Although very little happens in terms of action in George Lucas's best-remembered student film "Electronic Labyringth THX 1138 4EB", there is already plenty to be admired in the visual look alone, considering the assumed small budget they had to work with at the USC. As in all of Lucas's early shorts, the film is very well-made with lots of good craft on display: the locations and costumes, while not overly elaborate, give enough of an atmosphere to suggest an otherworldly environment. The editing is skillful as well, being an almost abstract mishmash of shots and snippets of audio which add to the intensity of the action a little, although it certainly doesn't possess the type of intensity Hollywood would make use of. That aside, the plot itself is rather skimpy and carries plenty of repetition in the images and soundtrack; to expect a greater narrative would be admittedly absurd for fifteen minutes, yet the fact that Lucas took even that long to convey what plot he had shifts the focus to the atmosphere and setting built into it, rather than specifically the plot.
The context of the story is rather unclear, although it is made more interesting simply because we are left to decipher what is happening. The film seems to be occurring in a Dystopian setting as the likes of George Orwell would come up with - a time when the higher powers have taken over, enslaving and ruling over those below them with an iron fist. In this version, the setting is an Electronic Labyrinth in a presumed future when technology has taken over to control the lives of others. The film follows a man, given the designated number 1138, as he attempts to do the unspeakable - escape the slavery of technology, running through shiny white hallways to make it out before he is destroyed by his oppressors. With consistent intercoms blaring instructions on how to stop him mixed with security cam footage and scenes of men in headsets pulling switches, the film's atmosphere is a unique one, repetitive yet oddly surreal, with enough creativity to the settings and costumes to make give it a futuristic feel. The unanswered questions are many, yet they add to the experience - so much so that I doubt I would benefit much if at all from seeing Lucas's 1971 feature film "THX 1138" which elaborates on things. Little plot definitely, yet enough to play with the viewer's mind while simultaneously giving clues through a well-built environment. Certainly remarkable for a student's work, technically and analytically speaking.
The context of the story is rather unclear, although it is made more interesting simply because we are left to decipher what is happening. The film seems to be occurring in a Dystopian setting as the likes of George Orwell would come up with - a time when the higher powers have taken over, enslaving and ruling over those below them with an iron fist. In this version, the setting is an Electronic Labyrinth in a presumed future when technology has taken over to control the lives of others. The film follows a man, given the designated number 1138, as he attempts to do the unspeakable - escape the slavery of technology, running through shiny white hallways to make it out before he is destroyed by his oppressors. With consistent intercoms blaring instructions on how to stop him mixed with security cam footage and scenes of men in headsets pulling switches, the film's atmosphere is a unique one, repetitive yet oddly surreal, with enough creativity to the settings and costumes to make give it a futuristic feel. The unanswered questions are many, yet they add to the experience - so much so that I doubt I would benefit much if at all from seeing Lucas's 1971 feature film "THX 1138" which elaborates on things. Little plot definitely, yet enough to play with the viewer's mind while simultaneously giving clues through a well-built environment. Certainly remarkable for a student's work, technically and analytically speaking.