While one can praise the stylistically spartan look of George Lucas' "THX 1138" (1971), a dystopian SF cult classic set in the not-too-far future, little changes the fact that the film is as dull and uninteresting as the characters that populate its world. Many seem to care for this rediscovered Lucas film - one he co-wrote with none other than legendary sound magician Walter Murch - apparently due to its restrained nature. Certainly, compared to the noise and clutter of "Star Wars", "THX 1138" is nearly Bergmanesque in presentation. There is nothing here that is truly excessive in any way, except if you count the leagues of whiteness in front of your eyes.
The unique look of the film starts wearing thin after half an hour, as I found myself heavy-lidded while watching Robert Duvall's THX resist ("rebel" is far too strong and active a word) the sedatives and forced calm of his world as he dares to not only have sex with LUH (Maggie McOmie) but also fall in love with her. Surely love (lost and found) is a popular subject for world cinemas, but it is seldom presented as mechanically and leaden as it is here.
Dystopian futures aren't anything new either, and possible fantastical scenarios have been imagined many times in more emotionally and intellectually involving ways (see "Blade Runner", "Robocop", and an all-time personal favourite, "Brazil"). The film is best seen as a historical curiosity.
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