What reviews, where? Anybody and their aunt can write a "review" on the net these days. ;)
Show me something that saw print in 1977.
I personally don't think Lucas was a poor director in the 70's. (And if he was, he had an army of seasoned pros helping him.) THX-1138 is a dystopian masterpiece, and American Graffitti was a huge hit that has influenced Hollywood almost as much as Star Wars has.