Find Movies & TV
Home
Live TV
On Demand
Discover
Explore
Movies & TV Shows
Most Popular
Leaving Soon
Categories
Action
Animation
Comedy
Crime
Descriptive Audio
Documentary
Drama
En Español
Horror
Music
Romance
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Western
Explore
Browse Channels
Featured Channels
Nosey
FailArmy
Always Funny
Categories
Hit TV
Drama TV
True Crime
Comedy
News
Sports
Reality
History & Science
Movies
Sci-Fi & Action
Classic TV
Food & Home
Lifestyle
Nature & Travel
Daytime TV
Game Shows
Kids & Family
Anime+
Chills & Thrills
International
En Español
Music
Sign In
Stan Lee
Directed by
David Gelb
PG
2023
86m
Biography
,
Documentary
6.9
80%
83%
Add to Watchlist
100 years of dreaming. 100 years of creating. 100 years of Stan Lee.
More
Where to Watch Stan Lee
Disney+
Subscription
Cast of Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Self (archive footage)
Joan Lee
Self (archive footage)
Flo Steinberg
Self (archive footage)
Warren Storob
Self (archive footage)
Julius Schwartz
Self (archive footage)
Roy Thomas
Self (archive footage)
Joe Simon
Self (voice) (archive footage)
Jack Kirby
Self (voice) (archive footage)
JC Lee
Self (voice) (archive footage)
Kevin Feige
Self (voice) (archive footage)
David Gelb
Director / Producer
Brian McGinn
Producer
Jason Sterman
Producer
Stan Lee Ratings & Reviews
jackmeat
January 2, 2025
My quick rating - 6.0/10. This documentary is more of an autobiography than a traditional documentary, offering a heartfelt and nostalgic celebration of one of pop culture's most influential figures. Chronicling the life and career of Stan Lee, the co-creator of iconic characters like the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, X-Men, and The Avengers to name a few, the film serves as both a love letter to his legacy and an exploration of the golden age of comics. Much of the story is narrated by Lee himself, giving the film a personal touch that resonates with fans who have followed his career over the decades. The documentary dives into his philosophy of creating relatable heroes and compelling stories, which is fascinating and reflects his profound impact on the comic book industry. For longtime fans like me—who fondly remember biking to the comic shop every Tuesday during junior high to pick up the latest issues—the film is a nostalgic trip down memory lane. The creative use of sculptures to depict elements of the golden age of comics is visually striking and effectively captures the era's magic. It also touches on significant moments, such as Lee’s collaborations and clashes with artists Steve Ditko and Jack Kirby. While these insights are appreciated, they feel somewhat surface-level, leaving much to be desired if you are looking for deeper exploration. Unfortunately, the documentary glosses over large portions of Lee’’s life, particularly after Marvel's sale—a pivotal moment whose details are left unaddressed. The film skips a significant gap from the late 1960s to the 2010s, missing an opportunity to shed light on Lee’’s life away from Marvel and his thoughts on how his characters were handled in the years following his departure. While it briefly mentions his marriage to Joan Lee and their daughter, these personal details are fleeting and lack depth. For new fans or those unfamiliar with Lee’’s history, this flick serves as an engaging primer, but for longtime enthusiasts, it offers little new information. It feels more like a tribute than a comprehensive biography, leaving questions about the man behind the legend largely unanswered. Still, as a celebration of a true cultural icon, it succeeds in showcasing the joy and wonder he brought to millions. While it doesn’t delve as deeply into his personal life or later years as I would have hoped, the documentary remains a well-made homage to one of the greatest storytellers of our time.
FilmWeek (LAist)
Christy Lemire
It's clearly an infomercial for Stan Lee and Marvel, but he's such an engaging and charming raconteur that you don't mind.
FilmWeek (LAist)
Tim Cogshell
I appreciated that the filmmakers allowed [unflattering] information in the film... But this is a film made by people who love Stan Lee.
