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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

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From Time Out Film Guide

It's such an intriguing premise: comic book artist Alan Moore imagined that seven Victorian fictional figures - Allan King Solomon's Mines Quatermain, Dracula's old flame Mina Harker, the Invisible Man, Dr Jekyll (plus Mr Hyde), Tom Sawyer, Wilde's immortal Dorian Gray and Jules Verne's Captain Nemo - might pool their considerable forces to take on a lunatic warmonger known only as the Fantom. 'Suspend' and 'disbelief' are the key words required here because, so far as this reviewer is aware, the car was still in its infancy during the Victorian era and certainly couldn't leap buildings. In much the same way, an ocean-going vessel the size of a nuclear sub surely couldn't negotiate the canals of Venice. And yet it begins so well. Sean Connery's sharp-shooting adventurer is coaxed out of African retirement to gather a team of experts, each armed with his or her own innate powers. Introductions are made and the audience rubs its hands. Then Tony Curran's Invisible Man opens his invisible mouth and spouts ... guff! Worse follows. Logic and continuity fly out the window. True, the effects and sets are marvellously fantastical and there are one or two neat comical allusions to the heroes' literary roots. But where's the excitement, the thrills, the tension, the style?

Author: DA

Time Out Film Guide

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Hank Young said...

Posted on May 07 2009 23:57 O come on - it's a truly daft comic book idea, but huge fun nevertheless. There are drawbacks - Dorian Gray isn't nearly louche enough, and Dr Jekyl couldn't quite decide on what he was, altho with a huge amount of luck a few fans might end up checking out Frederick Marsh's terrific simian 1931(?) performance. Some fine fight sequences tho and intriguing details - Nemo as a Sikh (despite his apparent fascination with the Hindu goddess of death Kali, and the (inevitable as this is a Victorian tale) revelation of Dr Moriarty as the villain. But whither Moriarty with Holmes - presumably the producers figured him as a tad too cerebral. Can't see the prob with Tony Curran - he was given the Cockney smartarse job, and did just fine. Continuity? What do you expect?And what in the name of all that's utterly ridiculous are 'marvellously fantastical' special effects? They were mostly effective (sorry designers) but hardly mind expandingly groundbreaking (there's another silly phrase). But the ending was fun - there we were all waiting for a Carrie-like hand to come shooting up out of that African soil and grab the Winchester '73, but it didn't. Bet they shot it tho'.

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