Rating: 
Summary: In A League Of Extraordinary Films...
Review: As a longtime Sean Connery fan, I was lucky enough to see this in the box office, and I was not disappointed in the least. Before I begin, I'd like to say to all the bad reviewers on this board, "WHAT DID YOU EXPECT, SCHINDLER'S LIST?!?"
These fools who spit at LXG apparently don't get that this was meant to be a fun action/adventure movie, not some art flick made only for critics and Oscar judges.
Anyway, the story is a surprisingly original idea brought to life by dazzling effects and good character acting.
in 1899, a mad scientist named the Fantom plans to pitch Europe into a premature World War 1 with all-too-modern weaponry (machine guns, body armor, napalm), which he'll sell to all sides. To stop this plot, a 'League' of 19th-Century literary figures are called together by a mysterious agent M. Great White Hunter Allan Quatermain reluctantly leads such characters as Mina Harker(slayer of Dracula), Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll(& Mr. Hyde), Rodney Skinner(The Invisible Man), Dorian Gray, and (on loan from the American Secret Service) Tom Sawyer. Feeling each other out on the way, The League heads to the Fantom's suspected next target, but they quickly discover there's a traitor among them, agent M is not what he seems, and all have been tricked into having their uniqueness stolen for the Fantom's dastardly schemes! (Incidentally, I figured out the Fantom's true identity about 2/3 into the film, can you? Listen for 3 clues in London and after Venice) Now the League must once more chase down Fantom and his spy before he unleashes pandemonium!
LXG stands out as one of the year's coolest films, and might even get younger viewers to read the original books(even if their teachers haven't asked them). A subtle twist at the end might even set up a sequel, and I would like to see this imaginative storyline continue. Not every movie has to be a critical darling, and this one proves that sometimes a clever story can make it to the big screen, even if it has special effects. Plus, Mr. Connery is still a wondrous film hero. Sit back, get your popcorn, and take off with The League.
Rating: 
Summary: such potential
Review: Summary:
Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery) is a famous hunter and marksman who has retired to Africa. The movie begins when a messenger arrives to request he assist the British government in tracking down a criminal, The Phantom (Richard Roxburgh), who has been gaining notoriety by attacking different countries with the weapons he has been forcing scientists to develop while he holds both them and their families in captivity.Initially Quatermain declines, but when an attempted assassination on him kills most of his closest friends, he agrees. Upon his arrival back in England, Quatermain is quickly introduced to the leader and apparent financier of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen M (also Richard Roxburgh, but the fact that M and The Phantom are the same person is revealed much later). M explains what is going on, then introduces Quatermain to the rest of the 'Extraordinary Gentlepeople' (Gentlemen is actually a misnomer as The League includes a woman): Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), and Rodney Skinner/The Invisible Man (Tony Curran). There are a couple of additions made to the group, but they require some urging by the initial members, including: Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend), Tom Sawyer (Shane West), and Dr. Henry Jekyll/Edward Hyde (Jason Flemyng). Once they have the League together, they begin their journey to stop The Phantom from creating an international arms race where different countries are going to bid on the weaponry he is forcing his captive scientists to make. The result, The Phantom will become both super-rich and super-powerful. But the League quickly runs into problems as it is revealed there is a traitor among their ranks - Dorian Gray. Overcoming remarkable obstacles, the League (minus Gray) track The Phantom to his hideout in Mongolia where he is producing his weapons and holding the scientists hostage. The League then puts their particular talents into action to defeat and ultimately kill The Phantom, who is now revealed to be M as well, along with his traitorous ally, Dorian Gray. But, in the process, Quatermain is killed. However, a sequel isn't out of the question, as an African Shaman's blessing has guaranteed Quatermain's immortality on the continent of Africa, which is where The League buries him. My Comments:
I really had no idea what the premise of the movie was supposed to be going into it. I knew Sean Connery was involved and someone had told me it was going to be somewhat X-Men like, so I was excited. But then I saw the film... The basic idea, which I must admit is kind of cool, is to combine a bunch of famous characters from famous books all in one adventure. Quatermain is from H. Rider Haggard's books; Nemo is from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; Mina Harker is from Dracula; The Invisible Man is from the H.G. Wells novel by the same name; Dorian Gray is from Sherlock Holmes; Tom Sawyer is from Mark Twain's books; and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde is from Robert Louis Stevenson's book. So, you have a stellar cast, now what do you do with them? This is where the problems begin because the writers of this screenplay don't really know what to do with them. Considering their abilities, why not give them something small, like, say, saving the world, which is exactly what they end up doing. There are a lot of problems with this movie, but perhaps the biggest is how it just jumps from one location and scene to the next with virtually no attempt to fluidly connect the scenes. It's almost as if you are just supposed to put the pieces of this semi-coherent story together for yourself. Considering I was able to summarize it, it obviously can't be completely intelligible, but it's close. Then there is the actual development, or lack thereof, of the characters. Captain Nemo went from having a cool, small submarine, to being a 'God among men' (quote from X-Men 2). Somehow he became an expert martial artist and a genius that has developed automotive, ballistic, and marine technology to rival that of 2004. Tom Sawyer's inclusion in the League is completely coincidental and makes no sense. There is a minor attempt at a back story for Dorian Gray and Mina Harker, but it isn't particularly convincing. And guess what they do with The Invisible Man? As if him being invisible isn't enough to begin with, they take him out of 2/3 of the movie as he just so happens to hide out on Dorian's escape pod when Dorian sabotages the Natilus. Quatermain is perhaps the only believable character and by far the best portrayed, but when you are locked into a story as bad as this one, there is only so much you can do. I'm pretty certain I could see Connery's frustration with the movie coming through in his character. The final result is an utterly unbelievable story, even given a major suspension of belief. I think what happened is the writers wanted the characters to travel but also be limited by time constraints. As a result, they create ridiculous fast ships and even employ Nemo's ultra-secret Cruise Missile technology to prevent the destruction of Venice, Italy. Come on! Combine the ridiculous technology with poor character development and a haphazard story and you have a movie with a lot of potential that doesn't even come close to satisfying. As much as I wanted this movie to succeed, it didn't. I don't recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: So-so
Review: Great concept, poor execution. I loved the fact that it tried to create its heroes based on literary characters, but the writing was just off. The ending was also confusing. Was Dorian Grey dead? Did Quartermaine rise from the dead? The CG Mr. Hyde was also ridiculous, but I give high points to the Invisible Man and Dracula's bride.
