With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story (2010) User Reviews

Very watchable though a bit incomplete.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 8 August 2012]

"With great power comes great responsibility." This quote from Spider-Man is where they derived the title of the show--quite fitting as the character was a co-creation of Stan Lee.

This film is a biography of Stan Lee--a creative genius and god to the comic book world. Using interviews and MAJORLY COOL graphics (that looked like comic books coming to life), you learn about the cult of Stan Lee--why people adore him as well as having this great raconteur just talk--which is MORE than enough reason to watch. This is a very enjoyable documentary and I am glad I watched it with my comic book geek daughter. However, I learned that although we both thought it was a great picture, the film omitted some VERY important stuff. Apparently, there has been a lawsuit initiated by Jack Kirby's estate against Lee and Disney demanding compensation since Kirby co-created many of the characters discussed in the documentary. While Lee does talk about Kirby's work to a degree, the film made it looked like they were best friends and you'd have no idea such a lawsuit occurred. A MAJOR omission to say the least! Still, despite this hole, the film is worth seeing.

Okay doc about great subject

[juliankennedy23 · 7/10 · 20 November 2018]

With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story: 7 out of 10: A documentary, released in 2010, tells the story of Stan the Man basically in his own words.

The Good: Very nice background on where Stan came from and how he got started with Timely Comics. It also contains generous and excellent behind the scene glimpses of his home life with his wife. Fans of Stan Lee certainly will know some the stories but I think there is enough new stuff that it may surprise even his fans.

The Bad: I would like to pause this review for an open letter to those that immediately say "but Jack Kirby" when Stan Lee is mentioned. Guess what they are both dead and no one cares about it anymore. It isn't hipster to plead the Kirby when Stan is mentioned any more than to exclaim your fandom for Tesla against the big bad Edison. The documentary both provides insight and glosses over the feud between the two men. But Stan Lee goes out of his way in this documentary to make sure Jack Kirby gets his due.

This is, however, an out an out hagiography. Stan has barely a bad word for anyone and no-one has a bad word for him. Needless to say, that can get one's Spidey senses tingling. That isn't all bad if you know that going in.

There is one scene where Stan Lee's wife talks about the death of their infant child and subsequent attempts at adoption. These scenes are powerful and Stan's grief and anger are evident forty years later. It is an impressive look behind the curtain and it makes one realize that we could have used more of this kind of insight.

The Ugly: First of all there is a reason most biographies are basically in chronological order. It both creates a narrative and prevents confusion when you jump back fifteen years to cover another facet that might be unfamiliar with the audience. With Great Power has a tendency to jump around like The Hulk.

Do you Remember that trend when every documentary had an overabundance of giant colorful graphics with the camera "swooping" around them? You think a 2010 documentary about a super-hero writer avoided this now annoying cliche? Nuff Said.

In Conclusion: A decent documentary with added value and poignancy after the passing of a great man. Excelsior!

Is There a Bigger Name in Comics?

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 23 August 2012]

A feature length documentary on the life and creations of Stan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man and many other classic comic characters.

Can you picture Stan Lee jumping on the desk, doing the voices of the characters? Apparently he did that. He also did some great things like pushed the idea of credits so artists and writers got their due, and challenged the silliness of the Comics Code.

He emphasized the human side of the term superhuman, making comics about relationships and personalities, with the battles only a minor issue.

This documentary also shows Stan's wife, and it got me to realize who she was... she used to be somebody! It taught me that Silver Surfer is loved by hippies, which still makes no sense to me (such a lame character).

What was this film missing? It needed more Nic Cage. If anyone in the world of film knows comics, it is Mister Cage.

A Great Story of A Great Man with Great Power

[sakimiata · 10/10 · 29 April 2012]

Behind every great man there's a great woman.... That's my shortest summary of this documentary film. My favorite parts were the ones with Stan and his wife Joan. Their interactions were priceless!

The film sincerely showed many aspects of Stan's life, including some hardships he's gone through and also a lot about his personal life. It takes you to his study where he writes, and you even get to see his kitchen! Stan is so humble and always smiling, but he has gone through some very tough times, too. I learned a great deal of life lessons from watching this film, such as "work hard to accomplish your dream", "keep on working", "always be kind to people", "be honest", etc...

I thought it was a very well done movie!

Wholesome

[jhargjr · 9/10 · 16 May 2020]

It may be a little incorehent at times, but this documentary through interviews and the such show just who wholesome a man Stan Lee was and how much he just loved what he did.

Very disjointed and disappointing documentary

[tehickman · 2/10 · 9 September 2013]

I suspect that the rating this documentary has received so far is based on the love for the subject, Mr Stan Lee. The fan-base for Mr Lee and his many character creations have made him an iconic name in our culture today. As a longtime fan myself, I have heard or read many of the stories and incidents recounted in this film before. My problem is with the quality of the film itself. Much of the history of the the comics industry and the life of Mr Lee were told out of order, clips of Mr Lee being interviewed about a topic, would be shown at the same time that the narrator was describing something that happened years before. If not known previously, a viewer would think that the Seduction of the Innocents book came out in the 70's instead of the 50's. Mr Lee deserves a better recounting of his contributions to the comic book and movie industries.