The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

[BL-17]

Although it will be a couple months before this movie is released, I feel it deserves a discussion thread as well. I hope there are at least a few "League" fans on the boards other than myself.

[Padme]

I haven't ever read any of the comics, but I can't wait to see the movie. It looks awesome!!

[Marbleman]

never heard of this one. whats it about anyway?

[BL-17]

The movie is based, loosely, on the first comic in a six-part mini-series by Alan Moore and artist Kevin O'Neill.

The setting: 19th century, England.

Synopsis: Sensing trouble for the Empire in the future, Queen Victoria has the British Secret Service secretly put a seemingly disparate team together to stop a villain intent on turning the nations of the world against one another for his own personal gain. Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery) will be the leader of a group of superpowered individuals from great adventure literature: Mina Harker (Peta Wilson) from Dracula, the Invisible Man (Tony Curran), Dr. Henry Jekyll (Jason Flemying), Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend) and their American liaison, police detective Thomas Sawyer (Shane West).

The comics are great and I really hope they do a fine job with the movie. You may want to check out the website. It has some really cool information on the characters and whatnot.

[Marbleman]

hm, sounds interesting. . . thanks for the info, BL17!

[Mann]

sounds wierd. I mean the movie looks alright at best. the title will kill it though. LXG? come on.

[BL-17]

I agree. The abbreviation is a little lame...

[Justin]

I think LXG is really stupid, as is X2 and ID4. MIB was ok, because it was used as an abbreviation in the movie itself.

I think this movie looks pretty cool. The first trailer was marketed all wrong, but newer previews look pretty cool.

[spaceman2386]

ya when i saw the preveiw i thought it looked dumb.

[Lord Rocha]

If Mina Harker ( the character of Stocker's Dracula) is there, the movie must be better than the average.

And yes, the abbreviation is kind of lame.

[Justin]

The only abbreviation that would be cool is JLA, for the Justice League of America, because that's always been the title, and it just works.

[Lord Rocha]

JLA....sounds like JLo. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[Justin]

lol, no it's J.L.A., like USA.

[spaceman2386]

right it is funny lol style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[BL-17]

The new >trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/lxg/)<, featured in X-Men United, is now available for download in QuickTime format. This one focuses on Connery's character, Allan Quatermain, and how he has to gather the League together.

Some older news: The character Campion Bond has been cut from the film. There was some doubt as to whether or not he would be added in at all, being that the role had been vacant for quite some time (all the way up to post production), but according to the newest script, hosted at Showfax.com (http://www.showfax.com/sides_2/la/feature/league_of_extraordinary_gentlemen/role.html), the scene where Bond shows up at the end of the movie to debrief the League on their next mission has, in fact, been cut due to timing. He should show up in the next film.

[Mann]

extraordinary doesn't even start with an X. But if they did that, it would be LEG, and that's evenworse, but funny!

[BL-17]

Not much is happening in the way of news and I wouldn't expect it seeing as the movie is due out in July. The only things I've noticed is that a few TV spots have been shown during a few of my favorite primetime television programs. There were also some rumors that Sean Connery and director Stephen Norrington were constantly fighting and that fists went flying. This rumor was debunked by the producer of the film who said, "Never happened. It was like, 'Why don't I kick your ass?' 'Yeah why don't I kick my ass!' But there were never any blows. Both guys were too professional."

Some new pictures are also available online:

Latino Review (http://www.latinoreview.com/films_2003/fox/lxg/lxg.html)



http://www.latinoreview.com/films_2003/fox/lxg/images/lxg-1.jpg

[JediJaina]

Could someone tell me what's so special about this? It just doesn't have much appeal to me (yet).

[Lord Rocha]

Maybe that it has many heros of famous books, like a literary hero reunion. Think so

[kopernikuz]

It's based loosely on an absolutely excellent Graphic Novel... though I have a feeling the GN will be better... they made a lot of changes... for example, Alan was not the leader, Nina Harker was... I think that was a mistake... they just needed to cast a great actress in that and let her be the leader...

