Entirely underrated - a very smart, well designed movie. Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasance are perfect in their roles - good to read that others agree.

This film should be much bigger than it is - iconic, inspiring, smart. This was when George Lucas was making good movies.

The sense of numbed pain is evoked with flair and effectiveness. World-building techniques are spot on and never flamboyant.

This film is entirely relevant to today's issues - it is about now - while also looking back at Fritz Lang's Metropolis without lame plagiarism.

I am glad to see others have found it a good to great film - it is. One of my top 10s.

I decided to purchase this film because I am a fan of Director George Lucas' other work, primarily the Star Wars saga.

I had little knowledge of the film itself prior to watching it, apart from the troubled 'making of' backstory that I read in a number of books about the years before Star Wars.

Unfortunately at the time of the theatrical release back in 1971 it appeared that Warner Bros just didn't know how to effectively market the film, thus leading to rather underwhelming ticket sales.

In later years the film would become somewhat of a cult classic, perhaps driven by George Lucas' later achievements.

For my part I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It is extremely well directed, the actors carry their respective roles with solid performances all round, and, perhaps most surprising of all, the special effects and locations appear to have stood the test of time rather well.

Another reviewer alluded to a re-release with added scenes and effects. I believe after the success of American Graffiti and Star Wars, Warner Bros re-released a theatrical version in the late 70's and included around 5 minutes of previously deleted scenes that George Lucas wanted in the original release. I would say this version available of iTunes is the later re-release based on the quality of visual effects.

If you are a fan of Science Fiction I would certainly recommend this film to you. The rather 'out of this world' dialogue takes some getting used to but the film as a whole will I'm sure keep you entertained throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Enjoy this piece of cinematic history.

Obi-Dan

A view of an unpleasant future with human beings effectively enslaved by in a sanitised work environment, sedated and neutered.

We get the picture after four or five minutes. Thereafter the film crawls along, burdened by all the cliches about an automated future you might expect a high school student to trot out in an average general studies essay.

Visually arresting. A simple, clean visual palette - reminiscent of minimalist furniture and design from Scandanavia in the sixties (without the Norwegian wood - all white plastic, metal and chrome in sweeping curves).

Pseudo-naturalistic acting - with sparse dialogue amongst the scientific gobbleygook.

Not a film for a Saturday night curled up before the laptop. Cold, slow, infinitely dreary, unpleasant, juvenile.

Crap

Intriguing 1984 style sci-fi from Lucas, more sci fi than Star Wars, here he really shows us his true talent as a director which he does with great subtelty. Duvall and Donald Pleasance are also both excellent together. Couldn't see a remake being made, this is untouchable.

I've rated this as a four based on the original cinema release. I'll buy it if I know it's the version with enhanced SFX and extended scenes. I'm assuming it is based on previous reviews. I won't call this original as it's very similar in so many ways to "1984" in the same way "Star Wars" is to "Hidden Fortress" but it is good and the re-release does make the film "bigger" if that is indeed what this version is!

The biggest thing going for this movie is that it inspired George Lucas to make Star Wars, some of the sound effects, the movement of the android police officers and the in-movie computer hardware all reek of Star Wars. That the film is 38 years old is another staggering fact considering just how good much of it looks, like all future dystopias it seems mankind is heading for life in a shopping mall, complete with faceless spaces, vista's of white tiled walls and concrete and marble tube stations.

The best bit of the film is the final half hour chase, with George showing us why a generation fell in love with him; with for his eye for detail creating a kind of x-wing automobile, using a couple of super-cars with egg-boxes stuck on them a la Bladerunner he dishes up a very satisfying car-chased-by-motorbikes sequence all of it is models for the longshots with real for the close ups. One engine sound as Robert Duvall accelerates down a future highway will give you goosebumps for a certain tie-fighter screech. If Lucas were to get his hands on this film now, lord only knows what a mess he'd make with his love of CGI and its debatable usage.

Other than that, the story is meandering and a little too pleased with itself. Not enough is explained of this future dystopia to make it as interesting as Logan's Run. The dialogue and many of the early scenes are quite meaningless. Only worth a rent for its place in the history of movie-making, Logan's Run, Blade Runner & Lucas's own Star Wars are all superior.

2 Things to mention.

Firstly, what on earth happened to George Lucas, he went from making a masterpiece of a movie like this, to turning out second rate hollywood trash. I'll never look at another movie he's done in the same way again.

Secondly, Apple, what are you playing at, the rental fee's are more than renting online from anywhere else I can rent from, and not only that I can only play the movie from my iPod Touch and not here in i-tunes, whats up with that, im renting it so why cant I watch it in both ?

So forward thinking and innovative. A true Sci/Fi classic!