The People vs. George Lucas

In this day of mass-participatory media it is in some ways inevitable that a film potentially destined for general release would be made incorporating a significant chunk of such material.

You may ask why has George Lucas been singled out for this film's subject? As the film explains, the number of homages, remixes and re-workings by the public of Star Wars is far greater for this work than any other film ever made. Furthermore Lucas has courted controversy through the mass marketing of his product and the slightly dictatorial way older versions of the film have been more or less obliterated. So any analysis of the subject of the art and business of film, rights ownership and its effects on its fans cannot pick a better subject.

In terms of the normal movie goer Alexandre O. Philppe's film provides plenty of laughs and is fascinating to watch. Barely pausing for breath, the film is a visual and auditory onslaught, with a barrage of sound bites and clips from the original material and its many derived manifestations. Producer Anna Higgs - interviewed after the showing - explained that contributions were invited on one of the many Star Wars forums on the Internet. Sifting through the mountain of material that arrived in response was a huge undertaking, and in showing the pick of the crop we the viewer are given an insight into the massive fandom that surrounds these films.

While for most people just watching a movie is enough, serious fans will purchase (sometimes compulsively) associated movie merchandise and involve themselves to varying degrees in paying tribute to the film and its mythos. If you have ever wondered what kind of person will spend three days walking around in a sweaty storm-trooper outfit at Dragon*Con in Atlanta. Or set themselves on fire in order to recreate a scene from a film then this film offers an insight into that world.

A large amount of the discussion in the film is about the differences between the original theatrical release of Star Wars and its subsequent remastering and updating which angered many fans not least as the original film was essentially removed from circulation at the same time. As digital technology empowers audience creativity, the democratisation of media seems to be at odds with filmmakers who want to retain absolute control and ownership of their work. However, despite its title this film is not about simply Lucas bashing. It is pointed out that Lucas has made footage and sound freely available to people who want to play with it.

It is possible to see a similar issue between the behaviour of obsessed film fans and people with strong religious beliefs. While religious texts have been used as an excuse for inhumanity and war. One wonders whether George himself lies awake at night puzzling at how his simple sci-fi story has led to such an amazing cultural legacy even if that legacy includes such things as Ewok yiff. 4 out of 5

Cambridge Film Festival Daily

When it comes to George Lucas, there is a love/hate relationship between him and his fans. This documentary explores that relationship from a number of different angles, including Lucas's constant tinkering with the original films & the prequels that (to many fans) just didn't quite seem right.

The strength of this documentary is that the fans "against" Mr. Lucas make some compelling cases as to why the Star Wars creator has come under such scrutiny as of late. For example, they bring up the point that Lucas vehemently opposed the Ted Turner notion of colorizing old black-and-white films, yet then himself will NOT release his original Star Wars movies (IV-VI) in their original theatrical versions on DVD. The fans here bring up some good points that paint Lucas as a sort of "creative obsessive", bent on changing little facets of each of his Star Wars films each time they are re-released (whether for profit or for creative reasons is also a large part of the debate.

The only problem with this doc? There is practically no perspective given to the "other side" of the issue, or those who actually enjoyed the prequels and don't mind a bit of tinkering. By viewing this documentary, one would think that there is no "other side" to the issue whatsoever, because the fans doing 99% of the talking are those who viewed the original Star Wars in 1977. Those who took the opposite approach-growing up with the prequels & discovering the older films later--are given no shrift whatsoever in this discussion, a forum in which I believe they should firmly have a place.

Either way, "The People vs. George Lucas" is an interesting documentary that will make you think a little bit about Lucas's antics regarding certain aspects of the Star Wars saga both on and off the screen. As long as you can recognize the group of fans for what they are (essentially die- hard "New Hope" loyalists whose seminal moment in life was at the theater in 1977), there is no harm in this fun little romp.

As a big Star Wars fan I had heard only a brief mention of this movie some months ago, so I was happy to stumble upon it in Netflix's instant library.

What I liked about the film was that they got some hardcore (sometimes scary) fanboys but also some really reputable creative people to discuss the films. Mostly Star Wars fans but also some film industry types. I also enjoyed how they wove so many fan films into it. It will never cease to amaze me how much Star Wars content is out there, and as big a fan as I am I never knew so many people had taken time out to create such things. It's astounding, and again sometimes a little scary haha.

I also enjoyed the opinions that were given. Mind you I am one of those people that has been very frustrated by Lucas in the last 15 years so take it for what it's worth, but I thought they were fair and that the filmmakers made sure to give some grounded perspective on the issues people take with the new films and the re-imagining of the old ones. Questions like "Can a film be altered years after it's been established?" and "Does a creator have the right to change his work after it's been installed as a cornerstone of so many people's lives?" are addressed as I was hoping they would be.

A couple of complaints would be that though they did offer some counter-arguments to us whining fanboys, there could've been more or at least an expansion of those that were there. Also, I really go into it when they broke down the re-creation of the Jabba scene from A New Hope and was hoping they would break down each subsequent change from the original trilogy, however they did not. I suppose that would've been a bit too uniform an approach but I would've liked it and I still think there would've been time to work in all the rest that was presented. I also think that they could've gotten one or two more big names to contribute their opinions. Neil Gaiman and David Brin were by far the biggest but they are not shown often and only in short spurts. Either one alone could've pretty much anchored this entire documentary, so I would've liked to see more of them or one or two more personalities like them.

