SXSW Review The People vs. George Lucas
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe World Premiere Spotlight Premieres 96 minutes
Synopsis THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS is a no-holds-barred, completely uncensored, yet balanced cultural examination of the conflicted dynamic between the great George Lucas and his fans over the past three decades. Chock-full of impassioned interviews, stop-motion and 3D animation, Super 8 action figure films, puppet rants and many other surprises, this unique participatory doc is the ultimate expression of the fans' obsession for a man and a universe that defined an entire generation.
Director Bio Born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, Alexandre holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYUs Tisch School of the Arts. He has directed several narrative and documentary shorts, including LEFT, THE SPOT and INSIDE, which screened at a combined 73 international film festivals, and won a slew of awards. THE PEOPLE vs. GEORGE LUCAS is his third feature-length documentary.
WHO'S IT FOR? Star Wars geeks and those who want to observe these animals.
OVERALL
Here's the thing ... I really like Star Wars and I even saw The Phantom Menace twice on opening day. I've even said, "Well, at least Attack of the Clones had more lightsabers." But since that time, Star Wars has faded for me. I can even make the case that the pacing of A New Hope really doesn't make the film re-watchable at this point (especially when compared to Empire Strikes Back. Sure, most of you actually think I have proved my Star Wars nerdom, but it's nothing compared to the geeks in this film. They actually believe George Lucas is a god. They just haven't decided if he's good or evil. The only thing this documentary proves to me is that Lucas is a hypocrite. He disliked the idea of films being converted into color from black and white, yet believes his original films are his to manipulate. While I dislike the idea that I may never be allowed to buy the original version of Star Wars Episode Four A New Hope on Blu-ray. It ends there. It's a disappointment. Watching theses geeks is kind of fun, kind of sad, kind of interesting. For most of us, it's simply harmless, even for me ... a guy who doesn't think I am a die hard fan even though I have watching more than 15 episodes of "Clone Wars" on Cartoon Network, and playing "Star Wars" on Super Nintendo was one of my childhood dreams.
FINAL SCORE: 6/10