Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Abbigail Bush what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

melnar1 One of the many and varied film genres that I like is the science fiction film. When, at the age of ten, I first watched Destination Moon (1950) on its first release, I was hooked. I have since watched hundreds of them, many for a few times. Most of them I enjoy (or have enjoyed) and a very few I have not, including 2001: A Space Odyssey and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.My rule-of-thumb for rating a film is whether I enjoyed watching it or not. In the case of THX 1138, I hated it intensely, for a few reasons, the main one being that I found it hard to understand and therefore difficult to follow. No, that's wrong - make that impossible to understand.Many reviewers have complained that there is no plot to this movie. As I didn't know whether this was true or not, I searched for a lucid synopsis.I found one at Wikipedia, and it's a very good one. Kudos to whoever wrote it, and I recommend to anyone who didn't understand it to go there and read it.It hasn't, however, changed my opinion about the film itself, which I consider to be dire, boring and an absolute nightmare.

avik-basu1889 Everyone knows why George Lucas is a larger than life figure in pop culture. His creation of the Star Wars universe on film and subsequently the franchise has made him almost a mythic figure. But before achieving the unprecedented love from the masses, Lucas actually had already garnered acclaim in the critic circles. THX 1138 is effectively the first film that brought him some sort of recognition.'Abstract Intellectualism' is the phrase that I'll use to describe the film because Lucas explores many philosophical as well as social relevant ideas, but does so in a very abstract and unconventional way. THX 1138 is clearly a product of the America dealing with McCarthyism and then Nixon's reign as president and Lucas has admitted that. The film was supposed to be an indictment on the manner in which a large portion of American population was being forced to live under fear due to their beliefs leading to encroachment of human rights. These issues do get addressed in the film. Mindless consumerism is also something that Lucas hints at. The film is set in a dystopian future. The concept of a dystopian future where people are living miserably in totalitarian societies and dictatorships isn't something that we are unfamiliar with. This particular concept has been used in many works of literature and film like 1984, Metropolis, Fahrenheit 451, Blade Runner,etc. The intrusion of privacy, the idea of love and sex being made illegal,etc. are very reminiscent of Orwell's 1984. The very distant and detached style of filmmaking is lightly reminiscent of Blade Runner. But the film that this detached and abstract style of filmmaking strongly reminded me of is Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Dogtooth'. In both THX 1138 and Dogtooth, the main characters remain detached from the audience and we don't get to know much about them. In both the films the main characters are expected to obey and conform to beliefs and rules that are pre-established. In both the films the primary theme is the desire to break out of the symbolic prison.I have established that THX 1138 does have similarities with other pieces of work. But Lucas distinguishes his philosophical content from the works that I mentioned by not having a distinct villain. In 1984 there is Big Brother, in Blade Runner there is Tyrell, in V for Vendetta there is Adam Susan. Even in 'Dogtooth' the father can be seen as the wicked figure of authority. But in THX 1138 there is no personification of a villain. Lucas implies that the villain is the society itself. The villain lies in the minds of the people. While watching the film I was constantly thinking that the robotic guards in the film looked very feeble and not intimidating enough and I thought that maybe this was a weakness of the film. But after watching the film and on subsequent analysis it hit me that it was never Lucas' intention to portray these guards as huge all conquering intimidating figures. They were intentionally made to look not challenging enough to show that the establishment and the state is actually nowhere near as powerful as the ordinary people think them to be. They are fallible. The world that THX 1138 lives in is situated underground. What lies above is unknown. My interpretation is that after some catastrophe that took place on the surface, the remaining population retreated underground and created their own society which gradually became a totalitarian one leading to people being denied their human rights. But over the years the ordinary masses became accustomed to this way of life and their reluctance to break out and the fear of the unknown above the surface have made the ordinary people avoid protesting and have made them contented with the life that they are allowed to lead. THX 1138 is a very ordinary human being who does only one thing different to the others in the society. He decides to rebel and not conform as he comes to the conclusion that breaking out of this underground prison and confronting whatever that's on the surface is better than living this rotten meaningless life without any feelings.The screenplay was written by Lucas and Walter Murch based on an idea from Matthew Robbins. Although the dialogue of the screenplay plays a role in the film, but what makes it work is Lucas' visual style of creating this uncomfortable, claustrophobic environment coupled with Murch's bizarrely incredible sound mixing. The editing in the film can at times be a bit jarring specially during a sex scene reminiscent of the jumpy editing in Godard's 'Breathless', but I think in a thematic way it made sense. The look of the film is very unique. There are lengthy scenes where characters find themselves in white nothingness and it looks quite amazing. Some of these shots reminded me of 'Under the Skin'. The very last shot of the film is absolutely brilliant and very reminiscent of the shot of the binary sun in Episode IV.The acting is good from everyone. The actors needed to be extremely understated and somewhat non-demonstrative. Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence are actors that I already knew and loved. So the fact that they are good in the film is not a surprise. The actor that surprised me was Maggie McOmie who plays LUH. She is not someone I was familiar with before watching this film but she really impressed me. Her eyes express this pure and inherent sense of pain and sorrow which was essential for the role and the story. In a way, in the context of the story, LUH is the most important character and McOmie deserves praise for her performance.THX 1138 is a unique film exhibiting George Lucas' philosophical ideas and opinions. The subject is still socially relevant. The theme of breaking out and showing the guts to explore what's beyond the bubble of safety also found its place in Lucas' next film 'American Graffiti'.

hosh-483-650984 The film starts us off in the very up world of Buck Rogers and then transitions immediately into the horror of the THX 1138 future - a brilliant contrast.I always think of the Bob Seger song "I feel like a number" when I watch this movie. A must see for all sci-fi or horror lovers and a fascinating debut for Lucas.This is a forerunner to the Terminator movies.Considering filming began back in 1969, the special effects and cars are literally out of this world. This movie could have been made yesterday - truly ahead of it's time and a real sign of things to come from Lucas.This is what happens when all the bleeding heart victims of the world get power and enforce fanatical anti violent doctrine on the then zombie masses.A cautionary tale!Like all good movies, this one takes you out of your daily life and into the gloomy world of THX 1138 - awesome.

SnoopyStyle In a dystopian future, people are controlled in every aspect of their lives with the use of drugs and technology. THX 1138 (Robert Duvall) is paired with LUH 3417 (Maggie McOmie). LUH replaces their drugs and they start to feel for each other. SEN 5241 (Donald Pleasence) takes LUH away from him. THX turns SEN in for his illegal shifting. THX is struggling at work and they place a mindblock on him. THX is sent to holding. LUH tells THX that she got pregnant. THX is joined by SEN while imprisoned. They escape with the help of SRT who turns out to be a hologram.The version I saw was remastered by George Lucas. The obvious CGI does take away from the sense of 70s sci-fi. It's got interesting style and a compelling premise. The story is a little muddled and it needs to be more of a driven thriller. Duvall and Pleasence should stick together. When they split up, some of the tension is lost. The premise works but the story needs a little bit more work.