I think it would've been funny to cast Winona Ryder... let her reprise her role from the Francis Ford Coppola version of Dracula.

Anyway... the GN rocks... this looks different... but still like fun.

The GN is absolutely CHOCK FULL of great lit references in the backgrounds, dialogue, and the story itself. Excellent book.

I feel the movie will probably sacrifice the quirkiness to make it more mainstream... and that will be sad. But it should at least be a fun adventure...

[BL-17]

Ah, good, someone who's read it. I can't agree with you enough on how truly excellent the series is. Hopefully, the first film will prosper, as I would very much like to see the next five made; just some wishful thinking. Movies like this often have a hard time finding an audience, I suppose. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, however, does look like a good action movie, from what I've seen, and Stephen Norrington is a fairly good director of such movies.


The website (http://www.lxgmovie.com) has been updated, now featuring information on the Nautilus, the league's submarine vessel.

[BL-17]

Well, there are about 5 days left until the release and there have been loads of updates at SuperheroHype.com (http://www.superherohype.com/loeg/) and the official website (http://www.lxgmovie.com).

Something you can download at the official website is called "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Xtreme Desktop," which allows you to view video, learn more about the league, and keep posted on the latest news updates concerning the film.

[Mann]

can you tell me the names of the characters that they don't name in that picture. Like the Spy, The Vampire and the Immortal(I'm guessing the immortal is Dracula...?)

[BL-17]

Certainly -- The Invisible Man is Rodney Skinner, "gentleman thief". The spy is Tom Sawyer (not originally featured in the comic). The hunter is Allan Quatermain from the novel King Solomon's Mines. The Vampire is Mina Harker, Dracula's bride, and the immortal is Dorian Gray from the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray (also not originally featured in the comic, if I remember correctly).

[kopernikuz]

I've heard they've even cut Campion Bond out or at least reduced him to an afterthought at the end, BL... did you hear that?

[BL-17]

Most news sources claim that Bond was cut from the film. He was supposed to show up at the end of the film and sort of debrief the league on their next mission, but even about half way through post production, no one was cast to take the role and, not too long after, the scene with Bond was cut completely. He should have a small part in the next film.

I'm sure you've seen or heard ("Welcome to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.") whom could only be the character "M" (or Mycroft Holmes) in the TV spots and trailers. But you should expect to see him in the movie anyway as he's somewhat of a more important character as far as story progression goes. Still, it's too bad the Bond scene was cut...

Also, the soundtrack will, apparently, not be available in US stores ??? . It has to be ordered through the website VareseSarabande.com (http://www.varesesarabande.com/).

[bodegage]

SPOILERS!!!!! SPOILERS!!!!!READ ON IF YOU WANT BUT YOU HAVE BEEN CAUTIONED!!!!!!











My dad told me he was watching some interview with Sean Connery and the host asked if he had signed for a sequel. And Connery said NO since his character died in this movie. Then Connery added they may bring him back since Quartermain can't die out of Africa or something along those lines. This could all not be 100% since my Dad only caught part of it but it is pretty big!

[BL-17]

The movie, sadly, appears to be opening with some pretty poor reviews. There are a few good ones thrown into the mix, but the majority states that it's just another mediocre adaptation. Unfortunate, this is. Especially when considering the fact that it's facing some pretty rough competition with Pirates and the Terminator sequel. Although, I have heard T3 may receive a 40% drop from its opening weekend. So... at this point, I really don't know which will take the #1 spot at the box office, but if I had to venture a guess, I would say most likely Pirates of the Caribbean.

As to whether or not the movie is any good, I'll be the judge of that when I see it later tonight...

[JediJaina]

I've had a couple of friends that saw it and said they were very disappointed. ???

[Master Cephus]

I seen it last night.... decent.

Wasn't as good as the other comice book movies I have seen. Some of the CGI was great, but then some of the CGI sucked hard.

I think they should have made the movie longer and explained some of the main characters more in depth instead of them just jumping aboard and "showing off"...