Rating:
Summary: Fun Movie
Review: I bought this DVD bypassing the critic's reviews. I thought it was entertaining. So many reviewers and critic's pick a movie apart and get really heavy, but I thought it was well done and had a excellent cast. Doesn't anyone watch a movie just for fun. When I'm in the mood for a message movie, I'll watch it. This is not one of them. Lighten up folks. Put your feet up, get the popcorn and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: Like the title says, Extraordinary
Review: This movie was awesome! The car chase scene was extremely well done and the characters were magnificent. Tom Sawyer seemed to be a very fitting addition to the league. I would also like to point out a couple of things that some people seem to be confused about. First of all, I happen to know for a fact that there ARE streets in Venice!!! Second, the reason Mina Harker was able to go outside in the daytime is because according to the Dracula legend: Vampires can do that, but they can't use their powers. To conclude, this is an awesome movie, with excellent fighting scenes and an extraordinary cast. There is absolutely no reason not to like it.
Rating: 
Summary: And the Golden Rasberry Award goes to...
Review: This film will be nominated for worst picture of the year. I put this in my DVD player with all the negative critical reviews in mind, thinking I would then enjoy it more if I didn't expect too much. No, sorry, this movie is poorly made comic book tripe. The special effects are incredibly poor, looking more like video game nonsense than a big budget extravaganza. When the Nautilus first rises and we are all supposed to be in awe of its immense size and grandeur, it looks more like a shiny toy on a blue screen. Then there are the characters. While I at first felt a kind of nostalgia at seeing the Insvisible Man, Dorian Gray, and Mina Harker from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," that feeling soon wore off and I was left with a motley cast spewing out one-liners and dumb babble. Captain Nemo entering the picture was my first indication of downhill progress. He looks and acts monumentally stupid, and is somehow able to perform martial arts like Jackie Chan. Mr. Hyde is another poor creation, with obvious makeup effects and bad dialogue. There are many plot flaws here, as well. The Nautilus, this huge vessel when first revealed, is then able to shrink in size and then traverse the narrow canals of Venice? Mina Harker, a vampire, is standing in the daylight at the end of the film? There were other scenes that were plugged in for time consumption. One example is when Allan Quartermain is atop the Nautilus firing at red buoys being launched by Captain Nemo. If there was ever a scene that needed to be cut, this was it. The special effects are not special; the acting is okay in moments, but poor overall. This is a really bad movie in virtually every way.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to watch
Review: Unequivocally, the worst film I have seen in years. Although the historical inaccuracies, overblown special effects, ridiculous plot and stilted dialogue are painful, these failings never quite demonstrate the total disregard for the audience evidenced by the horrendous acting. One is speechless from the first frame and continues to watch only on the theory that the film could not get worse. One will be sorely mistaken as every passing minute brings greater agony. Clearly, this movie was never designed to be publicly viewed and was perhaps intended to be used in an introductory film course as a "what not to do" demonstration.
Rating:
Summary: Not good.
Review: Can't quite give it one star (that went to Jackie Chan's "The Medallion") but boy, was this bad. Plot holes, bad special effects, too long, ugh. bleah. Don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't make it all the way....
Review: This movie was so bad we only lasted about 30 minutes before turning it off. Very disappointing! The story is laughable, & not much of anything really happens. Minimal action, non-sensical plot, poorly defined characters, no drama, no suspense, & while it should have been at least a little campy, there was no humor to be had at all.
Rating:
Summary: Want to join the league?
Review: Say, what's the difference of this movie to other heroic adventure films? Absolutely there's no difference I must say. The characters of 'The League' may not be mutants like the X-Men but they are the products of their classical heroic deeds, which obviously these characters came from novels of such well-known authors. Unfortunately for the filmmakers of this movie, the power of Seven didn't actually create a solid foundation as one League nor it had not really shown the power of Seven as one League but more on selfishness like Dorian Gray and each of the characters wants to exceed his or her own identity above the others. Some actors did quite fairly enough to justify his/her portrayal as this person. With due respect for Sean Connery, as an actor, I like his character he played in the movie but it turned to be a bullying style of acting dominating others but of course, he is a leading character and as they say follow the leader. This latest film he co-produced was not that all its best and can be a mockery for his profession as a highly notable actor. The movie maybe a mess but the effects and production setting are truly worth-while to enjoy. For the filmmakers who are planning to do the same movie like this, this could be a lesson for you to learn...
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