The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Biggest disappointment of the cinematic year of 2003? Yes, I think so. I'm glad I was let down by other people before I went to see this, as going in with expectations as high as they would've been could've been dangerous. I would've been hella angry. It's not the worst film I've ever seen, but it's just aggravating knowing how good this might have been. Even nearly 10 years after first seeing it I still feel mighty disappointed.

Yes, it's another comic book adaptation, this time drawing on all manner of 19th century literary characters and pulling them together in a supposed celebration of pre-modern pop culture. Unfortunately, all the life seems to have been squeezed out of it before it reached the screen. The plot, as I kinda guessed, was full of the usual inconsistencies. There was far too much happening for any sort of even treatment of the many characters (Tom Sawyer, Mina Harker, the Invisible Man, Dr Jekyll, Captain Nemo, etc, etc) and all these literary nods that work so well in the comic world just become crass on celluloid.

As a film, it's strictly paint-by-numbers stuff. It's not even as inspired as Daredevil or The Phantom (eek!). The film has no 'soul'... Connery just goes through the motions, and the rest of the cast, an assortment of almost b-grade actors, give mostly cliched portrayals. The exception is probably Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells' Jason Flemyng), who managed to intrigue me despite his Hulk-ripoff subplot. The direction is all flash and no style - just because something is based on a comic it hardly means that the film should aspire to be two-dimensional and shallow. Also, the dialogue is pure corn.

I think the saddest thing about this film is that it meant the end of Sean Connery's career as an actor. He apparently took on this project after having passed on The Lord of the Rings. When he saw the kind of business Lord of the Rings did he figured he shouldn't be so quick to pass on the flashy modern stuff, and quickly signed up to this film despite not really understanding its appeal. He found League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to be such a disappointing experience that he decided to go into retirement, citing his own inability to keep up with modern film trends as reason enough to quit.

DIRECTOR: Stephen Norrington
WRITER/SOURCE: Script by James Dale Robinson, based on the comics by Alan Moore.
KEY ACTORS: Sean Connery, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Jason Flemyng, Stuart Townsend, Richard Roxburgh

RELATED TEXTS:
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, a limited comic series by Alan Moore.
- Characters from this story originate in classic works of fantasy and horror such as Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Sherlock Holmes, King Solomon's Mines, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Picture of Dorian Gray.
- Alan Moore's comics have also been adapted for the films V For Vendetta and Watchmen.
- Stephen Norrington previously directed another comic-book adaptation, Blade.
- If you're looking for something as crappy and misjudged as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen then I refer you to the film Van Helsing, which also features the underwhelming Richard Roxburgh as the villain.