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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Full Screen Edition)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Full Screen Edition)

List Price: $27.98
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A non-stop thrillride from beginning to end
Review: The league of extraordinary gentlemen is the type of film that critics hate but the public likes- an effects laden action thrillride that never lets up for one minute, with about a page of dialogue and 100 pages of action choreography. You often hear the cliche that the action never lets up - well, it's an over used term that can be safely used here. The action in the LXG ( as it will be called hitherto) is never off the screen for more than 10 minutes.
The plot is that a madman known as the fantom (or phantom)wants to take over the world and then blow bits of it up. A team of seven men with extraordinary powers are lined up to stop him - a hunter, a spy, an immortal, an invisible man, a beast, a vampire and a scientist. All very James Bond, all very silly - leave your brain on hold for this one.
The men themselves are OK - Allen Quatermain (from King solomon's mines) is the best character by far. The acting is pretty mediocre, and Sir Sean owns the film in this respect. Other charcters of interest are Tom Sawyer and Captain Nemo - everyone else is just about good enough to hold your interest.
The film succeeds thorugh sheer spectacle though - the action comes at you so fast and so furious that you feel tired simply watching it.
Some pretty stupendous things happen in this film - the titanic-sized Nautilus can navigate small canals, and Dr. Jekyll can reign in his alter ego when he wants to. But nothing beats the sight of seeing 73 year old connery kicking bad guy [behind].
I read some pretty horrfic reviews of LXG, and was pleasantly surprised when watching it. Overall, if you like action, you'll like LXG - it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. It's utter, utter nonsense - but very fun.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Ugh. Just awful.
Review: First off, I adore the comic. The characters are each well thought out and you really do learn to care in a certain way about each one. The movie, however, was awful. It was obviously made for a quick buck, focusing on the action part of the movie, they made the villain absolutely ridiculous, and because the Great 'I'm so awesome and need to play the male role' Sean Connery funded the movie, he was made into the leader of the team, and in a disgrace to Mina, she was thrust into the stereotypical female of the group that every other male needs to be attracted to. The effects were awful, and nevermind breaking every rule of common logic of the Venice scene(I won't spoil). Don't waste your time on this movie, it's just not worth losing time that could be done doing something more productive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: For those of you who know your historical literature...
Review: This movie is based on some very well known historical literary action figures, the heroes and villans of bygone days. If you have no background in the classic English literature you may find this movie at times somewhat hard to follow.

Though the primary figures are distorted a bit from the original charactures they are still close enough for the viewer to recognize. You will be surprised to realize the they are, at times, much more believable than ever before. You will be fascinated all over again by Captain Nemo and Dorian Grey, chuckle at the sometimes warped earthy humor of the Invisible man, and cheer at the heroic actions of Alan Quartermain and Mark Twain. But, most of all you will sit back and enjoy the twists and turns of a thrilling adventure.

If you are looking for a laser show and space ships, buy a ticked for Star Wars, you will get your adventure fix there without trying to hard to determine who the bad guys are, they are the ones in black. But, if you are looking for a taste of adventure and excitement that will hold your interest, tantilize your memory and actually make your brain work trying to figure out who the real bad guys are, look no further. This movie is excitment from the word go. It is the new Indianna Jones with, vampires, invisible men, the Hulk, incredible heroes and amazing machines. I was thrilled and amazed from the beginning to the end.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fantastic movie
Review: i think this film was great,even though in some parts old sean didnt play his full part but doesnt age get to all of us?.I thought the film was fantastic. Didnt drag at all in any parts.It had me bedazzled when i left the screen. It really impressed me. I was waiting inline to see Finding nemo with my nephew and friend. When there was no tickets we got into this and im glad. Very good acting. Fabulous material. Over all 5 stars.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Victorian Superheroes
Review: The Critics seem unanimous in their dislike of 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', although they can't seem to agree upon why exactly it is bad. Some critics dislike the 'alternative geography' of Venice; Some dislike the incoherent plot, while others seem to think the usage of Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle and HG Wells characters in an action flick is an outrage. They are all missing the point.

