Stan Lee review: You cannot help but ‘marvel’ at this icon

3.5/5

Story:

From a comic book writer to appearing in Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stan Lee has been one of the most loved figures in the industry. Get to know his real journey, in and beyond comic books and films.

Review:

"I had been freed," Stanley Martin Lieber aka Stan Lee popularly says in his documentary, Stan Lee. Just like his philosophy of life and his comic books, Stan Lee’s documentary also liberates you in a sense that it gives you an insight into life in general and why it’s so worth it.

Stan Lee is currently the most loved character in Marvel films. We know him as the jolly, old man. However, the documentary on him dates back to his days when he was the editor of the Marvel comics.

Newspaper articles and monogram photos of Stan Lee, paired with cartoon music, makes this one a great start. From our beloved Stan Lee, the focus shifts to his animated avatar. There’s a constant switch between them since Lee parted ways from this world in 2018, at the age of 95.

Stan Lee’s avatar talks about the humble beginnings of Spider-Man. The way that scene progresses appears bizarre at first but soon, you vibe to it.

Life in 1939, obviously, was drastically different. This documentary touches upon that. Life changed for Lee from that era. He became an editor at 17 and even took part in the US-Japan war of 1941.

The documentary takes you into the world or war and comic books at once and makes you fall in love with the latter, all over again.

Stan's love story with Joan is explored too. It is cliched but cute and ends up in helping you understand why they were inseparable since the two met.

The Fantastic Four's beginnings are explored too. It comes at an interesting time, when you tend to lose your interest in the show.

Stan elaborately explains the success of Spider-Man comics and how it almost never made it to the shelves. The end to this story almost gives you as much a high as a movie scene right before the interval.

After Hulk, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man, Stan gives you a brief about how Thor came into being. The music definitely adds to the charisma around the character and Lee's work.

The 1963 war between US and Vietnam comes to picture. This helps build one of the most powerful and loved Marvel character.

How X-Men and Black Panther were introduced within one another, is explored. Of course, Black Panther has now become iconic and separate from the world of X-Men.

Despite it being Stan Lee's documentary, Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man is introduced. You get to learn his side of the story and know that not everything was happy-go-merry inside the office which produced comic books. This is not only unusual but also important to the story.

From the world of comic books to being a part of Marvel movies, Stan Lee's journey will stir emotions inside of you. He credits a few people for his achievements and that makes for a good scene too.

Stan's last public appearance and speech is the perfect tribute to him. And now, the legend lives on through the Marvel Universe.

Verdict:

Stan Lee is not just another documentary. It is a world that will make you ‘marvel.’ This one takes you into the creation of every character, how Lee was associated with it and the kind of impact he has left from the age of 16 to 95.