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List Price: $26.98 | | Label: Warner Home Video
Salesrank: 11054
Released: September 14, 2004 |
| Our Price: $6.30 |
| Used Price: $2.02 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Two-Disc Special Edition:
* Digitally remastered with THX certified sound
* Commentary by George Lucas and co-writer/sound effects editor Walter Murch
* Theatre of Noise sound-effects track with branching segments to 13 master sessions with Walter Murch
* 2 New documentaries: "A Legacy of Filmmakers: The Early Years of American Zoetrope" and "Artifacts from the Future: The Making of THX 1138"
* George Lucas's original student film "THX-11384EB"
* "Bald": 1971 production featurette
* Five new trailers from the 2004 theatrical release
* Original theatrical trailer
THX 1138 - The Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition) Reviews:
Not my kind of movie 
2009-08-16 - I purchased this DVD on a recommendation of a good friend. I could not get into it. To slow a pace. However; you can see many of the forthcoming special and sound effects to be used in George Lucas' Star War films.
COOL! 
2009-06-29 - For as long as I've been a fan of Star Wars and anything George Lucas, I never had seen THX1138. The 2 disc edition was really good and I'm glad that I finally was able to see this movie. I noticed some things in the movie that were present in Star Wars, such as great use of sound and imagery. George Lucas was truly ahead of the pack at an early age.
Induces sleep 
2009-05-17 - THX 1138 - a movie that I had heard much about but never had an opportunity to see. George Lucas's first real film! Set in a dystopic scifi world, with cool special effects. Sounded like a winner to me.
I recently had a chance to see THX 1138, and I must say: I was thoroughly underwhelmed. While the sound effects were extremely cool with all of the radio chatter telling the story, it really was too long and too slow, and should have stayed at the length of the short story. The visuals (mainly caucasian people in white jumpsuits on white backgrounds) made me sleepy and made it hard to watch and focus and generate interest. I never fall asleep while watching movies! George Lucas fans might argue that the world of the future might actually be like that, hence he should gain tons of points for being accurate. Being accurate does not a good movie make (cf. Tarantino's Death Proof in Grindhouse, so B-rated its boring).
On top of that, Lucas "remastered" the special effects here in the same way he did the Star Wars trilogy, and while it only felt somewhat out of place in episodes 4-6, it feels really felt out-of-place here. A clearly seventies classic film with 2003 special effects? I felt it ruined the experience and cohesion. Mixing 70s lit-button consoles and 2003 CGI supercars does not a good scifi film make.
All that said, the short story that the movie was based on (included in set) was GREAT! Lucas is a great indie short film maker! The film expresses lots of emotion, and clearly demonstrates the power of THX 1138s struggle! It just wasn't good enough for a full-length film, IMHO.
One star for the sound effect story telling, and one star for inclusion of the short film. Unless you're an uber-hardcore-scifi nut or are such a fan of George Lucas you've named your kids Luke and Leia, I recommend renting the movie, watch the short film to be introduced to the classic story, and moving on. You'll get the gist of why THX 1138 is important.
Brave Old World
2009-04-23 - After hearing about it for most of my 39 years, I finally watched THX 1138. I found it to be an interesting meditation on classic literary themes found in older works - specifically Orwell's 1984, Huxley's Brave New World, and Lang's Metropolis. But where those works deal with misfits in societies with stratified classes, THX 1138 shows us only one class. There is no queen bee, only drones. Drones may be given different tasks, but there doesn't seem to be any one overarching controlling board. There is only the process. Humanity is reduced to being a machine that makes machines so they can be ruled by machines. Free thinkers are captured and re-educated for the good of the mecha-biological society. Flaws are corrected or replaced like gears in the machine.
Some reviewers have hung modern political views on this film. While I think the film is open to that interpretation, I disagree with picking one view (probably one that you disagree with) and saying that's only what the movie was warning about. I think it's more than that. This film comments on many different facets of society:
Religion - the confession booth has transparent doors, a static picture of Christ, and cold unfeeling responses automatically, if not appropriately, offered to comfort.
Consumerism - be happy; buy something (though ironically no one seems to have any personal possessions) as well as keeping an eye on the budget and taking action only when it's profitable.
Socialism / Communism - the government provides everything for the individual as long as they do and think what the government wants.
Conservatism - the sexual practices of consenting adults is the matter of the state.
Libertarianism - drugs are not only good, but necessary to function in society.
Liberalism - Protesting against a repressive society is justified if the actor is truly right.
In many ways it's a very brave film. Lucas had a complete vision of this world and we are invited to view it without exposition. The viewer must be patient and allow the story to unfold. If you do, you will witness one of the last great meditations on the human condition offered by Science Fiction cinema before space operas and star wars completely co-opted the genre.
THX 1138 - The Director's Cut 
2009-03-29 - This is George Lucas's first and finest film bar none. Forget Star Wars!
There are some that do not like the 2004 Director's Cut and that is their right if they so choose.
However, I am very hard to impress and this film remain tied as my second favorite film, Bladerunner.
If I could rate this movie higher than five stars I would. THX 1138 is outstanding on so many levels.
This film is a true classic and I highly recommend it to anyone that likes science fiction.
