Slashdot Mirror
THX-1138: The (Digitally Enhanced) Director's Cut
StefanJ writes "This is either a marvelous Photoshop hoax or something really . . . cool? Sacreligious? Unnecessary? Reportedly, George Lucas has given his first commercially released movie, THX1138, a digital workover, enhancing backgrounds and altering scenes for more eye-appeal. Here are some comparisons of original and altered scenes. For those who haven't seen the film: Without giving too much away, it's about a working stiff living in a repressive underground bomb-shelter society. Emotion-suppressing drugs are mandatory; people shuffle from work to home, pausing to buy consumer goods along the way. (The goods aren't used for anything; you just feed them into a disposal unit after you get home. Making them keeps people busy . . .) If the drugs don't work, you can vent your spleen in a confession booth manned by a really bad A.I. It's really bleak, and sometimes ugly, but worth seeing. I hope the enhancements don't add too much color: The drab, sterile, white-on-white environment of the underground city is an important mood-setter. Consume more; be happy!"
Hasn't Mr. "Lets do another trivially improved release of my movie so people cough up another $20 for it" kind of lost his right to make a movie criticizing consumerism?
Or perhaps he's already taking those drugs, which explains his directing on Episode II.
Why does he waste his time doing this? Especially with movies that weren't particularly good the first time around anyway.
Lucas movies don't suffer from lack of visual appeal. They suffer from poor direction (with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions, American Graffiti is the only one that comes to mind). The best Lucas films are the ones where he doesn't direct. He should really stay out of the director's chair and stick with writing and maybe producing.
Please don't mod the parent down just because you disagree. THX 1138 is slow, deliberate, cerebral, and careful; and most movie fans (especially those who prefer the quick pace of modern cinema) will indeed find it boring. Those of us who prefer movies that stimulate the mind over those that stimulate the adrenaline glands and genitals will find THX quite enjoyable. The parent post still makes a valid point: many people (slashdot readers included) will find that THX 1138 doesn't have the kind action that they like.
From what I understand, THX is decent at best. It's only gained esteem due to his other titles out there.
I've seen it. It was one of the best movies that I hated to watch. It is depressing, but insightful. I highly recommend anyone remotely interested in scifi to watch it. This is a real scifi flick, not a fantasy story like the Star Wars saga. It may have gained esteem from Lucas' other titles, but everyone who knows the movie puts it in its own category.