Based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore (of which I've only read the first part yet), The league of Extraordinary Gentlemen has the coolest concept I've seen in the movies for a long, long time - I can't think of any movie since 'Memento' which had such a cool central idea - it takes all the classic heroes of Victorian literature and turns them into heroes in a wild, James Bond-esque action adventure. Although the adaptation stays away from the plot of the comic, it maintains the spirit of outrageous fun, which makes this one of the most entertaining movies Hollywood has produced lately, like Pirates of the Caribbean and Terminator 3.

After a tank rolls into the Bank of England, the movie splits into three main section. First, we have a near flawless introduction of the characters, from the retired Allan Quatermain(Sean Connery), through The Invisible Man (Tony Curran), Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), Mina Harker(of Dracula fame, portrayed by Peat Wilson) Durian Grey (introduced in the film's finest action sequence, and brilliantly played by Stuart Townsend), the improbable Tom Sawyer (Shane West), who should have been in his 80s in 1899. The sequence culminates in the appearance of the film's most fantastic character, the CGI created Nautilus.

After picking up Dr Jekyl (Jason Flemyng), and his alter ego Mr. Hyde (accurately described by Roger Ebet as a "WWF version of Fat Bastard"), the middle section of the film involved an unlikely but well executed chase sequence in Venice (yes, you couldn't drive a car there, nor could a ship the size of the Nautilus really navigate in it, but that's trivial nitpicking, in my view), a betrayal, and a clever combination of exposition and sabotage, in the best homage to camp.

The final part of the film is a traditional "scale the bad guy's castle" sequence in snowy Mangolia, which is saved from mediocrity by the fine acting all around, and by several meaty scenes, like a confrontation between two main characters, which gives tribute to the book the villain came from.

The film is not without problems. The plot is overly cliche, and could have used some more meat. Much early banter, especially between Quatermain and Mina Harker, clearly reflects earlier versions of the story which stayed closer to the original version. The Hyde and Jekyl characters are not dealt with particularly well, and the Nemo role is underwritten. The worst part, though, is the treatment of the mysterious M, by far the highlight of the graphic novel, which is completely ruined in the film.

Yet in the end, none of these problems matter. Fun all the way through, 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen', is an exciting adventure story, where the brilliance of the concept far overshadows any weaknesses in the plot.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Worth every bit
Review: As others before me have said, LXG has recieved a lot of undeserved negative reviews. I went along, and I had never read the book before, or seen any movies or the like. I came out of the theatre itching to go see a sequel (As they left room for one) The special effects were of the same standard as the Matrix, and the characters were portrayed beautifully. I especially liked Mina Murray, (Played by Peta Wilson ... I think) a damsel fallen victim to Dracula. Sean Connery played his character to be plausible of such wonderful feats and even the Invisible Man was a clever adaptation. The special effects, as I said, were that of Matrix standard, particulary the detail of the effects, eg. being able to see the other side of the Invisible Man's mask, and the other, bigger effects. I won't give away the plot, there are some flaws with it, but they were masked by the wonderful performance of the actors. I thought that the collection of legendary characters in the one film was a fantastic idea.

Just a quick run down of the characters - 1) the hunter, Allan Quartermain
2) Dorian Gray, the undead
3) The Invisible Man AKA Skinner
4) Mina Murray, the widowed Dracula victim come feminist
5) Captain Nemo, the transportation and sword specialist
6) Tom Sawyer - the die hard, trigger happy Yank
7) Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the bad turned good, half evil, half angellic (You don't QUITE know what he is) do-gooder
and the resident evil 8) the 'Phantom'

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and recommend it to people ages 3 and up, *It's on my box* (Toy Story) Seriously ... no one younger than 10, as there are some pretty dark scenes

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Muddled Story Kills Every Good Thing in LXG
Review: I hear many people saying "the original comic (or graphic novel) is better" and though I never read it, I believe them. Like "From Hell" which is also based on the work of original writer Alan Moore, "LXG" suffers from muddled storytelling that goes from one big BANG-action to another bigger BANG, killing every merit of the film. Though "LXG" is always great to see, and still an entertaining piece of work you will see in summer at local multiplex, its result is nothing remarkable.