FilmWeek (LAist)
Charles Solomon
It starts to feel a little "product placement," but if you love Stan Lee you will be ecstatic.
The Mary Sue
Julia Glassman
Admittedly, "Stan Lee" doesn't really break much new ground in our understanding of comics history. If you're a Stan Lee fan, though, you might find it a breezy way to pass an hour and a half.
In Review Online
Ayeen Forootan
All that to say, as long as you don't go into David Gelb's Stan Lee... expecting lots of headline-grabbing information, never-before-known trivia, or different perspectives... the experience of having a familiar story [told] can still be plenty enjoyable.
Truthdig
Siddhant Adlakha
A work of rote and gaudy self-promotion that fails to be effective or interesting even on its own terms.
Pop Culture Planet
Kristen Maldonado
A technically sleek film, David Gelb seamlessly weaves together footage of Lee's life through interview clips, news reels, and clay models with voice over that allows him to narrate his own story. However, the Stan Lee documentary does play it safe.
IGN Movies
Samantha Nelson
Glosses over all of the controversy surrounding the leader of Marvel Comics at the expense not just of the other other writers and artists who deserve credit, but of the documentary itself, which is a bland and uninformative work of brand-building.
MovieWeb
Julian Roman
Stan Lee narrates his own amazing life story in a fun and creatively produced documentary that purposely skirts controversy. Director David Gelb celebrates the 100th anniversary of Lee's birth with a breezy retrospective of an extraordinary man.
Los Angeles Times
Noel Murray
For anyone who only knows Stan Lee from his Marvel Cinematic Universe cameos and his general pop-culture presence, this movie offers a solid introduction to the origins of a whole generation of superheroes.
HollywoodChicago.com
Patrick McDonald
I had the privilege of meeting Stan, at a modest 1980s comic book gathering. The next time I saw him he had ten men around him at Comic Con. What a journey, and it's all revealed in this great doc, about a mensch with a mustache. Excelsior true believers!
Decider
John Serba
... The subtext here is unavoidable: Without this guy, the most enormously successful film franchise in the history of forever wouldn't exist! PRAISE HIM, FOR HE IS YOUR GOD NOW.
Tell-Tale TV
Alyssa Christian
Maybe Gelb's film is too positive, hopeful, and heroic. There's no mention of the legal disputes he was engaged in, primarily about intellectual property. But, Stan Lee represents how Lee lived his life and wrote and created all of those comic books.
The MacGuffin
Allen Almachar
While the documentary doesn't reveal any insights that hasn't already been part of public knowledge, its sweet and earnest mood makes the whole experience go down smoothly.
Rolling Stone
David Fear
With great Disney+ power does not, apparently, come with great biographical responsibility. Lee was a complicated man as much as a creator of canon-worthy superheroes and a Comic-Con deity. He deserves a 360-degree warts-and-all doc... So do we.
CNN.com
Brian Lowry
By allowing Lee to tell the story largely in his own words, it conveys a genuine sense of what made him as big and colorful as any of the spandex-clad figures that he helped birth and spring off the page.
New York Times
Amy Nicholson
Fans taking sides in the cultural cock fight between DC and Marvel will light up like the Human Torch at a clip of the former DC editor Julius Schwartz insisting his readers "don't wanna be educated," while Lee visibly snickers.
RogerEbert.com
Nell Minow
Lee's irrepressible joi de vivre and his recollections of the wild days ... are as much fun as he would have hoped.
TheWrap
Martin Tsai
Though the movie may satisfy some obsessive fans and armchair historians, it feels more like a well-put-together tribute to the mastermind behind The Walt Disney Company's biggest IP.
Watch Stan Lee Videos
Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Trailer
Stan Lee: Announcement
Stan Lee: Announcement
Trailer
Take Plex everywhere
Watch free anytime, anywhere, on almost any device.
See the full list of supported devices
Home
Live TV
On Demand
Discover
Otomatik - 104.18.36.51
CloudFlare DNS
Türk Telekom DNS
Google DNS
Open DNS
OSZAR »
