Reviewed by: Becca, Joe, & Kris

Directed by: Stephen Norrington

Produced by: Jane Hamsher & Don Murphy

Cast: Sean Connery, Peta Wilson, Stuart Townsend, Tony Curran, & Jason Flemyng

Action/Adventure and Science Fiction/Fantasy 1 hr. 50 min. Based very loosely on the Alan Moore graphic novel epic of the same name, this is the story of a group of characters drawn from famous works of literature, including Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, The Invisible Man, Mina Murray and Dr. Jekyll, banding together to combat criminal undertakings of the highest order near the turn of the 19th century. Rather than remain true to the comic roots, the film also incorporates Tom Sawyer and Dorian Gray, in an apparent effort to keep the cast from being entirely without Americans, and it is set in New York.

I am sorry to say that this was a horrible movie, I mean it had the foundation of being absolutely wonderful. It could of been thrilling, adventerous, and so much more, but it wasn't. This movie took a great idea and just spit all over it. I have no idea what the screenwriter was doing, when he did this. I also would like to know why anyone read this and thought it was a good idea.

The actors did a great job with the horrible script and direction they were given. I was sadden to see Sean Connery, probably one of our greatest actors in Hollywood history, to be running around at 73 years old in this ridiculous movie. There was almost no plot at all, and unless you have read the books behind each character, you will be confussed the entire time. I know I was!

This movie could of been something exciting that you would go to see to fall in love with the characters, hope they win the battle.... but instead it's always obvious they are gonna win. Oh, and I have really bad news there were no cars in 1899, especially not in England. I could not believe it when they pulled a car out and started to drive around in it too.... it wasn't just any car either, it was a nice sleek looking car. Cars back in the 1920's were lucky to go 20 miles an hour, puhlease! This movie is good to watch only if you truly want to see how desperate some movie companies are for a script. I am so sure there are so many far superior scripts out there, being shoved out the door before they are even looked at. Yet, this movie is released, it was a sad movie for the actors.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a good film but is really more for fans of the comic book mini-series or those who seriously know their literary figures. Too much background information on many of the characters is missing for most of the main stream to truly understand on where these characters are coming from what and what is going on based on their actions.

The specials effects for the films, which seem to be focused on in several scenes in the film, are moderate at best. If you want superior special effects then go see Pirates of the Caribbean or even The Hulk, though with The Hulk you have to endure a very slow story. In that case, just stick with Pirates. The CGI work, especially with the Nautilus is some of the worst that has been seen this summer. The timing for the film seems perfect though the story itself slows down in the middle. The action sequences keeps the audience entertained and that should be sufficient enough for at least one showing. If you really want a film that can be seen numerous times then pick Pirates over The League. But if you just want to see something different for one night then stick with The League. It may not be fantastic but it is worth the price of admission. For a matinee at least.

I have wanted to see this movie since I first saw a preview for it about three months ago. I thought it looked really cool and that it was an interesting concept. When I found out it was based on a comic book series, I was even more intrigued. First of all, this movie is dark. I don’t mean dark in the way that the plot is dark, such as Donnie Darko; I mean dark in the type of lighting used. There are very few well-lit scenes, and that adds to the ambience of the entire film. The film takes place in 1899, and I can’t imagine that those times were very well lit, so it brings a real life feel to the story.

These characters are fun to get to know; Alan Quartermain, Dorian Gray, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll / Mr. Hyde, The Invisible Man, Mina, and Tom Sawyer. I must say that Tom Sawyer is an unnecessary character. He is just there to represent the United States, and that sort of makes me angry. My favorite character is Dorian Gray. He is just so calm throughout the entire film. I love the action sequences when Captain Nemo is fighting. I would never want to get into a fight with him because he is so quick. Mina is also very cool. She is a vampire and can do some wicked things.

I liked this movie. I didn’t like it as much as I expected to, but it was decent. I would recommend seeing this movie with a friend. I saw it by myself, and was slightly bored at some points. Now for your homework, if you want to see this movie, you may want to familiarize yourself with these literary works: King Solomon’s Mines by Henry Rider Haggard, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Vern, Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, and Dracula by Bram Stoker. Definitely read Picture of Dorian Gray, that is an amazing novel, and you will learn the background info on Dorian. Or you could take a look at Alan Moore’s graphic novel that the film is based on. I hope that this movie brings at least a few people to some of the classic literature that has been lost on many these last several years. If you have read any of the above, you should see this movie-lit is interesting.