For all its influence, Alphaville still looks and feels like no other movie. More than a prophecy, it is poetry.

It's so archly intellectual that you fear it might splinter if you poke it in the ribs. It's also endlessly playful in its worship of American movie tropes, and deeply resourceful.

Nothing about this strange, moving work of agit-pop has ever seemed out of date. If anything, "Alphaville" moves closer to relevance with every passing year.

It has its spot in history, and if you let yourself relax into what it’s doing — and respond to what it does instead of expecting it to do what you want — you’ll probably have a better time with it.