Movie Review: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

As in the graphic novel of the same name, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is based on a simple but intriguing premise: What ever happened to some of the main characters of classic literature once the books for which they're famous were over and done? While this is a very interesting concept, it unfortunately suffers a good deal from the obscurity of some characters, the too-subtle literary references, and the overshadowing of others by lack of detail, or by extraneous detail (the lone woman in the cast proving a notable exception).

Alan Quartermain (Sean Connery) is the ostensible leader of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen after becoming the reluctant recruit of a high-ranking British official known only as "M" (Richard Roxburgh). It's the turn of the century, and Britain is facing the potential of a world war in short order thanks to the predations of a villain who calls himself "The Phantom". It is the charge of the League to foil The Phantom's plans. Assisting Quartermain, an extraordinary hunter, in his quest is a group of unlikely heroes. Each, however, has his (or her) value to the group. Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah) is a master of technology. Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) is a powerful vampire and a scientist in her own right. Rodney Skinner (Tony Curran) is an experienced thief who also happens to be invisible. Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) is an immortal able to draw on the experience of several lifetimes. Tom Sawyer (Shane West) is a clever and disarming secret agent. And Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Jason Flemyng) can provide brute power after the ingesting just a little of Dr. Jekyll's mysterious formula.

Each assembled member of the League must deal with his or her own internal conflicts while trying to overcome disagreements and problems with each other at the same time as they must work to save the world. They experience some failures, though, along with their successes, and they come to realize that each League member is likely a danger in and of himself. That's before they come to understand that one of them is almost certainly a traitor as well.

I'm a big fan of Sean Connery, and would pay money to see and hear him read grocery lists. Unfortunately, the script for this movie wasn't much better than that. Stuart Wilson is as cocky and charismatic as can be, making him an excellent Dorian Gray, and he was a joy to watch during his major fight scene. Peta Wilson was a pleasant surprise in her portrayal of a very believable vampire, her humanity shining on the surface of her skin, but the monster within clearly peeping out of her eyes on occasion. Shane West's Tom Sawyer was, however, lacking in both the cleverness and mischief one might expect from his character. Naseeruddin Shah was very much a caricature rather than a character ( likely less his fault than that of the scriptwriter and the director); and the Jekyll/Hyde character was adequate at best. Tony Curran was all right; it was his make-up that was the problem.

Sean Connery has said in interviews about this movie that it's loaded with special effects, and it is. Some of them are even good. Unfortunately, the rest of them aren't. The distance shots of the Nautilus and a castle/factory in Mongolia are painfully obvious shots of models. And the background mattes in some instances are inexcusably bad. Even some good effects are ruined in the end. For example, the invisible man character is very well done when he's introduced and slathers some white make-up on his face so that others can see him. Later, however, he's clearly just a man in whiteface make-up, and this cheap workaround is pointedly noticeable when his whiskers show through the make-up in almost every scene (like the rest of him, his whiskers should be invisible). Many special effects are also handled through the use of clever edits (with which I have no problem), but other edits are so choppy that it's clear a cut was inserted merely to avoid an effect.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen had extraordinary potential. Unfortunately, it became a very ordinary film instead.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is rated PG-13. The movie is fairly dark and violent, though most of the violence is quite comic-bookish in nature. There's no nudity and no objectionable language. On the whole, the movie is probably just fine for the 12-and-up set, some of whom will even like it. Unless you yourself are a Connery or an effects fan, you can afford to miss this one.