IMO

[Mann]

My friends said it was nothing special, but alright. They said it sets up for a sequel.

[mirax terrik horn]

so i have to ask. who was the "bad" guy? my parents saw it but won't tell me. keep saying that it will ruin the entire movie. i don't care could somebody please tell me.

[Mann]

sounds like this is contending for the razzies this year.

[Master Cephus]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>so i have to ask. who was the "bad" guy? my parents saw it but won't tell me. keep saying that it will ruin the entire movie. i don't care could somebody please tell me. [/b][/quote]



if you really want to watch the movie, telling who the villian is will ruin the movie. Plus it was "The Phantom" style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[kopernikuz]

It's hardly worth a razzie. Actually pretty enjoyable, even though they do butcher the comic. I thought Hyde was awesome... and Mina was cool, but underused.

There was a scene, right before they go into Dorian Gray's house where the camera pans down an alley and there's a poster for the comic with Alan Moore's name... there are some other things in those posters, but I couldn't see them quick enough to note the in-jokes. Did anyone else see them?

I agree with whoever said it should've been longer... in fact, if you ask me they should've followed the book more closely... handled the introductions the same way. You don't get a real sense of Nemo, Skinner, or Harker. The only ones they develop an introduction for are Quartermain, Jekyll and Hyde, and Gray... they also don't develop M enough in the first scene he's in... makes it less interesting later...

There are areas worthy of great improvement, but overall an enjoyable time.

[Rob]

SPOILERS BELOW - POSITIVE REVIEW


This is one of the times where the critics were wrong for me, and it's a good thing too. I didn't care for Pirates of the Carribean or Terminator 3, so I was hoping that LXG would quench my action thirst for the summer and it did.

First of all, the only reason that I knew this was based on a graphic novel was because someone said it here. With that aside, it was based more on classic literary characters than anything else.

* Allan Quatermain - I read tales about him when I was younger, and there were various movies about him, but nothing like this. He's shown as a leader here, with the occasional fight scene, more like a father figure to Tom Sawyer. He'll be back.
* Mina Harker - The wife of Jonathan Harker from Bram Stoker's classic Dracula. I know that she was put under Vlad's spell, but I was unaware that there were any side effects, and none where written about her in Stoker's novel. If you reference the final chapter of the text you'll note that seven years after Dracula was killed Mina and the others returned to the castle and to Transylvania, the only thing that haunted them was bad memories. This character was a great addition to the film and I would have liked to have seen her in more sequences.
* Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde's invention from the Romantic era of literature does an excellent job in this film and it was almost sad to see him wind up as the traitor.
* Tom Sawyer - Another literary character put to good use, I had no idea that he had a run as a CIA agent though, seemed a bit strange. He should have been a bit more cocky too, as his character certainly was in the novels.
* The Invisible Man Rodney Skinner - His existance was sort of a rip off for the effects guys, very easy to do. I would have liked to 'seen' him do a bit more in the film.
* Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Fantastic characterization, but underused until the end. When this character finally comes around he's great.
* Captain Nemo - Badass characterization of the literary classic. This guy was nothing short of exciting all the way through.
* The Phantom - Weak villian made powerful only through the work of Dorian Grey. It's a shame that they couldn't figure up someone better for them to combat. I do think that he was also named Moriarty, aka the villain that Sherlock Holmes had such a problem with, so there's yet another literary reference.

All in all the action was better than T3 and Pirates, and the story was solid if you knew about all the literary references. It's a bit more pleasant than a comic book movie and more exciting as well.

