I actually love this movie in a non-ironic way, despite the fact that it’s utterly cheesy. In the future, people shave their heads and dress in white. The government prescribes mass doses of pills to eliminate things like emotion and free will. Sex is illegal. The church is based upon consumerism. People have license plate numbers instead of names.
THX 1138 (Duvall– you can call him “Tex” for short) defies convention and fights for his spirit in an epic way. We see disjointed scenes of THX’s flight intercut with montages of blinking lights and computer readouts. THX wanders through what looks like an underground shopping mall doing hi-tech things until he finally engages in a chase scene with robotic cops.
It’s all because of LUH (McOmie– yes, she’s really called “Luh,”) THX’s roommate, whose spirit is so strong (she was “birth-born,” not incubated) that even the sedatives can’t keep her in line with “normal” society. She messes with THX’s pills so that his sedation wears off and he sees the world for what it really is. They fall in love, get naked, and romantic flute music starts to play. Soon they’ve hatched a scheme to escape the “Shell” (their underground city) and its oppressive society. But, without sedation, they can’t make it through even one day of their modern lives.
You can appreciate this film for its dry, sarcastic humor and its innovative plot structure, or you can sit back and enjoy its artsy yet dated special effects. It’s totally up to you. My favorite thing about this movie, though, is the truly creepy quality of its visual design. There are parts of this movie that scare the bejeezus out of me.
THX 1138 is actually George Lucas’ remake of his own student film which won an award back in 1967. If you watch Star Wars really closely, you’ll notice the number “1138″ pops up a couple of times. Donald Pleasance (of 007 films and other stuff) stars as a creepy guy who tries to escape the Shell but fails.
This movie is another fascinating glimpse into what we thought computers would look like in the early 70′s. A must for anyone who’s ever owned a TRS-80!
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