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The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Mark's Take
An interesting premise from a graphic novel makes about half
an hour of interesting story, mostly for the introduction of the
characters.
But the film needed a good plot to make it more than just a
comic book origin story. This one seems to have a plot that was
patched together as it went along. The film has a nice look, but
the viewer is never intrigued by the villain or his machinations.
 Perhaps
one of the most respected names of authors in the graphic novel
medium is Alan Moore, creator or co-creator of WATCHMEN, V FOR VENDETTA,
FROM HELL, and THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. FROM HELL
has already been filmed and now THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN
has been filmed also.
Moore's intriguing premise is that several characters, not necessarily
heroes, from popular late 19th Century British (or French) fiction
all exist in the same universe and can be called upon by the British
government to form a sort of Justice League of Britain.
Included in this all-star team are H. Rider Haggard's Allan Quatermain,
Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, H. G. Wells's Invisible Man, Robert
Louis Stevenson's Jekyll/Hyde, and Bram Stoker's Mina Harker. The
graphic novel turned them all into superheroes, modifying several
of them from their original form intended by their creators.
Nemo, decked out like a maharajah, has a Nautilus the size of an
ocean liner. (Side note: In 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA Jules Verne
originally planned that Nemo would be a Polish engineer who had
reason to hate Russians.
Verne's editor removed this detail so the novel would sell better
in Russia. In MYSTERIOUS ISLAND we find that Nemo is an Indian,
Prince Dakar.) Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde get crossed with the
Incredible Hulk. Hyde is a hulk-monster.
In the book, Hyde is a small man for whom even Jekyll's clothes
are far too big. Not to mention that many of these people died in
their original stories. The film takes even greater liberties. Along
for the ride is Dorian Gray who can pass all his injuries on to
his portrait but who dies if he sees the portrait.
Mina Harker has become a vampire like Dracula, but uses her new
powers for good rather than eeevil. Also joining the action is Tom
Sawyer, now all grown up and a secret service agent.
While the story would have been better had Moore and co-author
Kevin O'Neill restricted themselves to faithfully represent the
characters from the stories, it is still a fairly clever premise
to bring these characters together as a team.
For that, if for no other reason, I was looking forward to the
film version of THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. Unfortunately,
the film has to introduce this premise and that task takes no little
time on the screen. It diverts time from telling the main story.
With not much time to tell the story, LEAGUE is not the most interesting
or engaging tale that it could be. It is a rushed story of a super-villain
with a confusing and confused but nasty plot that endangers the
whole world. The plot might be fit for a lesser James Bond effort,
but even there it could be better amplified, better explained, and
the character of the villain would be more fleshed out.
In fact, the villain of this piece has a particular visual characteristic
about him. He loses that characteristic late in the film and when
he does he also loses most of his interest value. It becomes hard
to pick him out of scenes.
The viewer hardly knows or cares. This is not a memorable screen
villain. Nor does it seem the writers started their script knowing
what the villain's plot was.
Part of the pleasure of the film is supposed to be the anachronisms.
But most of the fun is in the first part of the film and the anachronisms
long outlast the fun. Having a fancy submarine in the 19th century
is a good fun anachronism.
Having it be the length of the Queen Mary we can nod at. (Though
it does seem to change scale several times in the course of the
film.) A little while later when we see Nemo also has an automobile
that looks like a 1930s Hollywood roadster with fancy bric-a-brac
added, we must turn a blind eye.
Later when we hear someone making jokes about wanting to nail a
woman, the anachronism is just there to make a really stupid and
tasteless joke and has no humor value at all. It is the kind of
joke that is a cue for the patrons to check their watches.
The film's strong suit then is not its plot but its visual effect.
The production design is by Carol Spier, and she is very accomplished.
She has been art director or production designer for several David
Cronenberg films (including NAKED LUNCH and "eXistenZ"), MIMIC,
DRACULA 2000, and BLADE II.
These are all films with strong visual elements and it probably
is no coincidence. LEAGUE has a nice Victorian "steam punk" look
and a lot of nifty gadgets to look at.
It would be nice to see these literary characters brought together
in some intriguing yarn.
This story is not it. And the villain is just too much (dare I
say it?) a comic book villain.
I rate THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN a 4 on the 0 to 10
scale and a 0 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R Leeper
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OTHER CONTENT - August 2003
28 Days Later: Frank's Take
Unconventional filmmaker Danny Boyle has the inherent knack for stomach-turning entertainment that's outright disturbing yet oddly poetic and polished in its gruesome suspended state of mind.
(FILM REVIEWS)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
The concept of throwaway entertainment comes in all forms, shapes and sizes. And as everybody and their grandmother already knows, an exceedingly high dosage of boisterous brain-dead eye candy is what usually satisfies the majority of giddy moviegoers during the summertime blues.
(FILM REVIEWS)
Conjose Mails Membership Reimbursements
ConJose, the 2002 World Science Fiction Convention, issued reimbursements to
qualified volunteers, staff, committee, and program participants beginning
in late May 2003.
