Tuesday, October 14, 2003
The League of Not So Extraordinary Gentlemen
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen begins with such promise but really fails to live up to the potential of its cast, its characters or its graphic novel origins. The ensemble: Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), ex-adventurer, rather oddly both colonising white-man and somehow mystically protected by "Africa's" medicine men; Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), ex-pirate, ostensibly once an enemy of Empire somehow working now for Britain's glory; Mina Harker (Australia's own Peta Wilson), a reluctant vampire who, rather Angel-like (although the graphic novel preceeded the TV series) seeks redemption by using her curse for "good"; an Invisible Man (Tony Curran); a complicated almost-immortal, Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend); a Hulk-in-a-bottle and his keeper Dr Jekyll (Jason Flemyng); and finally … a token American in the odd addition of US secret service agent Tom Sawyer (Shane West). Gathered together by the enigmatic M (Richard Roxburgh) to fight the first super-villain, The Fantom, The League has real potential.
Alan Moore knew these characters inside out and could write a story to play the strengths and depths of every one. James Robinson's screenplay, by contrast, leaves a lot lacking. For a start, the potency of Empire relic Quatermain versus the pirate Nemo should prove fascinating, but are swept under the rug in seconds. Harker, the leader of the graphic novel group, is only allowed to blossom briefly, although Peta Wilson does a great job. And the "climax" of the piece is so badly written that every cliché is used, every convenient anachronism over-utilised and stock standard device deployed. Nothing new, when there could have been so much. That said, there are some corker moments, and the first twenty minutes introducing each character are pretty impressive. Indeed, when the complicated Dorian Gray faces off against the equally long-lived Harker, there are some real sparks (and bites, and claws and tears), but this is the only decent fight in the picture. Even the anachronism of a car in 1899 is treated as so banal you'd think it was commonplace! And the passing of the torch from Empire (Quartermain) to the new blood of the US (Sawyer) is so f**king annoying, over-the-top and melodramatic that it should not only be on the cutting room floor, but also deleted forever! Grrr. Great potential, a few laughs, but ultimately very disappointing. *sigh*
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen begins with such promise but really fails to live up to the potential of its cast, its characters or its graphic novel origins. The ensemble: Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), ex-adventurer, rather oddly both colonising white-man and somehow mystically protected by "Africa's" medicine men; Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), ex-pirate, ostensibly once an enemy of Empire somehow working now for Britain's glory; Mina Harker (Australia's own Peta Wilson), a reluctant vampire who, rather Angel-like (although the graphic novel preceeded the TV series) seeks redemption by using her curse for "good"; an Invisible Man (Tony Curran); a complicated almost-immortal, Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend); a Hulk-in-a-bottle and his keeper Dr Jekyll (Jason Flemyng); and finally … a token American in the odd addition of US secret service agent Tom Sawyer (Shane West). Gathered together by the enigmatic M (Richard Roxburgh) to fight the first super-villain, The Fantom, The League has real potential.
Alan Moore knew these characters inside out and could write a story to play the strengths and depths of every one. James Robinson's screenplay, by contrast, leaves a lot lacking. For a start, the potency of Empire relic Quatermain versus the pirate Nemo should prove fascinating, but are swept under the rug in seconds. Harker, the leader of the graphic novel group, is only allowed to blossom briefly, although Peta Wilson does a great job. And the "climax" of the piece is so badly written that every cliché is used, every convenient anachronism over-utilised and stock standard device deployed. Nothing new, when there could have been so much. That said, there are some corker moments, and the first twenty minutes introducing each character are pretty impressive. Indeed, when the complicated Dorian Gray faces off against the equally long-lived Harker, there are some real sparks (and bites, and claws and tears), but this is the only decent fight in the picture. Even the anachronism of a car in 1899 is treated as so banal you'd think it was commonplace! And the passing of the torch from Empire (Quartermain) to the new blood of the US (Sawyer) is so f**king annoying, over-the-top and melodramatic that it should not only be on the cutting room floor, but also deleted forever! Grrr. Great potential, a few laughs, but ultimately very disappointing. *sigh*
[Posted by Unknown] [8:02 am]
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