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May. 4th, 2008
Theories of artistic merit.
May. 4th, 2008 10:05 pmI've put this forth before elsewhere, but I wanted to put it down here for posterity, seeing as Iron Man also fits within the set of data points.
I generally developed this idea since watching various Marvel franchises become films, develop, prosper, and ultimately flounder and fail over the past ten years or so. Not being the type (anymore) to pile through my DVD collection with a stopwatch, I'm operating based largely on memory here, but I think it largely holds up to strict scientific scrutiny, and I'm sure I'll eventually be able to use it as the basis of my doctoral thesis in film studies. In any case, here, on May 4, 2008, I present to the Internet at large:
Fancycwab's Law of Stan Lee Cameos:
Supporting data:
There you have it. Irrefutable evidence. Do I blame Stan Lee for this? Of course not. But the director who resorts to lengthy Stan Lee cameos as shameless fanboy pandering? Yep. Clearly this is what happens when you don't have much of a script, talent, or characterization to work with.
Edited to add The Incredible Hulk data. June 30, 2008.
Edited to add Iron Man 2 and Thor May 8, 2011.
Edited to add The Avengers May 6, 2012.
Edited to add Captain America and The Amazing Spider-Man July 5, 2012
I generally developed this idea since watching various Marvel franchises become films, develop, prosper, and ultimately flounder and fail over the past ten years or so. Not being the type (anymore) to pile through my DVD collection with a stopwatch, I'm operating based largely on memory here, but I think it largely holds up to strict scientific scrutiny, and I'm sure I'll eventually be able to use it as the basis of my doctoral thesis in film studies. In any case, here, on May 4, 2008, I present to the Internet at large:
Fancycwab's Law of Stan Lee Cameos:
The quality of a given Marvel franchise film is inversely proportional to the length or importance of Stan Lee's cameo in the film.
Supporting data:
| Movie | Stan Lee Cameo | Length | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spider-Man | Guy at Macy Gray Fest | 1 second | Good! |
| Spider-Man 2 | Man dodging debris | Don't blink | Great! |
| Spider-Man 3 | Guy who lectures Peter Parker | 10 seconds | Um, better than Hulk? Please? |
| X-Men | Hot Dog Vendor | 1 second | Pretty good |
| X2 | Doesn't appear | n/a | Awesome! |
| X3 | Waterhose man | Too long, clearly | Why, God, Why? |
| Daredevil | Old Man at Crossing | I've blocked the memory, but it must have been long, because | Made me wish for blindness akin to Matt Murdock's |
| Hulk | Security Guard | 30 seconds | Nearly killed the franchise before it started |
| Fantastic Four | Willy Lumpkin | Named Character | Didn't see it, but I've heard stories |
| Fantastic Four 2 | Rejected Wedding Guest | I'm sure it was lengthy | Do directors never learn? |
| Iron Man | Party guest mistaken for Hugh Hefner | 1 second | Rock! |
| Iron Man 2 | Mistaken for Larry King | < 1 second | Damn fine cinema |
| The Incredible Hulk | Man drinking Slurm | 8 seconds | Quite good, but not great |
| Thor | "Did it work?" | 2 seconds | A fine evening at the movies. |
| Captain America | "I thought he'd be taller" | 2 seconds | Excellent! |
| The Avengers | "Superheroes in New York?" | < 2 seconds, on a television | The superhero movie you'll tell your grand kids about |
| The Amazing Spider-Man | His own Buster-Keaton-esque slapstick mini-film | 5 seconds | A lot of people think this is a really good movie. Those people are idiots. |
There you have it. Irrefutable evidence. Do I blame Stan Lee for this? Of course not. But the director who resorts to lengthy Stan Lee cameos as shameless fanboy pandering? Yep. Clearly this is what happens when you don't have much of a script, talent, or characterization to work with.
Edited to add The Incredible Hulk data. June 30, 2008.
Edited to add Iron Man 2 and Thor May 8, 2011.
Edited to add The Avengers May 6, 2012.
Edited to add Captain America and The Amazing Spider-Man July 5, 2012