MovieFreak.com - "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" DVD Review by Dennis Landmann

Starring: Sean Connery, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Peta Wilson, Jason Flemyng

The league is a hunter, a scientist, a vampire, an invisible man, an immortal, a spy, and a beast. When a masked madman known as "The Fantom" threatens to launch global Armageddon, legendary adventurer Allan Quatermain (Connery) commands a legion of superheroes, the like of which mankind has never seen. Now, despite fighting their own personal demons - and each other - they must join forces to save the world.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a one-note type of film. That is, much of what happens in the story only serves one purpose; to showcase action. Granted, the script by James Dale Robinson makes attempts to flesh out the characters and add subplots. However, taking into consideration the main premise, which is to stop a bad guy named the Fantom, such attempts fail because there isn't enough time. The result in an obvious underwritten script. I confess, the film's trailer showed some promise, that perhaps it could be a fun ride, but again the script doesn't make it possible.

Going back to the script, Robinson does a nice thing introducing each character by having almost all of them meet in a library study. Each character has a certain power or skill, and I liked the Invisible Man (Tony Curran) the most simply because he can't be seen unless covered in white powder, or is it paint? The only reason Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah) is present is because of his navigational skills and his bastard submarine/ship. Other than the Titanic, no ship comes close to it. Therefore, a bastard ship. It's okay if you don't get the explanation. But back to Nemo, he's not in the least bit interesting. He's too obvious, no mystery. Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) is another character, and he's only decent. He can't die, which is cool but old. Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), the luscious vampire, sells a certain intrigue, and as the only female character she stands out. The Jekyll/Hyde (Jason Flemyng) character is not too bad, but seems too Hulk-ish. Then there's a lackluster Tom Sawyer, played by Shane West. Last but not least is Sean Connery's Allan Quatermain. He kicks ass, uses his accent to his advantage, and leads the group, although all his stunts are obviously performed by stunt players, which takes away a wee bit intensity.

A film like this needs a stellar cast of characters, so when one or two are not interesting the film is being compromised. This is one issue trapping LXG, among other things. The other issues are as follows. The plot is too one-sided. That is, the Fantom is made out to be this great enemy, but it's not. Plus, the league's hunt is undermined for that same reason. When the league tracks it down to Venice, which is about to be sunk by bombs, a pretty enjoyable action sequence begins. The special effects are pretty obvious, some of them too murky, but the sequence worked no matter the implausibility whether such stunts are possible. The film is set in a fantasy-type of environment, where strange characters live and unyielding powers exist. By those standards, I was able to be entertained by some parts in the film.

Fans of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill will be disappointed. The last scene is way too open-ended, which is unsatisfactory. Also, I won't spoil the identity of the Fantom here, but the twist is questionable. Well, it makes sense coming from the perspective of a madman, but it doesn't feel right. For me the film is more unsatisfactory and predictable than terrible. Taking everything into consideration, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is too muddled to recommend, but there are some folks who might be interested in some mindless action. In that case, rent it.

Fox presents LXG in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors are sometimes subdued to good effect. They remain crisp and well-saturated throughout the show. Detail is very nice. The print image is in good condition with few areas of grain or any markings of dirt. Dark scenes look good with solid black levels. I didn't notice any compression artifacts. Overall, pretty nice quality.

Fox presents LXG in English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. This soundtrack offers something very nice; cool surround sound during the major action sequences, clear dialogue that's easy to understand and active rear speakers. Sound effects are neatly emitted from all channels in the soundfield. They have clear and strong impact. Dynamic range is also present in the large action scenes. Trevor Jones' score is mixed quite nicely into this soundtrack. There is good separation between the dialogue, music and effects. This soundtrack delivers some good punches. It's a pretty solid presentation.

A French 5.1 Dolby Digital dub and a Spanish Dolby Surround dub track is also available.

There's some nice stuff here and it appears Fox was quite generous when preparing the film for home video. The extras provide a pretty good look at the making of the film. However, the absence of director Stephen Norrington and Sean Connery in these extras reiterates the production and film did not go over very well, ultimately ending in disappointment. But, whatever.

The special features menu starts off with an audio commentary by producers Don Murphy and Trevor Albert, and actors Shane West, Jason Flemyng and Tony Curran. There is some good information and trivia revealed here, especially anecdotes about filming from the actors and details regarding the production as a whole by the producers. It's a good listen with a handful of jokes and laughs thrown in the mix, such as the actors mimicking Sir Sean Connery.

There's a second commentary by costume designer Jacqueline West, visual effects supervisor John E. Sullivan, make-up effects supervisor Steve Johnson and miniatures creator Matthew Gratzner. This discussion is based on each participant's point of view and job on the production. A handful of interesting comments can be found, but that's about it for my tastes. Overall, both commentaries are pretty decent. They don't just state the obvious.

Next are a set of featurettes that last roughly 54 minutes and cover specific areas of the production. Select "Assembling the League" and choose among six featurettes. They offer a pretty good look at the highlights of the behind-the-scenes work and break down as follows: "Origins" (9:37), "Attire" (6:32), "The Nemomobile" (5:11), "Making Mr. Hyde" (14:16), "Resurrecting Venice" (8:07), and "Sinking Venice" (10:06). This is no fluff material, but is actually informative.

There are also twelve deleted/extended scenes that run for about 14 and a half minutes. None of them are too exciting and their exclusions are obvious, although I thought one or two scenes worked. Video quality on these is fine and presented in widescreen. Rounding out the extras is a 33-second special message about the effects of drug use.

You can select to view the film with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. The 110-minute feature is organized into thirty-two chapters. A paper insert lists scene selections.

Despite some fun action pieces and cool visuals that I enjoyed, although many special effects shots appeared too murky, LXG is a jumbled and poorly-scripted film. Sir Connery kicks ass, but that's beside the point. Fox's video/audio quality is pretty solid, while the extras are generous and informative. Rent it if you're in the mood for some action.

THE MOVIE	5
THE VIDEO	8
THE AUDIO	9
THE EXTRAS	7
OVERALL (not an average)	6