The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen [UMD for PSP]

Lots of good actors, but they arent given much scope for their talents. Lots of explosions and shooting, plenty of noise. But its a bit tedious to watch. Leaves you time to think about things like why does Tom Sawyer wear suspenders hanging down from his waist? Why wear them at all if you arent going to use them? Why do steampunk women always have their bosoms pushed up so it looks like they are serving them on a tray? Why did they show the Nautilus as big as a cruise ship in one scene, then show them sailing it right into a canal in Venice in another scene, much smaller?

I am happy with my purchase of the Blu ray version of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Although the reviews it received when it was in the theaters were not very good, it is still an entertaining adventure movie, with a interesting premise -- set in the late 19th century and getting together some of the most famous/infamous fictional heros of the time. The quality of the blu ray transfer is excellent (5 stars). The pictures are crisp and the sound was clear -- just like it was in the movie theatre. The movie does not live up to its full potential. While it is exciting to see these characters together, and the actors were all fairly good, they do not seem to develop enough relationship with one another. The plot starts well, but the ending is predictable. Nonetheless, I showed this movie to relatives who had not seen it before and they enjoyed it and decided to add it to their own DVD collection. I believe the movie is underrated, and many were deterred because of the poor initial reviews.

With the majority so far here...this picture, panned almost to a man by the critics, was actually as enjoyable as I thought it would be before I started hearing the avalanche of negative reviews. Why did they hate this film so much?! It has NON-stop action, great art direction, good casting, (I am in love with Peta WIlson!) a nice, world-threatening plot, (probably yet another nod to Connery,) and passable special effects. Perhaps it was the obvious hand that Marvel may have had in it...the whole movie reminds me an AWFUL lot of Van Helsing, what with Mr. Hyde having a prominent part in it, on top of the presence of Richard Roxburgh, who played Dracula in that movie. Van Helsing also, in turn, bore a strong resemblance to X-2, X-Men United. CGI effects are also a lot more obvious in Marvels movies than they are in anybody elses, and they are here...THAT could have been a put-off...but for me, the not-so-great CGI was hidden well enough by shadows so that it wasnt as bad as it was in The Hulk or Spiderman. The group consists of: Allen Quartermain, (Connery...glad they didnt pick Richard Chamberlain,) Tom Sawyer, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Captain Nemo, (wait til you see the Nautilus...WOW!) and a persona de femme from Dracula, Mina Harker, played by Ms. Wilson. Dorian Grey is along for the ride, too, but how much can you trust a character made up by Oscar Wilde? Its great seeing Connery slug a villain and making it stick, at his age...(hes 77 now, can you believe it?) and Peta Wilson...YES!! Love that accent, love that stature, love that improvement-on-Julie-Christie thing shes got going for her....Love that car, too...Ill bet you anything either Panther Westwinds or Sbarro had something to do with that beast! That looked like a Lancia grille, too! Anyway, there is, indeed, non-stop action! You really do root for the good guys, especially after its revealed that the groups being conned by a surprising source, and just marvelling at the great sets and cinematography used in the film is a kick. I highly recommend this underrated little film, one that the critics made look much worse than it is!

Sean Connery truly shines as an older Allan Quartermain. Ive loved all of Haggards characters for years, and I found no fault with his character. I know some purists have a thing about vampires in the daylight, but let me remind you forgetful individuals: BRAM STOKER WROTE ABOUT VAMPIRES IN THE DAYLIGHT!!!! Jonathan Harker sees Count Dracula in braod daylight (well, it WAS London, maybe not so broad). Anyone raised on Disneys 20,000 Leagues movie was probably a bit confused by the appearance of the Nautilus, but this design is probably far more in keeping with the time period than the Disney design. I never was a big fan of Mr. Hyde, or of The Invisible Man, so Ill not comment on them, except that I found Hydes characterization interesting. I thought Dorian Gray was well done, if not perfect. That leaves Moriarty. Doyles madman would certainly have been capable of the plots of this man, but I believe that he would have been far more subtle, and I dont think he would have given Dorians picture back. It would have been just TOO intriguing for him. The only disappointment I had in the DVD was the lack of the ending that I saw in the theaters, where Quartermains hand rises from his grave to grip the rifle. DOES ANYONE ELSE REMEMBER THAT???? Sometimes I think Im going crazy.

Famous literary characters serve as superheroes of a sort in this steampunk thriller. A sneaky terrorist calling himself THE Fantom, seeks to disrupt the balance of power in the world, so he might profit from the ensuing chaos. Instead of striking fear, the phony Fantom simply annoys The League, and now they have a mission―to stop the freak at all costs. But. (Almost a surprise.) It turns out that he is not a freak and not everyone is as they claim to be. An interesting premise posing as a futuristic period piece. I bought it because it features the indomitable Sean Connery. Otherwise, it’s just a lot of rushing around, a great deal of novelty, and very little substance. None of the actors are given much to do. Most of them didn’t appear to be enjoying themselves, regardless. Still. I like it for all its numerous flaws and foibles. It’s crap. But it’s fancy crap.

The steampunk setting and costumes are nice to look at. The story was dull, and most of the acting was cringeworthy. Im amazed that they were so optimistic as to try and set up for a sequel to this junk.

I dont understand how to review this. The movie, OK , I like the actors in it (as long as they dont get Political). The DVD itself, I wont know until I watch it (right now its on my DVD shelf). If I were to watch it and the DVD itself is fine, that is no guarantee that ALL of the other DVDs that people may buy will be OK. Just like the majority of reviews, some say it is great and some hate it.

2nd time reordering because first one sent wouldnt play in American DVD players. Product quality iffy, movie excellent. Another Sean Connery sleeper.

brilliant and timeless hours of watching over and over for year

4 stars because the kids (18, 20, and 24) could watch this movie over, and over, and over! And they do. I find it ok but HAD to get it when it was discovered in Amazon video because this is a classic for the kids. I could take it or leave it individually but it does work as a family movie when we are grilling or just hanging out.