As the title of the documentary goes, The
People vs George Lucas, it takes a pretty die hard fan base to
turn on the creator of their idolatry. You don't see
Trekkies questioning Roddenberry, LOTR fans singing about how
Tolkien ruined their childhood, or Potterheads debating
whether it is Rowling or us the fans that own the story. It is
unique to Star Wars to have that kind of conflicted fan base.
When the 20th century fox music plays, and then the
brilliantly penned Star Wars theme plays, as the opening
scroll comes, my heart grows 3 sizes like the Grinch. A
joy sweeps over me like no Potter or LOTR movie has.
Combine this joy with my implicit belief that episodes 1-3
don't exist, and you basically have the gist of the conflict.
How could George have let us down? And more importantly, when
did we give so much power to George?
It is easy to say Chris just doesn't get it, he doesn't get
that Ewoks are our friends (Chris hates
Ewoks). But a reality check is that Chris is probably
speaking for the rest of society, those not bitten by the
Lucas curse. As the documentary shows, those of us
afflicted have it bad. I ate at Taco Bell to collect the
Star Wars figurines (last time I ate at taco bell I might
add), I own the 1995 VHS THX Edition boxed set. I saw
Phantom Menace, in the theatre, twice. Even though I think it
is a terrible movie. But it is because of this dichotomy
that 'The People v George Lucas' exists. We the fans want to
know, 'what happened George?' How can you take us from
such brilliant heights to such tragic depths? Was it us?
Did we outgrow the Star Wars Universe? I don't think so,
nor do the people in the documentary. It made me feel
good knowing that I'm not alone in my beef with George.
We want to still believe in George, but 'The Phantom Menace'
really tested the faith.
Jar Jar has been the poster child of all that
is wrong with the Star Wars universe, but as the documentary
points out, there were cracks starting to show
beforehand. The constant editing, and re-rereleasing
with additional footage is like having hundreds of paper
cuts. Alone, one of the edits wouldn't hurt. But
combined? They're weakening the soul of what we came to
love. I can't say I noticed the change of the theme
music, and I wouldn't begrudge George for moving that.
Adding in Jabba the Hut into 'A New Hope'? I'm not a fan, that
was unnecessary and didn't add to the story and makes Jabba's
entrance in Jedi less dramatic. The ultimate in bad
editing is having Han NOT shoot first. George argues
that ultimately, Star Wars is his property. That like his
house, if he wants to paint it green and everyone else wants
him to paint it red, he can paint it green. It is after all
his house. Sadly though, once 'A New Hope' was given to
the masses on May 25 1977, it ceased to be the sole property
of George. We, The People and George and co. own
this property, all the more so since the franchise has grossed
$431 million. It is George's vision, but it is our fascination
with that galaxy far far away that keeps it going. Movies are
consumable art, and Star Wars isn't some indie new wave French
movie. It is the definition of a blockbuster- it's got
the action figures, Legos toys, and Halloween costumes to
prove it. George can paint his house green, but may want
to consider the red, understanding his goal is to have people
watch and enjoy his movies. George also argues that due
to budget and time constraints, 'A New Hope' wasn't the movie
he wanted to release. Well, too late George. That shipped has
sailed, and you know what? We the fans, we liked 'A New Hope'
the way it was- no Jabba the Hutt. Han shooting
first. We actually liked it a lot. Why couldn't George
leave well enough alone?
Is it the money George? Is that what is driving this?
You didn't get enough from the merchandising? Help me to
understand why this need to tweak that which many of us
thought was pretty great already. Not perfection, but
pretty awesome. I liked seeing trash can robots,
that was part of the appeal of 'A New Hope'. The new
movies focused too much on CGI. As Jurassic Park taught us,
just because you can, doesn't mean you should. There
were so many cool new gadgets to play with in 1997 that didn't
exist twenty years before, but don't let that be the guiding
Force (pun intended). Where did the campy western soap opera
go? It was nonexistent in the trade war non sense of
'The Phantom Menace' and the Clone Wars of Ep 2. Those not
afflicted by the curse will ask us, 'why can't you just let it
go'?
To them I say, 'no I can't let it go'. Despite how
horrible Phantom Menace was, it is the 5th highest grossing
film (in contrast Dark Knight is 29th) when adjusted for
inflation. And that is the rub, we the Star Wars fan
went in droves to see that movie. People camped out for
weeks (months even) to fill that void that had been growing
for over 15 years. People skipped worked. I was in
college at the time, and classes were surprisingly empty that
day. The expectations for that movie were off the
charts, and we were rewarded with…Jar Jar. For that,
George is guilty and is solely responsible for the
terribleness of that movie. We the people are guilty for
having put George up on a pedestal, one so high in the clouds
that he no longer is a mere mortal. He is Lucas, hear
him roar. It didn't dawn on those afflicted with the
curse that Phantom could be a bad movie. George is guilty of
providing us with 3 of the most amazing movies EVER (Chris and
I differ on Jedi) then destroying the legacy with Eps. 1-3. We
agree that his genius in creating this whole universe in his
head should be revered. To have watched Eps 4-6 is to
have been in the presence of cinematic genius. We the
fans, having been so inspired, clamored for more. George
set us up for that, numbering the movies 4-6. So George gave
the masses what they wanted - episodes 1-3. But in so doing,
he incurred the wrath of his fans, and thus we continue in
this twisted relationship. When word from the evil
Disney Empire came that a Star Wars movie will come out every
summer starting in 2015 - well, there was joy mixed with
concern. Not using the Timothy Zahn novels? Questionable
choice, but despite all this the movies will earn millions.
You know who will be there for each and every terrible movie
(can't wait to have a whole wookie movie - perhaps George has
learned and will have subtitles), two thumbs pointed at this
Star Wars fan. Why? Because I'm afflicted by the curse,
but am cognizant to realize that we all are guilty. We
the fans, as well as George. Stay strong my fellow Star
Wars fans, there may be more evidence in future movies that
could overturn this guilty verdict.
