If you’re a fan of the Star Wars films then this film will crack you up as watching The People Vs. George Lucas is just like having a good heartfelt bitch session about what George Lucas has done with his franchise.
The documentary also play out like the emotional rollercoaster that a Star Wars fan goes through. It starts out talking about the release of the first film and the original trilogy and oh how the praise flows like wine. The fans, and these are all fans being interviewed, have nothing bad to say about the original films.
Then they get to the re-releases from ’97 and the praise begins to slow and the critics and complaints begin. Han shooting first and stepping on Jabba’s tail being two of the major points of contention. Then comes the prequels and this is where the claws really come out! Everything from Jar Jar Binks to midi-chlorians face the wrathful firing squad of the fans.
The documentary does a pretty good job of leveling the rants of the fanboys with more articulate and throughout out complaints of other fans. And it’s not all hateful; there those that come to George’s rescue and point out that the films are made for children and it shows how much the kids love Jar Jar. But for some fans, that’s just not enough.
Intermixed with all the interviews are tons of clips from various fan films which are pretty cool to see. All-in-All this documentary isn’t going to provide much new insight into the subject, but it is entertaining and worth sitting down and watching.
The film is presented in 1.78:1widescreen and 5.1 Dolby Digital surround. It’s a documentary so the quality varies from scene to scene as is to be expected, but for the most part it all looks and sounds fine. It’s not going to blow your mind our anything, but then it was never meant to.
Commentary: This is an okay commentary. Mostly it’s just a continuation of the bitching about George Lucas, however it’s still pretty entertaining. The People vs Star Wars 3D: (13 min.) Fans at ComicCon 2011 are given the chance to voice their thoughts and opinions about the Star Wars franchise coming out in 3D starting next year. Music Video (3 min.) A couple street performers play a song that seems to be called “George Lucas Raped Our Childhood.” Not as funny as it should have been. Poetry Slam Selects (13 min.) Three people get their complete poetry slams on the DVD. These are okay. And last up is An interview with Gary Kurtz (21 min.) This is an interesting interview with some great personal insight from Kurtz. It feels out of place on this disc, but whatever.
The People vs George Lucas is fun in the way it’s fun to sit down with your friends and bitch about George Lucas and the changes he’s made to the Star Wars films. You’re not going to get much new insight into the subject, but you will get to hear a snippet of Wesley Willis performing “Jar Jar Binks,” which is pretty damn hilarious.
Lionsgate presents The People vs George Lucas. Written and Directed by: Alexandre O. Philippe. Running time: 93 min. Rating: Not Rated. Released on DVD: October 25, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
