Blu Ray version minus dialogue with the interesting sound effects only. Be sure to see it Blu Ray for a crisp rendition and support the growing Blu Ray resurgence. Have a productive day and remember to consume. To consume. To consume. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/04/25 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
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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