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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Film / Nerd Did George Lucas Betray His Responsibility to the Fans?

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Oct 27, 2011 at 4:15 PM

Originally intended for release last year, The People Vs. George Lucas was finally released on DVD on Tuesday. It's a documentary about George Lucas's relationship with his films, his relationship with his fans, and his fans' relationship with him. If you've spent any time reading about Star Wars on the internet, you have at least a passing familiarity with the cases presented against Lucas—the prequels, the special editions, the shameless merchandising—but the documentary is structured in a clean, concise way.

This is a movie with a lot of talking heads. Star Wars fans, Neil Gaiman, fan filmmakers, haters—there must be dozens of interviews stringing this film together. Luckily, we don't have to look at a bunch of people talking, as the movie is interspersed with clips from probably over a hundred different Star Wars fan films, ranging from the goofy (people wearing pie plates as armor in their back yard) to the fascinating (someone who painted over consecutive frames from the movie, illustrating Darth Vader's thoughts as colorful sprays exploding around his head). It's a visually intriguing movie that avoids a lot of the pitfalls of novice documentarians.

I had a hard time with the conclusion of the film, which feels too pat and then concludes with a painful song about loving George Lucas that goes on far too long. (One of the benefits of a DVD release is that I can tell you to just stop watching as soon as the nasal voice kicks in at the end of the movie; you won't miss anything after that.) But on the whole, this is a worthwhile cinematic addition to the Star Wars phenomenon, unlike, say, the atrocious Fanboys.

Comments (15) RSS

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Oh he abdicated responsibility long ago, when the Stars Wars series de-evolved exponentially after the first.

The prequels were unwatchable, if you're an adult, unless you have a tin ear.

Posted by judybrowni on October 27, 2011 at 5:04 PM

How could anyone take him seriously after making the Blue Lagoon in Outer Space (I mean SW 2).

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on October 27, 2011 at 5:13 PM

If Lucas wants to be a douchebag and ruin his own work, it's nobody's business but his own. His fans need to, I dunno, maybe get a life? Aren't you too old to be getting seriously agitated about a 35-year-old kids movie?

Posted by Fnarf

on October 27, 2011 at 5:14 PM

#3

Star Wars was never a "kids movie".

It was a high satire of 1930s serial science fiction like Buck Rodgers.

It was a colossal tongue in cheek joke!!

But the joke turned Real...and then the movies became stupider and more Muppety.

Not only that but all other movies post Star Wars were ruined by having to be a Star Wars (and the few good movies that weren't got buried...I'm only now finding them in Netflix).

Posted by Supreme Ruler Of The Universe

on October 27, 2011 at 5:23 PM

@3 Thank you!

I'm about as nerdy as they come, but this fanboy mentality of entitlement, especially with these large franchises, is moronic. If you don't like the direction of a given IP then simply stop consumming it and move on with your life.

Posted by Cephalodude on October 27, 2011 at 5:24 PM

@4 let's not blame Muppets for what happened to Star Wars.

Posted by totally.chavezed on October 27, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Anyone who watches this I have a question: Have you ever kissed anyone besides your mother?

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on October 27, 2011 at 6:33 PM

Ask your's Cato. Ask your's.

Posted by Spike1382 on October 27, 2011 at 6:40 PM

@8 she's been dead for 20 years so I hope it was good for you.

Posted by Cato the Younger Younger on October 27, 2011 at 6:44 PM

I can't believe this hasn't been posted yet. If anyone hasn't watched it, thank me later.

Posted by Xenos on October 27, 2011 at 7:56 PM

Lucas doesn't owe his fans anything - if they don't like the movies then don't watch them. I loved the original Star Wars when I was a kid, but seeing it again now can't compare to seeing it when I was 12.

Posted by Badger on October 27, 2011 at 9:36 PM

@10 That is the reason why I am thankful that Lucas made the prequels.

Posted by Spindles on October 27, 2011 at 11:45 PM

@10: Oh gods yes. I love RLM.

@3: Yeah, I don't think anyone would care if it weren't for the INTENSE bullshit hype leading up to the prequels.

Posted by undead ayn rand on October 28, 2011 at 11:25 AM

Ok, I love Star Wars. LOVE IT. I hate the prequels, love the originals, hate the blu ray releases enough to not buy them (but would accept them as a gift.... However, I keep buying products. I keep feeding the evil beast that is Lucas, and he has to keep coming up with new ideas. How many different ways can you put out DVDs? How many shirts can you really make? (Answer: Lots, thanks to places like TeeFury...)

Overall, I'm more annoyed at people who get annoyed that I'm mad at George Lucas. I'm sorry you don't have fun.

PS - I'm a lady.

Posted by jedifarfy on October 28, 2011 at 11:41 AM

@10: They now have their own website with all that stuff on there instead of YouTube. They also did an interview with the director of this documentary, though someone watching should have at least seen the SW reviews or they probably won't get what's going on.

Posted by Knat on October 28, 2011 at 12:10 PM