[kopernikuz]

SPOILERS HERE TOO!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>Mimi Harker[/b][/quote]

Mina... but I'm nitpicking... lol style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif Did you know the reason she is always working with scientific things is because she is trying to find a cure for Vlad's curse. And I agree she was rather underused... I thought she was a great character.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'> Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - Fantastic characterization, but underused until the end. When this character finally comes around he's great.[/b][/quote]

Hyde was awesome... I love the way they did him... though a few scenes for a second he looks like a big ball of rubber... Mostly because of the fact that he was in a big prosthetic suit combined with elements of CGI. His was probably the most complex effect in the whole movie considering they used camera angles, CGI, prosthetics, puppetry, and even midgets to get the effect of this nine foot behemoth. LOL...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'>The Phantom - Weak villian made powerful only through the work of Dorian Grey. It's a shame that they couldn't figure up someone better for them to combat. I do think that he was also named Moriarty, aka the villain that Sherlock Holmes had such a problem with, so there's yet another literary reference.[/b][/quote]

In the comic, the group is actually led by Mina and she is convinced throughout that the mysterious person they work for, "M",... is actually Mycroft Holmes... Sherlock's brother. I can't remember if anyone thought this in the movie, but I don't think it was mentioned... In the end... "M" is "Moriarity" as we see which would have been made even more suprising had "M"s character been more than just a passing introduction in the beginning of the movie overshadowed by Skinner's entrance. They never played M up enough at the beginning to make it a huge shock at the end... though it was good. I liked the way they revealed the sinister plot using the victrola and kind of flashbacks... it was cool.

But if they'd made M more important at the beginning... even played up the mystery the characters had as to "Who is M, really?"... who are we working for?... it would have been that much cooler to discover that the whole while they were working for "Moriarty". In fact, as it stands, it's a left a little odd as to how Quartermain has even figured out that he is... you get the feeling there were scenes on the cutting room floor that would've helped explain all this a little better. It's my one real nitpick of the movie... how does Alan know this? When does he discover it? What made him realize it?

Keep in mind also that these Extraordinary Gentlemen are Queen Victoria's special Secret Service so to speak... headed up by a leader called "M".... sound familiar? Do you want your martini shaken not stirred? More interesting to note is that the man working for "M" hiring the League in the comics was named Campion Bond... that's right... a purported ancestor of the suave agent of Ian Fleming novels. A part of the movie regretfully unshot... Made even more cool that the best and original Bond is the star of the film... Connery just can't escape the British Secret Service... style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

Rumors abound that if there is a sequel... Campion Bond will make an appearance. He's not much more than the "mission assigner" in the comic... the "Bosley" to "M's" Charlie, if you will... but it's still a cool reference.

Suspension of disbelief is LXG's biggest hurdle... for example... getting a gigantic submarine down the canals of Venice... driving a car on streets in Venice... basically the scenes in Venice... everything else was fine. But the very fact that they get a sub into Venice is kind of the quirky sense this movie has anyway... it spits in the face of the contrived and has some fun... I hope they do make a sequel... I'll watch it... if it was half as entertaining.

[Whisper]

For me the best part of this movie was the literary refs.

Nemo: This is my first mate.

1st Mate: Call me Ishmael. (Moby Dick)

When they learn that the bad guy is called Phantom Alan says "Very Operatic..."

Other than that...I'd wait for the Video/DVD.

[Rob]

I couldn't find too much information on canal depths, but most average between 3 to 6 meters deep. Meaning that most would go no deeper than 18 feet. Now it's possible that the sub could ride that high, but there's no way it's width could fit through some of those alleys.

[Master Cephus]

Rob, it's a movie! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

I have never seen a Vampire, a guy that can't die, an invisible man, or someone that when they drink clear liquide becomea 10 foot maniac.... but it didn't ruin the movie for me style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

Just don't think about it...

[Rob]

Originally posted by Master Cephus@Jul 18 2003, 11:10 AM
Rob, it's a movie! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

I have never seen a Vampire, a guy that can't die, an invisible man, or someone that when they drink clear liquide becomea 10 foot maniac.... but it didn't ruin the movie for me style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif

Just don't think about it...
Oh ****, I didn't know it was a movie, I thought all that was the real deal Holyfield! Damn, and I was just going to go out and find a vamp of my own to hang out with.


