This movie got a lot of criticism when it came out. It bombed with the critics, is notorious as being so bad it made Connery retire, and being unfaithful to the source material. But after rewatching it, I was surprised by how many positive aspects it had, how some creative decisions were great, and how the story is very enjoyable.In regards to the Original Comic, which I love, I have this to say: It was IMPOSSIBLE to adapt that comic faithfully to a movie in 2003. MAYBE, you could make a very cool HBO Max tv show about it today, but if you were going to make it into a 2 hour movie, there's just no way.The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. I is a long analysis of sexual repression, chauvinism and hypocrisy in Victorian England hidden behind the concept of "Victorian Justice League". Its a collection of highly dislikeable individuals who are flawed, broken or evil being brought together to serve as pawns in an evil government scheme. In this comic Alan Quartermain is a broken heroin addict, the invisible man is living in a boarding school raping teenagers, Mr. Hyde is a Gorilla monster eating prostitutes in Paris, and they all get together to fight Fu Manchu in a magically floating dragon-headed airship over London.You can't blame any studio in the world for trying to have a different approach. The idea of a super hero team consisting of Victorian literary figures is FANTASTIC, and you don't need the extra social criticism to make a good story with it.NOW, IN REGARDS TO THE MOVIE: The costumes, sets and props of this movie are off the charts. The Nautilus, and Captain Nemo's Car are an awesome design that is totally original. Everybody looks dope as hell in their costumes too. The Invisible Man, for example, just looks very unique, replacing the famous bandages for white powder. Dorian Gray's immortality is another example, the sand effects are very cool, giving the idea that in reality that guy is pretty much just a dusty corpse being kept magically beautiful and young on the outside. The futuristic (but not by a lot) weapons of the bad guys are all very cool. Mr. Hyde's CGI is still top notch for 2003 levels and I appreciate the use of practical effects. It doesn't hold up like Davy Jone's pinnacle of CGI, but its not obvious in any way.Every character is interesting. Alan Quartermain is basically the embodiment of British Imperialism in one single man, and he is utterly tired of it. He's tired of killing, but he's a killing machine, and so he has to go on one final mission to try and redeem himself. Mina Murray looks fantastic and I love that she's a powerful vampire who prefers not to use her abilities but absolutely can if necessary. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde have their own little story arc which I thought was great, Nemo is cool and stoic (he doesn't have to be anything else), Skinner, the invisible man is a likeable rogue who likes to joke but will get the job done (and you understand his real motivations because all he wants is a cure, he is a deeply cursed man who just wants to be normal again). AND THE ADDITION of Dorian Gray was brilliant. The beautiful, narcisistic, sociopathic immortal who used to have an affair with Mina (a different kind of immortal) was a very smart one. I like that he's a traitor, because it reminds the audience that many of these characters are villains. They are more Suicide Squad then Justice League, of course they will have their own agendas. And then there's Tom Saywer. I'm conflicted about him, not gonna go into that one.The story (which Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows totally ripped off) is that an evil guy known as the Phantom (itself a pulp French criminal character) is trying to start a World War by framing different European powers for attacks. He then will sell advanced weapons for both sides. The Phantom turns out to be Professor Moriarty all along. I really like this story. Particularly the fact that the entire reason the League has been brought together is so he may still samples of their powers to turn into weapons. I think its even better than the comic version where Moriarty just needs them to destroy his competition. This is a movie where they drive a Car through Venice to stop it from sinking.I. Love. How. Creative. It. Gets.In regards to the Connery thingI really don't believe Connery retired because the movie was bad. I think he retired for 2 reasons: He was getting old, and after the movie got bad reviews he felt he didn't understand the industry anymore. People have said this before, but after passing on the role of Gandalf and realizing the success LOTR had, he trying to get into the band wagon, only to see it flop critically. He didn't get this world of super heroes, X-men and wizard franchises and so he retired.I have heard people say that the 90s and the early 2000 had a high bar in quality, and that a lot of what was "bad" back then is pretty good now. I don't know if that is true, but I do know that The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen does not deserve the criticism it gets. It is fun, original and highly enjoyable.That is all, thank you for reading. via /r/movies https://ift.tt/2WjNKBv
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