League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The

LXG is based on the comic books of Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill and has nothing to do with the classic 1960 Ealing comedy, The League of Gentlemen.

The film takes the book's characters, adds two more, and hopes for the best. Here we have adventurer Allen Quatermain (Sean Connery), Dr. Henry Jekyll/Mr Hyde (Jason Flemyng), the Invisible Man (Tony Curran), vampire/vampire hunter Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) and Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah). Dorian Grey (Stuart Townsend) and Tom Sawyer (Shane West) are also thrown in for no adequately explained reason other than perhaps the marketing department’s whim. They are brought together by M (Richard Roxburgh) in a meandering plot to save Venice from exploding and then go off to do something in an icy fortress – the details of which escaped me.

LXG does have the benefit of interesting characters but they struggle to make any kind of dramatic impression. This is hard when more obvious questions than character motivation are at the front of the audience’s mind. Like how does an aircraft carrier-sized submarine surface in Venice and cruise the canals? Well, ten points for acknowledging Venice has canals, but minus ten points for a lengthy car race down its streets. And another minus ten for the graveyard scene. Hello? Streets? Graveyards? This is Venice!

 

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