I know it's a movie, I was just blabbing style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

[kopernikuz]

Originally posted by Master Cephus@Jul 18 2003, 11:10 AM
I have never seen a Vampire, a guy that can't die, an invisible man, or someone that when they drink clear liquide becomea 10 foot maniac....
You should come to my family reunion some time...


Anyway... that was what I was saying... you are already asked to suspend your disbelief by accepting those characters... but then you are also watching these fictional characters thrust into very non-fictional places... so I can see how people would have a problem with it. I mean, they saw the maps of Venice... they should also have seen there were no streets to drive the car on... lol... oh, but wait... there are streets... oh bugger it all I hope the bat lady eats somebody...

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif

I don't question the physics of Star Wars because it is a galaxy far far away... On the other hand... this type of movie is meant to be so over the top... there's an element of humor in that Sub barely scraping the archways that for some reason the movie critics are too uptight to notice... X-Men would not dare challenge the physics of our real world, because we are meant to believe those Mutants are IN our real world... all around us... It tries to mix a level of fantasy with the real world....

LXG is so tongue in cheek, it's not meant to be believed... it's meant to be enjoyed... and it was... by me... immensely...

[Justin]

I just saw it today and I thought it was pretty cool. Not great, but it was better than Hulk. Almost none of the stuff in Venice made any sense to me, but I just put it out of my mind and enjoyed the action.

I thought it was kind of cheesy that M turned out to be Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes stories. Why not have Sherlock Holmes be one of the League members?

[Darth Vegas]

Originally posted by Justin@Jul 23 2003, 03:39 PM
Not great, but it was better than Hulk.
I don't think you can really compare this movie to the Hulk, IMHO, they just aren't in the same category.

[Justin]

Yeah, they kind of are, they're both action movies based on comic books.

[Darth Vegas]

LXG is based off of a novel I beleive, not a comic book series.

And anyway, I just don't think this movie compares in the quality of the effects, or the overall story, acting, dialogue.....etc etc, either, that's just my opinion, I walked out on this one (having skipped over from another movie), just wasn't appealing to me.

[kopernikuz]

Originally posted by TK-007@Jul 24 2003, 06:11 PM
LXG is based off of a novel I beleive, not a comic book series.

You believe incorrectly style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif

It's a comic book available in Graphic Novel form... but graphic novel is just a fancy way of saying hardbacked comicbook... or collected

[Darth Vegas]

Alright, well in that case, Hulk is just plain and simply a better comic and movie, IMHO. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hehe.gif

[Mann]

Originally posted by TK-007+Jul 23 2003, 11:55 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TK-007 @ Jul 23 2003, 11:55 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'> <!--QuoteBegin-Justin@Jul 23 2003, 03:39 PM
Not great, but it was better than Hulk.
I don't think you can really compare this movie to the Hulk, IMHO, they just aren't in the same category. [/b][/quote]
well the movie does have hyde, who looks like hulk

[Rogue_0009]

Originally posted by Justin@Jul 23 2003, 06:39 PM
I thought it was kind of cheesy that M turned out to be Moriarty from the Sherlock Holmes stories. Why not have Sherlock Holmes be one of the League members?
<span style="color:red">Because in 1899 Sherlock Holmes was 'dead'. You see he and Moriarty fell off Rechenbah falls both survived [aparently] but for three years Holmes hid out while preparing to destroy the remnants of Moriarty's organization. [Aren't I the regular Baker Street Irregular]</span>

[Justin]

Is that really how it goes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, or is that made up by someone else?

I think the League of Extraordinary Gentleman was more dramatically lit, had more interesting characters, more humor, and more action.

[one with many names]

I just got back from seeing the movie in theaters.

It was great! action packed, mystery filled and acurate, pluse it's slow enough to let the story play it self out, un-like some movie like the new Time Machine.

The technology and weapons was good(though they were pushing it a bit), the introduction on war was good and the hole thing was linked to WW1 and the weaponry of the Industrial Revolution. A Few other things i like is surprise villian master mind(i'm not saying cause it will give it away and i don't want to), another is the Duel of hydes at the end(it seemed like the Hulk Vs The Thing) and the symbolism of the scene where Quartermain dies.

