With Episode VII now on the horizon, excitement has reached a new level

 
  "With Episode VII now on the horizon, excitement has reached a new level. Director George Lucas  and many others did not feel the same kind of energy leading up to the first film's opening, however. As a matter of fact, Lucas felt so certain of failure that he went to Hawaii to avoid the first screening. He had no idea that his movie would be the second biggest moneymaker of all time, inflation considered. "

"Director George Lucas  and many others did not feel the same kind of energy leading up to the first film's opening, however"

雖然猜得出來意思是
"當第一集上映前,當時Lucas和其他人都無法感受到如此的活力(如VII上映前的活力)"

但我又一直覺得這句話似乎也可以翻成

"Lucas和其他人都無法感受到和第一集上映前一樣的活力" (意思是第一集上映前也許就受人矚目,但第7集反而不是這麼一回事)

也就是說,其實我是已經知道答案了,才猜出意思,我不確定純粹是前後文的關係,或是文法或字的用法上有什麼地方沒掌握到