There are a lot of people that do cameos in movies. One of my favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock, is known for them. But the difference between the two is subtlety. The reason I have hated almost every one of Stan Lee's cameos since Spiderman 3 is the fact that they might as well be slapping you in the face.
Stan Lee's cameos used to be subtle. In X-Men he was just a hot dog vender. In Spiderman he saved a little girl! In the first Hulk, he was a security guard walking out of the building Dr. Banner worked in. A bit obvious, but you know what? I'll take it. But then you have Spiderman 3. Not only does he walk up next to Peter Parker and look at the same news feed that our hero is, but he also delivers a completely cheesy and unnecessary line.
"You know. I guess one person can make a difference. 'Nuff said."
SLAP! "Hey did you know Stan Lee is in this movie?" said the studio executive desperate for a gimmick.
One of the first things they teach you in film school is to never do anything that will remind your audience they are watching a movie. Now there are exceptions to the rule, like if you have a character that breaks the fourth wall on purpose and what not, but these cameos are on a whole other level.
Hitchcock's cameos were classy. He never made a big deal about them. He was always in the background somewhere. Never in the foreground. He would always walk on screen and walk off with out a word, or the camera would pan past him.
M. Night Shyamalan, a little less subtle, but he always gives himself roles that move the story forward. They are necessary roles. The give the story some development.
If Marvel just went back to giving Stan Lee background roles, things would be better. The only thing that bugged me in The Avengers other than an awkward shot (just nit picking right there) was Stan Lee's cameo. I instantly rolled my eyes as he came on screen and shook my head after he delivered his line.
Please, Marvel! Don't be so obvious when throwing Mr. Lee into your films!
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