Pretty much every single movie that George Lucas helmed from his Star Wars lore has been received with the utmost critical commendation from fans and critics worldwide. Needless to say, the mastermind has been bold with his works to the core, without hesitating to deliver the perfect blow to the viewers. Perhaps this was exactly why he was skeptical about one film that opted otherwise.
But what’s surprising is that this one particular film was one that actually went on to set the records for being the highest-grossing movie of all time from the film franchise: The Force Awakens from 2015. And making everything even more complex was Lucas, who initially delivered thoroughly harsh criticism of the movie before landing his final verdict claiming that fans would actually ‘love it.’
George Lucas was Initially Skeptical of The Force Awakens
Judging from Rotten Tomatoes score and Google users’ reviews, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens was nothing short of a masterpiece. Then there was its box office performance, which stood at a whopping $2.07 billion on a budget of $245 million (as per Box Office Mojo), which is, inevitably, beyond impressive.
However, if someone was brutally skeptical about it all, it was George Lucas. Not only did the genius brain, who originated the SW lore, originally express his disappointment with the 2015 masterpiece, but he also claimed that it critically lacked originality. If anything, the film sacrificing valor for a safer approach wasn’t something he had planned for his saga.
He initially expressed his disapproval along with the reasoning behind it during an interview with Charlie Rose:
“They wanted to do a retro movie,” said Lucas. “I don’t like that. Every movie, I worked very hard to make them different… I made them completely different — different planets, different spaceships to make it new.”
Yet, that wasn’t all. Even while talking to the CEO of The Walt Disney Company Bob Iger, Lucas claimed that “there weren’t enough visual or technical leaps forward” in the film after watching an early cut of the same. As Iger shared in his memoir The Ride of a Lifetime (via CBR):
“There’s nothing new,” said Lucas on Episode VII.
Despite such brutally critical reviews from the one who originally developed the entire Star Wars lore, Disney, under Bob Iger, went forward with the original plans for the movie and delivered the film in 2015 that fans have come to know and love. But, surprisingly enough, by the time the movie was about to hit the theatres, Lucas’ verdict on it had changed.
“The fans will love it”: George Lucas’ Later Verdict on the Film
Although it must seem one of the most confusing and unbelievable feats in the entire world, George Lucas actually did end up changing his verdict on The Force Awakens as it neared its release date. This started with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy reporting that the godfather of the sci-fi lore had seen the movie and “liked it.”
But that’s not all: This was soon confirmed by Lucas himself at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, where he received his Lifetime Achievements in Arts and Culture award. As reported by Vulture, the mastermind reportedly said of the film:
“I think the fans are going to love it. It’s very much the kind of movie they’ve been looking for.”
Well, as utterly confusing as this is, we may as well believe that Lucas always acknowledged the fact that the movie not being up to his standards didn’t necessarily mean fans wouldn’t like it either. Other than that, you can decide for yourself if it is good enough or not.
That being said, you can stream Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens on Disney+.