As far as the ending, at the risk of sounding holier than thou, I think non-Star Wars fans just don't really understand what they were trying to get across. The fact is that though so many of us love/hate Lucas, half of that is still love. No matter what he's done and will do since Return of the Jedi was finalized he has still given us something that has greatly impacted our lives and has brought us countless hours of enjoyment. The bottom line is that we complain because we care, and Lucas is the one who made us care so much. That's what the end of the film was saying.

I used to be one of those people that complained about the Special Editions and the Prequels, and how much I hated midichlorians.

But after I saw this about a decade ago, and it had a strange effect on me. It took a few months and a few rewatches for it to sink in, but ironically, it made me realize how completely insane I sounded. I say "ironically" because if you followed the production and creators of this documentary, it was definitely done for "fans" as a sort of plea for Lucas to release the unaltered trilogy and make more Star Wars. I don't know if Lucas ever bothered to watch this particular documentary, but I wouldn't be surprised if his decision to sell the rights to Disney was due to the excessive hatred he received.

Anyways, watching this 12 years since it was released, with all that has happened is really eye-opening. At the time, you could see how crazy these people were, but you could also laugh at them as just being a small collection of nerds. If only we knew what was to come with gamergate, and how these toxic fandoms have been weaponized as political movements in a never-ending culture war. Review bombing, constant trolling, and especially harassment of non-white actors, are tactics now used by "hate fandoms", as training grounds and vehicles for recruitment into fascist movements. It's long past due for us a society to take this problem seriously. This documentary gives real insight into the origins of how toxic pop-culture fandoms develop.

What this documentary inadvertently exposes is that these "fans" have became incredibly attached to Star Wars as children, yet never grew up and put their toys away. What we are first shown to be a source of inspiration and creativity for these fan creators, becomes a lifelong and unhealthy obsessesion. Their escapist fantasy became an addiction to a delusion, and these people end up developing a warped sense of entitlement, where believe George Lucas is personally responsible for maintaing their perpetual childhood.

Among the hyperbolic things these "fans" say: calling the special edition changes a "betrayal", saying he showed "utter disdain" for the fans, saying it was "heinous" they couldn't see the original-unaltered edition, and most insane of all: comparing Lucas to a Holocaust Denier and calling him "Star Wars Denier".

When they talk about the prequels, they talk about the massive expectations they had as fans prior to the release, and then being let down and "feeling like being slapped in the face with a wet fish." Their reaction to midichlorians was really critical to watch. It wasn't just opposition from a writing standpoint. You could see these people had serious delusions that the Force could be real. As kids, they imagined themselves having telekinetic powers, and they never really gave up that fantasy. It was as if someone had just told them Santa Claus wasn't real, and they were going through psychological trauma, unable to accept it. Except, they were all in their late 30's and 40's. Grown-ass adults, still clinging to absurd childish fantasies.

This "trauma" was a major turning point for them. Some just separated themselves from the fandom and stopped caring about Star Wars. But most of those interviewed here have taken it personally and have turned their love of star wars into a campaign of hate.

Then you see people comparing the SW Christmas Special to a "war crime", one guy practically calls for Lucas to kill himself. They say Lucas has become Vader, one guy wonders if Lucas' son will grow up to kill him. They delight in a terrible South Park episode where they portrayed Lucas and Steven Spielberg raping Han Solo. This led to many people talking about George Lucas "raping their childhood" and one group even recorded a song "George Lucas raped our childhood."

What's really messed up is seeing these fans talk about Lucas as if *he's* abusing them by not caving to their little temper-tantrums. These spoiled children think their "Daddy" is abusing them by not buying them the toys they want for Christmas. They are completely oblivous to how they themselves are acting abusive and psychotic.

I wonder how many people who participated in this documentary have looked back and realized how insanely selfish, entitled and childish they look. I wonder if any of them grew up, OR are they still part of the toxic fandom that sends death threats to John Boyega and calls Kathleen Kennedy "Darth Kennedy".

The documentary isn't very well done, it has poor production quality, and spends way too much time showcasing the amateur fan-made movies. It at least has a few contributors who pushed back on the entitled nature of these fans and were willing to point out how absurd they were. However, it didn't talk to anyone who actually liked the prequels, except a handful of young kids who liked Jar Jar Binks. It's sad that an entire generation that grew up with the prequels and The Clone Wars still loves Star Wars, but they weren't ackonwledged in this film.

This isn't a good documentary, but it is worth watching, to understand the mass psychosis of toxic pop culture fans, and how they can go from merely annoying to becoming dangerous, corrosive to creative culture, and potentially dangerous to society.

I had put off watching this movie for a while. I assumed it was going to be an hour and a half of George Lucas bashing. Was I wrong? Not entirely... but I wasn't right either.

I will never deny that I am a fan of all 6 of the Star Wars movies. I never understood the hatred towards the prequels. In fact, people who had turned on Lucas and his recent work, REALLY bothered me. I was tired of fans flipping Lucas the bird and all that he created.

In "The People vs. George Lucas" you certainly hear from many disgruntled fans, but at the same time you feel their love for Star Wars. You can see how they are frustrated, but at the same time respect the man who shaped their childhoods. It is an entertaining and well put together film featuring hilarious Star Wars fan film clips and energy-charged interview clips. It is a ball of hatred and sweet at the same time. By the end you remember why you love Star Wars, even if there are things that bother you about them... you still love them and you have to give Mr. Lucas respect for creating it all.