Does Star Wars belong more to George Lucas or his fans? This is, at its heart, the question which plagues Alexandre Philippe's documentary The People vs. George Lucas. Does the question get answered? Well, yes and no, but it creates a fun, blissfully engaging viewing along the way.
The film attempts to distinguish the point when the sci-fi fantasy transcended traditional filmmaking into a full-out cultural phenomenon, one which will only balloon bigger when J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Force Awakens flies into theaters this December. In doing so, it creates a well-paced, if surface-level, look at fandom at its most pure and belligerent is created, but one thing that's never made clear is what exactly makes The People vs. George Lucas needed?
All this information, including fan films used liberally throughout the running time, are found online, and fans have broken down the problems and joys of the Star Wars saga already in ways both brilliant, like Red Letter Media's hour-and-a-half long reviews of the prequels, or disappointing, as Fanboys comes to mind. In turn, it's never clear whose Philippe's intended audience. It seems too nerdy for those who aren't as familiar with the decades-long sci-fi fantasy series, yet all this seems to be common knowledge to the hardcore fans the filmmaker attempts to appease.
The People vs. George Lucas clearly comes from a place of love, and it tries its darnedest to be objective. But there's nothing particularly original about what's being said. Its cinematic goals are clear, and lots of care when into making sure this is agreeably paced and cheekily constructed. And, to be fair, this isn't all trivial nonsense either.
While all the expected culture beats are here, from the touched-up re-releases to the Hans shot first debacle to the endless marketing expansion and then the crushing disappointing of both the prequels and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, there's enough insight into the time periods of these moments to either resonate nostalgia or insight into a culture mindset. While each fan is different, Philippe does a solid job showcasing the solidarity these fans feel together, knowingly or not, and how their forces grows strong from each others similar-minded love and affections.
This is what incites the watcher and keeps them enticed in earnest. It would be unfair to label this pure fluff, but there is a laid-back, carefree charm to seeing these fans talk so passionately about something from their childhoods they love so dearly. Touching not the right word, but genuine seems right. It's more a pulpy crowdpleasure than anything else, but the ride is still enjoyable to fly upon.
That said, distributed and released back in 2010, The People vs. George Lucas does unintentionally feel dated due to the eventual acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney. In some respects, the Mouse House's desire to expand on the worldwide fandom also makes this movie more timely. But because the complaints are so often dead-centered on Lucas himself, Philippe's film likely becomes something of a time capsule, to be appreciated for what this time in Star Wars' history meant to so many fans across the globe.
On the whole, however, the documentary is summed up almost entirely by its first interviewer's quote: "I love/hate George Lucas. I love/hate him hard." There seems to be a stronger short film in here than a fleshed-out documentary, but Philippe nevertheless creates a worthwhile piece of entertainment, if not too much beyond that. Star Wars is not nearly as dour as it looked back then, but it is interesting to see how such a franchise can take the steps to go beyond one's original intentions. Are we better for it because of this, and more importantly is the original creation better because of these affections? This answer lives some far, far away, but the will of the force is strong in this one.
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