stig_jackson Reviews

Artifact from the Future: The Making of 'THX 1138' (2004 Video)

Good stuff - until you THINK about it...

[13 November 2004]

Yes, this is a good documentary – until you think about what is said, and what is shown. The interviews are all interesting and entertaining, resulting in a very good retrospective, detailing the making of THX 1138 more than thirty years ago. However, it's all illustrated with clip after clip from the new, CGI-enhanced Director's Cut, without ever mentioning the fact that it has been updated in this way. So, hearing all the talk about shooting on location, with a limited budget, and at the same time being shown scenes that are totally reworked with the computer technology of 2004 (or maybe weren't even there before!) makes the experience rather sour after a while. Or hearing Don Pedro Colley talk about the limited amount of extras, while seeing a clip with thousands of CG-extras in a VASTLY expanded set. If all of this was acknowledged, then OK, but as it is... it's actually quite depressing.