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THX 1138
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
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  1. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Mark Bell
    100
    Enough about the CGI tweaking, is this film really Lucas's unloved masterpiece? The film that got lost in the shadow of "American Graffitti" and "Star Wars" while, actually, being a better film?
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    80
    Testament to the emergence of a visually masterful filmmaker, capable of ingenious, low-tech special effects.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    75
    The movie's strength is not in its story but in its unsettling and weirdly effective visual and sound style. (Review of Original Release)
  4. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Hartlaub
    75
    A nice gift for science fiction fans.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Leighton Klein
    75
    For someone wanting to get noticed as a filmmaker, George Lucas couldn't have done much better than THX 1138, his 1971 feature debut that starts a limited run today in a new director's cut.
  6. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    70
    The surprising thing about George Lucas's first feature (1971), a dystopian SF parable now digitally enhanced and expanded by five minutes, is how arty it seems compared to his later movies.
  7. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    67
    It's not a question of Lucas' right to revamp his own work -- the movie simply was much better without these absurd additions.
  8. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    50
    Reportedly, Lucas has been tinkering with this "director's cut" for nearly two years, so its sound and visual elements -- which were fairly impressive to begin with -- have been markedly enhanced, while new digital backgrounds give the film a more epic scale. Still, it's an extraordinarily unengaging and tedious affair.
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User Reviews

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User Score
6.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. Bikerjames
    8
    I didn't know George Lucas had it in him. All his films to follow are so commercial, whereas this is cold and atmospheric. In the future humans are controlled by medications, and unbeknown to THX his female roommate is slowly removing the pills. He starts feeling emotions like love and lust that he never felt before and he and his roommate start having sex which is not permitted. I was amazed at how cool the sets were for a film made on low budget in 1970. I really enjoyed this film.… Full Review »
  2. howitzer
    10
    I loved this movie and it's new additions. I think it's great that Lucas can now touch up his films in the way that he invisioned them originally... with the latest special effects. It's not over the top, the new additions are quick and blend in nicely adding to the sense of this future world THX lives in. Sure the originals are good but now they're better... ask any young lad experiencing them for the first time. What I enjoy most of this film and others like it is the lack of dialoge. The real world doesn't explain everything to it's viewers, that you have to figure out for yourselves and it's not that difficult... well at least not for most. Instead it leaves our attention to stunning and beautiful cinematography, incredible audio and the very bright but dark vision of a big brother world.… Full Review »
  3. JayH.
    4
    Overrated, just because George Lucas had something to do with it doesn't make it good. It's cold and aloof, poor character development. I never cared what happened to any of the characters. It has some imagination, good photography but the film is lifeless.… Full Review »
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