The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Reviewed by:
Paul Ulane

When we think summer blockbuster, Victorian-era literary figures aren’t first to spring to mind. But for those of you clad like Harry Potter and often threatened by jocks, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen portended (comic)bookworm heaven. Unfortunately, League falls right in between a quirky action-adventure and a bland blast-’em-up resulting in a forgettable summer fling.

At the turn of the century, a diabolical oppressor known as the Fantom plans to distribute a deadly new form of weaponry to take over the world. (Muhhaahhhaahhaaa. Muhhaahhhaahhaa.) Once the League assembles, led by Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), they head out to the Fantom’s home base in Venice, Italy, to put a stop to his diabolical laughing (see above). This is where the quirky superheroes come in, with characters like vampiress Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), the invisible Rodney Skinner (Tony Curran), the immortal Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend), the Dr. Bruce Banner/Hulk wanna-be Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde (Jason Flemyng), and the…erm, captain, Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah). Once the band blend their mysteriously dorky powers, they’re prepared to right the wrongs of the Fantom’s new weapons of mass destruction—until they realize they’ve all been drawn to his lair for an entirely different reason. After this plodding exposition, the nonsensical battles kick off, but it’s hard to distinguish them from any of this summer’s earlier blam-a-thons. Why the elaborate setup for such an ordinary action flick? Further proof that nothing good will ever come from classic literature.