[Tahiri]

It sounds good.Wish I saw it.

[Darth Vegas]

I liked Hulk because it was a good movie based on a comic I have loved for several years, I didn't like LXG because it was not a good movie at all.

[Justin]

In your opinion. I thought it was fun, and more entertaining than Hulk. In fact, I will go so far as to say that Hulk had a crappy ending.

[bodhisattva yoda]

like a private eye?

why'd you resign, justin? was the case too tough for ya?

[Rogue_0009]

Originally posted by Justin@Jul 24 2003, 09:51 PM
Is that really how it goes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, or is that made up by someone else?
<span style="color:red">yes, that is according to the doyle stories.</span>

[Justin]

Originally posted by bodhisattva yoda@Aug 9 2003, 06:16 AM
like a private eye?

why'd you resign, justin? was the case too tough for ya?
What?

[Javen]

The only reason most have liked this film is because Sean Connery is in it.

[Darth Vegas]

Probably most of the reason anyone has seen it anyway...

[Javen]

Actually, I haven't. I will wait for video, because it really didn't appeal to me.

[Darth Vegas]

I probably won't even do that.

[Justin]

Well anyway, I thought it was a fun adventure movie, and I know I'm not alone in that opinion.

[Darth Vegas]

Well it might have been that, but that doesn't make it a good movie, these last few years we've seen two films (one left to go in that series) that are destined to be known as some of the greatest films of all time, great fun, great action, and at the same time very emotionally involved, good drama, and a great cast, and a superb music score.

I've just grown out of cheesy "family films" (that might be worth one viewing, but are definately never worth seeing again) for the most part, that's what this one felt like to me, probably why I didn't find myself enjoying Pirates of the Caribbean either.

[Justin]

Pirates of the Carribean was awesome. League of Extrordinary Gentlemen is by no stretch of the imagination a great film, but you have to take it at face value. It wasn't pretending to be anything other than a roller coaster-type popcorn movie.

[Darth Badly]

I just saw League tonight.

Here in the UK it doesn't open until October 17th. I saw a preview screening at the Fox theatre in town.

I'm a big fan of the comic series that it's based on, and a big big fan of it's creator Mr Alan Moore. I'd heard pretty bad things about the film and so didn't have high expectations when I went in.

I really liked the sequence set in Africa at the beginning but from the point that the building blew up behind SC in was down hill from there. They had thrown out wit and character in favour of explosions and more explosions. I didn't care about the world that was in peril, because we didn't see any thing of that world or any normal people in it.

After the nice African opening it was all plastic looking studio sets. The direction was piss poor - especially during the set pieces. What was going on during the set piece gun fight in Grey's library about 15 minutes in? Could any viewer possibly understand how that worked. or the horribly confused set piese in Venice?!?! What the f**k was going on there?? So we've got a guy famous for having a submarine - so let's give him a car and then get a guy famous for not driving to drive it. And then our heroes will watch as 20 houses fall on each other probably killing dozens of people in the process but still be heroes when they blow up another building and stop them killing any more? "HELLO?"

It staggered from one poor set piece to the next, losing all the charm and wit of the comic. The action scenes were very poorly worked out and very poorly directed. Most of the action was shot far to close to see and understand what was going on.

Once more the surprise twist is that the person that hired everybody is the villain behind everything - a la mission Impossible 1 and countless other pieces of bollocks.

Ah, well...

There's always issue 6 of the comic to look forward to.

[Javen]

I just seen this movie on video last night. I was disappointed in it. It just seriously lulled me to sleep at one point. Skinner puts make up on and then goes out in the rain. So it doesn't wash off in the rain, but it washes off while wearing a hat? Give me a break. Anyway, I agree with Badly. The direction and camera angles seemed blurry and just messed up.

I liked one fight sequence in the whole thing and it wasn't long enough. It was between the grey guy and the vampire woman. Forgot names, sorry.

The story was just weak and predictable.