George Lucas's first movie in some ways seems to be almost the polar opposite of his later work. Unlike such movies as Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, which strive to be as commercial as possible, THX-1138 tries to be as esoteric and avant-garde as possible. That's not to say that I would consider THX-1138 better than those later movies; I frankly think that Star Wars and Raiders do a better job at their chosen task of entertaining the audience than this film does at being profound, which suggests that, despite everything that Lucas has said recently, including on this disc, about wanting to go back to his avant-garde roots, he probably was better off pursuing a commercial path. The story of THX-1138 is a familiar one that comes across as a combination of Brave New World and 1984. Robert Duvall plays the title character, a member of an underground society where all individuality is suppressed. The bureaucracy that runs this society keeps everyone drugged and uses robot policeman against any dissenters. As in 1984, the hero is moved to revolt after he falls in love. After this, the story is pretty basic-Duvall is arrested and put in prison, he escapes, eludes the robot policemen (which isn't too hard) and emerges onto the surface of the planet. Obviously the appeal of THX 1138 doesn't come from any groundbreaking innovations in plot line or theme. Not unlike with many of Lucas's later efforts, the movie is most interesting as a sensory experience. The visuals brilliantly create Lucas's sterile future with, as far as I could see, much in the way of any actual sets, while Walter Murch contributes an eerie soundtrack that looks forward to his work on Coppola's The Conversation. Though on the whole the DVD is as lavish as you would expect for a Lucas film, Lucas has repeated his biggest mistake with the original Star Wars trilogy by adding in computer effects. These digital "improvements" are particularly pointless for THX, which after all is supposed to be showing the remnants of civilization, not a bustling metropolis.
