Review of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) by Danny R — 25 Nov 2015

I like the premise and I wish it had been better executed but sadly, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen doesn't really hang together well enough to be given a higher star rating. The idea that the leading characters from several Victorian adventure novels are real people and have been bough together to defend the Empire against a perilous threat has great potential and does work well.

Where this movie fails is that the villainous mastermind is strangely unconvincing and the plot is a bit too sprawling for the tension and threat to spark the interest. The central players are adequate in their roles but few really sparkle.

Indeed, for me, the stand-out performer is Naseeruddin Shah who makes for a great Captain Nemo. Indeed, it is his fantastically realised Nautilus that is one of the real highlights of this movie. Sean Connery also puts in a good turn as Allan Quartermaine, playing up the gravelly, past-his-prime tough guy which is almost a parody of himself.

This is not a dreadful movie but it does feel lumpy and unpolished in parts. I can't help but think that it is a bit of a wasted opportunity to have made something a bit more exciting, witty and sophisticated than what is served up here.