Watch ‘The People Vs. George Lucas’ With Us Free Tonight

For those of us who are fans of both documentary and Star Wars, Alexandre O. Philippe’s The People Vs. George Lucas is an essential film. This Wednesday evening, I’m excited to be moderating an online panel and live stream of the 2010 feature, just as we’re all gearing up to see the latest installment of the Star Wars Saga.

While watching the doc this week, I couldn’t help but feel the irony of the hype lately. In the film, which focuses on how fans have turned on franchise creator George Lucas post Star Wars Special Edition and prequel trilogy, there’s a section on the build-up to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and how there’s never been anything like it. Well, the hype for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is greater and potentially more dangerous if this new sequel is also a great disappointment.

Of course, Lucas has little to nothing to do with The Force Awakens, so he will no longer be able to take the blame for any further blemishes on the legacy of the series. But I’d still love to see a sequel from Philippe, whether or not the fans embrace the new movie and the Disney era of Star Wars in general. They already have been embracing it for the most part, enough to provide another chapter or two in the story chronicled in The People Vs. George Lucas. The doc begins with the rise of the fandom before getting into the downfall.

Continue reading and watch the movie over at Nonfics

Related Topics: George Lucas, Star Wars

Christopher Campbell began writing film criticism and covering film festivals for a zine called Read, back when a zine could actually get you Sundance press credentials. He's now a Senior Editor at FSR and the founding editor of our sister site Nonfics. He also regularly contributes to Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes and is the President of the Critics Choice Association's Documentary Branch.