(CONVENTIONS)
Hewitt
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With about 60 titles already published on both sides of the Atlantic, award-winning NJ author John Grant thought he'd seen every way there was of his books being published ... but he was wrong!
(NEWS)
Jon Courtenay Grimwood Interview
Jon Courtenay Grimwood belongs to the special group of SFF novelists who write compelling Science Fiction that keeps the reader's interest without employing the short cuts of cliché, formulae or fantasy. Jane Palmer chats with one of the rapidly rising stars of Brit-Lit SF.
(INTERVIEWS)
Touched by a Tentacle
Scottish SF author Ken MacLeod comes across an intriguing article on the influence of right-wing think tanks, and via that, the even more revelatory Cursor's Media Transparency, which tells you who's paying which pipers (and why they all play the same tune).
(COMMENT)
The Subtracted Dimensions of Lisa Snellings
The hugely admired kinetic 3D creations of fantasy sculptor Lisa Snellings are a constant source of fascination to those lucky enough to own them, or to visit the people who do. A new development - Snellings-as-fantasy-illustrator - has come about through the creation of an anthology of original stories.
(INTERVIEWS)
July 2003 Offworld Report
SFF imprint Earthlight is axed, John Jarrold angrily speaks out on this, Richard E Grant becomes the new Dr Who, why Clarion matters, Eric Van Lustbader is interviewed, and a fab review of POD-based SFF fiction (hint, it's really, really bad).
(NEWS)
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines: Frank's Take
This juiced-up futuristic fable is delightfully on maximum overdrive and Arnold S. does what he does best ... deliver his brand of robotic ribaldry with the precision of an extremely well-oiled machine.
(FILM REVIEWS)
Bounty (Star Trek Enterprise)
While Archer is taken prisoner by a bounty hunter, T'Pol is infected by a pathogen which unleashes her mating urges. Tim finds an episode which is one of the season's worst: appallingly bad in fact.
(TV REVIEWS)
Cogenitor (Star Trek Enterprise)
A first contact situation leads Trip to get overly involved with the life and rights of a new species. There's a few plot conveniences, but this proves fairly meaty stuff.
(TV REVIEWS)
First Flight (Star Trek Enterprise)
Archer gets word than an old colleague has died, prompting him to tell T'Pol about the early days of warp test flights. Goofy in spots, but fairly charming overall says our Tim.
(TV REVIEWS)
Regeneration (Star Trek Enterprise)
The discovery of a crashed ship in the Arctic leads to humanity's first ever encounter with the Borg. Mostly a collection of horror-movie cliches. Good moments, but that's all.
(TV REVIEWS)
The Breach (Star Trek Enterprise)
While Trip, Reed, and Mayweather must travel through treacherous caves in order to find some lost Denobulans, Phlox finds himself facing a patient with a long-standing grudge against Phlox's own race. The character material is good, the jeopardy sub-plot is not so great though
(TV REVIEWS)
The Expanse (Star Trek Enterprise)
In the season finale, an attack on Earth by a new alien race brings a change of mission for the Enterprise. Tim discovers lots of setup, but not a lot of payoff.
(TV REVIEWS)
Martian Opposition
Rod ponders the Red Planet's fascination for writers of science fiction and fantasy and muses over the host of space probes which will shortly be descending there from America, Europe and Japan.
(ARTICLES)
Kevin J. Anderson: An Impolite Interview
Kevin J. Anderson on why he can't get enough of sprawling, multiple storyline books, on making characters grow, live and die, and why science fiction is the only genre with the entire universe as its canvas.
(INTERVIEWS)
The Hulk: Frank's Take
In revered filmmaker Ang Lee’s darkly jolting action-adventure The Hulk, the perversely spry comic-book film adaptation continues on as a booming genre flick.
(FILM REVIEWS)
28 Days Later: Mark's Take
A modestly budgeted science fiction film has society being destroyed by a virus that turns people into violent killers. While some of the ideas and some of the story seem borrowed from The Day Of The Triffids, the film itself seems freshly nightmarish.
(FILM REVIEWS)
The Hulk: Mark's Take
Ambitious but ultimately dissatisfying film version of the Marvel comic. A man periodically turns into a not-so-jolly green giant. Ang Lee does the adaptation with ill-calculated sensibility and not much sense.
(FILM REVIEWS)
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (Mark's Take)
This is almost certainly the most exciting pirate film ever made. This fast-paced confection of an adventure has wit, a good story and imaginative visuals. Johnny Depp gives what is probably his best performance as a grubby yet stylish pirate captain.
(FILM REVIEWS)
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machine (Mark's Take)
The new Terminator film has fewer ideas to slow the action. The film is in more ways than one just a machine demolition derby. The future sends back what is supposed to be the most advanced Terminator robot of the series but budget constraints and poor writing make it less intelligent and less capable than its predecessor was.
(FILM REVIEWS)
The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Mark's Take
An interesting premise from a graphic novel makes about half an hour of interesting story, mostly for the introduction of the characters. But the film needed a good plot to make it more than just a comic book origin story. This one seems to have a plot that was patched together as it went along. The film has a nice look, but the viewer is never intrigued by the villain or his machinations.
(FILM REVIEWS)
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