Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

It's a couple of months before the release of Spider-Man (2002). Kevin Smith has a sit-down interview inside a comic book store with legendary creator of Spider-Man, Stan Lee. It's thread-bare. It's just two guys talking about the classic superhero. The interview is intercut with panning shots of the comic books and other visuals.This is really only for fans of Stan Lee and Spider-Man. It is mostly inside baseball although it is still a compelling story of a life in comic books. It is rather static visually other than the comic book shoots. For non-fans, this may be too minute and too long. It's not anything cinematic. It's basically a DVD commentary extra.

I do admire the man Stan Lee. Despite his so-called "humble" attitude on his "laziness" in creating some of the most iconic comic/superheroes of the past 50+ years, the man was far beyond his own time when it came to inventing characters that survived decades, re-writes and some great/some awful films. So, I had to rent "Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters & Marvels" for him as well as Kevin Smith, whom I also favor in creativity and humor. Unfortunately, Smith showed his love and nervousness throughout the entire interview to the point of utter irritation. And that began on minute one. Yes, it's human to be nervous, especially if you strongly respect/idolize the person you're interviewing. But it's unprofessional to interrupt, squirm/move consistently, finish the interviewee's lines and (for the love of Pete) continuously interject "right" and "uh-huh" practically after single sentence the subject completes. That all being said (and you finally can get used to Smith's child-like banter,) I did enjoy the interview(s) though it just seems like one long one despite being split on the DVD. The first is an obvious plug for the (then) upcoming Spider-Man $400 million dollar movie while the second is supposedly devoted to the other characters he helped create. Unfortunately, though it starts that way, basically it just turns to more Marvel topics. Overall, I learned a lot, Smith was extremely knowledgeable (and anyone who knows his background/employment, would know he should be) and Lee was a hoot. While Smith was the actual humble one, Lee was most certainly not. But, that's okay. I always let arrogance slide when they have a right to be that way. For, even being a Superman-lover, I can't come up with any other creations Jerry Siegel/Joe Shuster invented. I could name countless imaginations from the great Stan Lee.

I'm not sure how interesting this would be to anybody who does not care for comic books, but this documentary/biography, which is basically a sit down interview with Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amy, etc.) interviewing Stan Lee, is something I found fairly fascinating.Stan Lee is one of the guys who created Marvel comics, home of the X-men, Spider Man, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil, etc.It is really fascinating to see Stan's take on what all happened. The history of Marvel comics is told through Stan Lee's answers to Kevin Smith's very informed questions, you can feel the love for the craft and medium come through in the interview and overall, although it's just two guys talking in a comic shop, you can, at times, entirely visualize what it must have been like to be at ground zero for a pioneering art form that is still going strong today.No matter what you think of either person's art, they are both interesting folks, recommended for any fan of the genre or the movies inspired by the genre.

"Stan Lee's: Mutants, Monsters and Marvels" is a documentary in which filmmaker Kevin Smith interviews comic book legend Stan Lee. This spectacular DVD gave me a chance to learn more about the man behind such comic books as: Spiderman, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men and Daredevil. After seeing Spiderman in the theaters and with all the blockbuster comic book movies coming out over the next few years, I wanted a little more - and this delivered. This is the most definitive thing out there and a must-have for all comic book fans. The chemistry between the two is visible from the first moment - by Smith's vast knowledge of the history of comic books and Stan Lee. You will definitely get a bang for your buck!