If presented in the proper setting it is an unequalled movie experience. Theres no other movie I know of that tackled these subjects. Part of the magic, yes, is being obscure. Every late night undergraduate argument about the meaning of this film is completely earned. I caught this tonight on TMCs “Essentials” series, and it is well placed on that shelf. There were a few years in my life when I dismissed this movie, but Im officially reversing myself. One basic example of how it “works” is this: I saw this very young on TV, too young to “get” in any concrete the discussion about Man and Nature and Machine and Transcendence and Blah Blah Blah, and still, although this is not a “scary movie,” the imagery and aural textures had me up, oddly terrified, for nights.