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THX 1138 was written and directed by George Lucas and produced by Francis Ford Coppola. This movie, which marked Lucas's directorial debut, is in my opinion an excellent film that has been overlooked by many science fiction fans.

Plot Summary

The film stars Robert Duvall as THX 1138 a worker in an a bleak futuristic society where life is highly regulated, sex is illegal, and daily ingestion of sedatives is required by law. For entertainment people watch holograms engage in activities that range from sadism to meaningless verbal discourse, such as the Theater of Noise.

Maggie McOmie portrays LUH 3417, THX's roommate. As the movie begins, we see LUH replacing THX's sedatives. with stimulants. THX begins to feel ill and he suspects that LUH is poisoning him, so he goes to a unichapel to speak with Ohm. While Ohm is able to offer comforting words, THX continues to suffer from withdrawal.

Eventually, the sedatives wear off and THX begins to experience emotions for the first time. He and LUH engage in the forbidden act of sex and begin to fall in love. Their activities come to the notice of SEN 5241, Donald Pleasence. SEN, another deviant, plots to get rid of LUH so that he may have THX for his own roommate.

LUH, THX, and SEN are arrested, tried, and convicted. THX is sentenced to be mentally and physically conditioned and then placed in a holding area until his body parts are needed for transplantation. During mental conditioning THX is tortured by the robotic policemen it was his job to help construct. It is interesting to note that the electronic batons used by the policemen during conditioning sound suspiciously like light sabers. Eventually, THX and SEN escape from the holding area (nothing was holding them there except their conditioning and a fear of the unknown).

SEN is able to reach the outer shell of the city simply by taking a tram but when actually faced with the prospect of trying to survive on his own, decides to return to the 'safety' of the city, even though this means certain capture.

THX's plight takes a completely different turn. To find out what happened to LUH and whether THX escaped, go rent the movie. Or, you can risk spoiling the ending by playing this final sound bite. :-)

Discussion

The film works on many levels. One may view it as a straight forward action adventure film -- complete with a hero fighting to escape from an intolerable society, an excellent high speed car chase, and even a sex scene or two.

It can also be viewed as a cautionary tale of what can happen if humans surrender their individuality to the group. An underlying theme is that evil comes in many forms and sometimes springs from the best of intentions. The movie also explores the notion that while people rebel against their society, they are also products of that society and highly dependent on it. SEN wants to escape, but realizes he has no where to go.

Their society, like our own, is filled with fascinating contradictions. While Ohm extolls the virtue of commerce, the society appears to be completely uniform and classless. Everyone lives in clean, comfortable (albeit somewhat Spartan) surroundings, but they tolerate extremely dangerous occupations. Hundreds of people die in an accident in a robot assembly factory and no one is concerned. It is accepted as normal. Another interesting observation is that while most activities are monitored, no one appears to be in charge. Law enforcement is left to robots and most decisions (e.g., job assignment and roommate selection) are computed. They have created an entire society of followers with no one capable of independent action.

In addition to the story, the film itself is ground breaking in a number of ways. For example, it highlights the underlying racism in many (science fiction) films by making it blatant in a unique way. All 'people' in THX's society are white. Blacks exist only as 'holograms' on TV. Only holograms appear on TV, never people. Of course, one suspects that the holograms are just as human as the 'people' — they've only been told they are holograms. As with many aspects of the film, these issues are never discussed by the characters. They are too much a part of the society — too common — to deserve discussion.

Another, less profound but nevertheless interesting feature of the movie, is its portrayal of channel surfing, the first I am aware of.

I hope you enjoyed this summary and discussion of THX 1138. I encourage you to check it out at the local video store. You won't be disappointed.