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Film Junk Podcast

THX 1138 (1971)

Film Junk Podcast

FilmJunk.com

Comedy, Film Reviews, Tv & Film, Entertainment

4.5731 Ratings

🗓️ 18 May 2026

⏱️ 73 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It's a strange life. Cybernetics, genetics, lasers and all those things... I guess I'll never understand any of that stuff. This week on Film Junk we're looking back at the directorial debut of one Mr. George Lucas, a dystopian sci-fi thriller that feels like it should have a much bigger cult following than it does. THX 1138 was ahead of its time in many ways and still looks visually stunning today. Was this movie simply too bleak for the masses? Does it feel like it was directed by the same guy who made Star Wars? Are the Special Edition changes a problem? Do we all want to live in a future with personal masturbation machines? Take your sedation, buy and be happy with this week's Film Junk Podcast.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Well, everyone, welcome to film junk.

0:09.9

My name is Sean.

0:11.2

My name is Jay.

0:12.5

And my name is Frank.

0:14.4

And on this week's episode, Star Wars Month continues.

0:19.7

This time around, we're talking about George Lucas' first feature film,

0:24.7

THX 1138, released in 1971, starring Robert Duval, Donald Pleasance, and Maggie Macombie.

0:35.1

And I'll give you a plot synopsis in the 25th century, a time when people have

0:40.4

designations instead of names, a man, THX 1138, and a woman, Le 3417, rebel against their

0:49.0

rigidly controlled society. So this movie was re-released in, what was it, 2004, I think, somewhere around there.

1:01.2

And, but, you know, and Frank, you were, you were trying to find the original version in the movie,

1:06.0

because there, you know, there was some tinkering. There's a director's cut or special edition, whatever,

1:12.2

whatever you want to call it. As far as I know, that's really the only one that's out there.

1:16.9

Did you have any success finding the original? No, I did a quick library search. To be honest,

1:23.6

I didn't know that he, I had forgotten about the director's cut and special effects changes

1:28.8

or shots that were added or altered. So I was watching it. And then a couple of shots early on,

1:34.1

I'm like, I think that looks like modern. Like that can't be from the 70s. And then I finally

1:40.5

discovered that there was a director's cut with enhanced special effects, which I think

1:46.7

I bought the DVD of in 2007 and never watched. I did not watch that for this. I got a digital

1:53.2

version. But that, I was kind of shocked, but I was like, I was going to watch both. I was, I actually didn't mind the special

2:02.9

effects editions. I don't think they're great, but I don't think they're horrendous either.

2:08.0

But, yeah, I could not find it anywhere on a library search. Yeah, I mean, it's like kind of a,

...

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