Before you see it, I have to say part of the film would offend some people who love reading classics. The story involves "extraordinary gentlemen" in Western literary history, namely, Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker (from "Dracula"), Dr. Jekyll (or his alter ego), Dorian Gray, Rodney Skinner (aka. The Invisible Man) and Tom Sawyer. They are assembled under command of the British government's agent "M," and are going to stop the secret plot planned by one evil genius "Phantom." And Mina is supposed to have had a romantic relationship with Dorian. Don't say that in your English class. Your teacher might not find it amusing.

The premise is wonderful and more intelligent than you can expect from regular Hollywood films. Actually, there are many references to classic novels (mainly written in the latter half of 19th century), so when Nemo's chief assistant appears, he gives a quip: "Call me Ishmael." For those who say the famous detective from Baker Street is missing in the list above, well, you will eventually know that his story is not totally forgotten.

However ... yes, inspite of these interesting premise, "LXG" sinks deep into the sea with its unbelievably unwise choice of story and setting. I only quote one example. These gents (and a lady) goes to Venice, to stop the sabotage planned by Phantom. Good. And they go there by Nemo's submarine. OK, but when you see that huge sub sneaks (literally) into the canals of the city, we start to doubt our eyes. And then Tom Sawyer wildly drives a car in the street of Venice, and the villains start to attack with machine guns as if the film is "SWAT," we are left speechless. So, what is the point of making the 19th century background after all?

The actions are not bad, nor great either, so don't expect much from that. Still it must be said when the actors are allowed to show some tricks, the film is certainly engaging. Sean Connery is as charismatic as ever, and Shane West ("A Walk to Remember") fits the role of youngster who finds a father-son relation with Connery. Mina Harker's Peta Wilson is also fascinating as blood-sucking vampire, and Nasseruddin Shah plays the role of Nemo quite effectively with dignity.

In short, there is nothing extradordinary about "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" except for great production designs, and its photography (the latter by Dan Laustsen, "Mimic"). Not bad as critics say, but if you want really extraordinary people's story which is well-told, you can see "X-Men."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: league of extrodinary gentlemen
Review: while others view this movie as stale, I myself found it to be intriguing. The plot twist and turns in a very unexpected way. Sean Connery was exactly who he's supposed to be, a man who lived his life fast and furious and all he wants to do now is relax, but he can't.
Just when you think you know whats going on, it changes, but for the good.
The graphics are outstanding and the overall plot of the movie is exceptional.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: way short of extraordinary
Review: "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" dose not make a lot of sense. The plot is that Allen Quartermain, Mina Harker, Tom Sawyer, Jekkel and Hyde, Dorian Grey, Cpt. Nemo, and the Invisable Man are recruited to help stop a world war in 1899. The story is fragmentery at best. For example the League is in Venice just long enough to stop a bomb, and then they leave with out doing what they went to do. The action is very exciting and fast paced, which helps cover up the the story's weakness (but not totally masking it). Sean Connery helps a lot, he has a charm that somehow always takes a bad project and makes it barable ("Family Buissness" comes to mind). Peta Wilson is always easy to watch, but her vampire broke too many rules; she has a reflection in the mirror, and can go outside in the sunlight (even "Underworld" didn't take that drastic a license). Over all it's alright, just only so so.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Oh what could have been...
Review: In order to be a bit more fair to the film, I decided to judge it as a standalone work, and not a spinoff of the great comic. That being said, the film does serve its' purpose. It's a better than average comic book adapatation. However, adaptation is the key word here, because while some of the characters from the series are here, and the time period intact, the film's is indeed it's own story.

For those unfamiliar with the comic series, I will provide a bit of background. In 1999 Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill, two famous comic authors/illustrators came up with a phenomenal idea for a new comic. Comibining characters from classic English literature of the 19th century, the two men formed what could be described as the first X-Men, each character had a certain skill, but also a dark past.

The characters featured in the book were the famous hunter/adventurer Alan Quatermain, Dracula victim Mina Harker (going by her maiden name of Murray,) Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter-ego Edward Hyde, and the Invisible Man, Hawley Griffin.

In keeping with my own belief that you should never give too much away in a review, I will not give any details of either plot away. I will go so far as to say that despite the movie's differences from the book, it was still enjoyable.

I always enjoy seeing Sean Connery on screen, and although he is getting a bit old for the fight scenes, he does hold his own quite well.

If you're a big fan of action films it's definitely worth adding to your collection. For the rest, it's a renter.


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