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Perhaps it’s simply because THX-1138 doesn’t reside in the cultural memory in quite the same way that Star Wars does, but I think that this movie mostly survived George Lucas’ meddling unscathed. I say “I think” and “mostly” because I’ve never seen the non-meddled with/original version. But if this is any indication, maybe Star Wars was one of those two-headed behemoths that alternately was both the biggest blessing and the biggest curse to deal with, ever. And much like he couldn’t help rewriting history with that franchise, Lucas has taken his CGI-obsession to this film. The revisions are much smaller, smoother, and less noticeable overall. Except for one sequence at the end of the film in much it’s clearly a stand-in for Robert Duvall being attacked by CGI monkey/rat/dog-things.
Movies like American Graffiti and THX-1138 showcase Lucas’ talent for more small scale, but equally ambitious fare. And much of THX-1138 is deeply disturbing, and as electrifying and buzz-worthy now as when it was first released thanks to many of its ideas becoming more and more of a reality. The pilled-out, complacent nature of the unnamed only numbered society disturbed me to my core because of how close it is teetering to becoming common-place. What’s more interesting, in a far less disturbing way, is how it predicted creepily realistic holograms/special effects interacting amongst the populace. Look no further than the Coachella performance featuring a projection of Tupac that was a prime example of the Uncanny Valley theory.
But it’s the minimalism that allows for the film’s images to linger in the memory. The prison of sterile, hospital-like whiteness engulfing and consuming you is but one image of many. This isn’t just a prison; it’s a reminder that in the grand scheme of society, you are but an infinitesimal speck, a very tiny cog in a grand machine. It’s not just the everlasting expanse of pure white, but the way that Lucas frames them in the far off distance, or edits things to together to make it appear as though they were running in circles, or the asymmetricality that disorientates our understanding of the frame. I wonder what would of happened if he had followed this bleak, dystopian view-point instead of recreating his childhood serials in epic form. (And don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Star Wars. Hell, I themed by 25th birthday after it.)
