‘The Life And Death Of Christopher Lee’ Review – Honoring The Life Of A Legend [Fantastic Fest 2024]

The Life and Death of Christopher Lee is one of those documentaries that is likely to reach beyond the genre’s general audience on the power of the premise alone. Christopher Lee is, of course, one of the most interesting humans to ever act. The acting itself, too – simply unmatched impact.

As far as documentaries go, this is likely among the best there is. Life and Death goes to stringent lengths to match the magical entity of Lee in every way possible. Past the expected interviews that serve as the film’s groundwork, a good portion of the narrative is expelled through a puppeteered narration meant to reflect Lee’s voice and persona.

On the surface that twist may sound banal, but it is delivered with a whimsy and reverence that suits Lee and his legacy in the highest manner. Coming in at a little more than 100 minutes, the doc delves fully into Lee’s life, just as the title suggests.

From his early days in the military, accompanied by animated visuals and the aforementioned puppet (as if he’s also being interviewed), to the later developments that many know him by now, the complete coverage that the film manages is only right in paying respect to someone like Lee.

To that, this would benefit from a theatrical release in the right places. Not everyone will appreciate it, but for a certain crowd, this one is bound to hit home. Lee cast such a wide net in regards to his work and the type of people he reached; he was the best type of everyman. In reference to his acting career alone, he appeared in James Bond, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and a bevy of older horror cornerstones such as Dracula and Frankenstein films.

In every instance, he stood out; that’s another thing this documentary does well. There’s no sort of overcomplication or diversion in the way that Lee’s life is recounted. His soul carries this thing for every second of the runtime, and it couldn’t have been done any other way. Every interview is spurred by an encounter or relationship with Lee, sometimes both, and the mark left on each and every one of them is tangible.

Visually, the film is a commendable effort above expectations as well. The aforementioned animated sequences are enough to set it apart on their own, but there are slightly advanced aspects on just about every level here. Whether it be slight inflections in lighting or differing camera angles to break potentially monotonous scenes up, it always goes that extra inch. Again, applause is in order.

Life and Death is one of those that you can’t really pick at in any way, and why would you? One of the greatest, most unique talents of our time has been given a capsule of permanent respect in this documentary. Fans will have it to go back to, obviously in addition to his films, and perhaps it’ll even help point people in the right direction and create a few future fans, too.

It’s almost a sort of rite of passage to know more about Christopher Lee than that he played the Star Wars villain who didn’t get enough screen time. Lee is a legend, and even that feels like an understatement.

The Life and Death of Christopher Lee is everything that it should be. An exceedingly well-made documentary that successfully details the happenings of one of the best to ever do it. It’s a deeply human project with a cinematic soul derived from the titular man himself, and one that all film fans should add to the watchlist at one point or another.

The Life and Death of Christopher Lee had its North American Premiere in the Documentary Feature section of Fantastic Fest 2024. 

Director: Jon Spira

Rated: NR

Runtime: 103m