The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

Director:

Stephen Norrington

Writers (WGA):

Alan Moore (comic books) and
Kevin O'Neill (comic books) ...

Release Date:

11 July 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Prepare for the Extraordinary

Plot:

In an alternate Victorian Age world, a group of famous contemporary fantasy, SF and adventure characters team up on a secret mission.

Plot Keywords:

Captain Nemo | Invisible Man | Mission | Split Personality | Adventurer

Awards:

6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Feb. 12	8:00 PM	AMC
Sat. Feb. 13	5:30 PM	AMC

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Sean Connery	...	Allan Quatermain
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Captain Nemo
Peta Wilson	...	Mina Harker
Tony Curran	...	Rodney Skinner (The Invisible Man)
Stuart Townsend	...	Dorian Gray
Shane West	...	Tom Sawyer
Jason Flemyng	...	Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde
Richard Roxburgh	...	M
Max Ryan	...	Dante
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	Sanderson Reed
David Hemmings	...	Nigel
Terry O'Neill	...	Ishmael
Rudolf Pellar	...	Draper
Robert Willox	...	Constable Dunning
Robert Orr	...	Running Officer

Also Known As:

Die Liga der außergewöhnlichen Gentlemen (Germany)
LXG (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
LXG: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (USA) (trailer title)
Liga výjimecných (Czech Republic)
The League (USA) (promotional title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy violence, language and innuendo.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Czech Republic | UK

Language:

English | German | Italian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39870) | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:G (Québec) | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Denmark:11 | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12A (original rating) | UK:12 (video rating) (2003) | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Angry Films

Trivia:

Quatermain, Nemo, Jekyll and Hyde, Dorian Gray, and Professor Moriarty all "died" in their original novels or stories. In the novel "The Invisible Man" Dr. Griffin went quite mad and was eventually killed. Here, Skinner says he got the serum to turn himself invisible from a mad doctor, a very clever way to get around the rights issues. Both the original Invisible Man, Mr. Hyde, and Nemo were far from heroes in their original incarnations. Nemo was a rebel to the crown and Mr. Hyde and the Invisible Man were murderers and rapists.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The sight of a drop of blood is enough to stimulate Mina Harker's vampiric blood lust. Yet after a disaster, she is clearly nursing injured men and is surrounded by blood, yet remains calm and maternal.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sanderson Reed: [to coachman] Don't... wander... off.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Man with the Screaming Brain (2005)

Soundtrack:

Promenade by the Sea

Disappointing in content and style.

This was one of my most anticipated movies. I love Connery and the premise of this was great. A Indiana Jones setting for adventure, six great characters from classic fiction, and a good story.

Somehow, these elements were lost in the presentation. The story is supposedly based on a graphic novel (comic book) by Alan Moore but the departures from the original story are too numerous. Sadly, not only the storyline is abandoned but the style and flair is as well.

The entire movie is far too dark. I'm so tired of "dark and atmospheric" becoming just a vehicle for covering up lousy sets and fx. The action sequences are fake and choppy as the director decides on fast editing rather than skilled choreography.

This is a period piece, set in 1899 but there are a lot of continuity errors. They refer to the car as a "car", for example, though they didn't know what it was.

For his part, Connery does fine. But he really always does. Connery doesn't really "act", he's simply himself each time. Thus you won't see much difference between James Bond and Allan Quatermain. You will see a huge difference, however, in the quality of the Connery Bond movies and LXE.

The other characters were fun at times, but they either ended up underused, poorly portrayed or just odd.

Wilson's Harker character was very confusing. Was she a vampire? If so, what of the old mythos about not being out in sunlight? She walks around on the deck of the Nautilus in broad daylight. Not sure where all the bats came from either, particularly in the Arctic.

I liked Dr. Jekyll best, I suppose. However, his character left a lot to be desired as well. He comments early after Mr. Hyde saves the Nautilus not to make a "saint out of a sinner", yet the movie does just that. Hyde is never portrayed as vicious or evil. He's either running frightened of Connery's gun or eagerly lending his hand to the good guys. Uhhh...

Tom Sawyer as an American Secret Service agent. Nah, didn't really work. Dorian Gray was a waste as well. A deep character that they didn't bother exploring at all. Nemo was terribly underused.

In better hands this would have been a much better movie. It had a lot of things going for it in casting, plot and premise... but they made it stale and flat. Too bad.

5 out of 10.