# Its a bomb! League of Extraordinary Gentlemen reviews are in **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697 "2003-07-11T13:08:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/1 "2003-07-11T13:08:39Z")
Continuing the horrible track record of one of the most over-rated actors ever, this one is a bomb- ruining its great source material. As he is the executive producer, there is nobody else to blame. Highlander 2 anyone? Enjoy the trainwreck: One star out of five: > **[TV Guide, TV Listings, Streaming Services, Entertainment News and Celebrity News](https://www.tvguide.com/?MI=44302)** > > Find local TV listings, watch full episodes of your favorite TV Shows and read the latest breaking news on TV shows, celebrities and movies. > [@](#): > > The issue isn’t that screenwriter James Dale Robinson and director Stephen Norrington made radical changes to Moore’s intensely literary, densely allusive work of steam-punk meta-fiction in the name of making it palatable to people who don’t even read comic books, let alone 19th-century novels. It’s that they turned an engaging story filled with flawed, complicated characters into a series of CGI-heavy action set pieces, each duller than the one before, and flattened the extraordinary personalities into one-note caricatures. Washington Post: [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40989-2003Jul10.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40989-2003Jul10.html) > [@](#): > > Certainly of the comic-book-derived movies of summer, it is the worst. And where I fully expected to write “Only Sean Connery emerges from the wreckage unscathed,” I must instead write: “Only Sean Connery emerges from the wreckage scathed.” > > Boy, is he scathed. Such scathing you’ve never seen, all self-inflicted. In the film, he confines most of his acting to his left eyebrow and his right fist; they’re his only body parts that seem engaged. In all other respects, his performance must be modeled on Darrell Hammond’s brilliant impersonations of him on “Saturday Night Live” as arrogant and stupid but also stubborn and boring. He’s all four here, and also loud but sublimely uninteresting in a movie rich with uninteresting things. Ebert gives it one star as well: [http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/wkp-news-league11f.html](http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/wkp-news-league11f.html) > [@](#): > > “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” assembles a splendid team of heroes to battle a plan for world domination, and then, just when it seems about to become a real corker of an adventure movie, plunges into incomprehensible action, idiotic dialogue, inexplicable motivations, causes without effects, effects without causes, and general lunacy. What a mess. In the words of Jay Sherman “It stinks!” :mad: ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/2 "2003-07-11T13:27:24Z")
Well that sucks. I also checked Rotten Tomatoes and saw that it’s currently at 9 fresh, 34 rotten. I guess I can scratch that off my summer blockbuster list. I’ll wait until it reaches Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/3 "2003-07-11T13:30:13Z")
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! We got a babysitter for tonight just to see it! [RottenTomatoes.com](http://RottenTomatoes.com) seems to agree. I guess we’ll be seeing _Pirates of the Caribbean_ instead. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/4 "2003-07-11T13:40:15Z")
This just makes me want to see it even more! Hey! I paid money to see these clunkers… MARS ATTACKS!; COOL WORLD; ROBIN HOOD-MEN IN TIGHTS; JURASSIC PARK 2; HANGING UP; and of course, HIGHLANDER 2. LXG should be a picnic in comparison. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/5 "2003-07-11T13:58:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! We got a babysitter for tonight just to see it! [RottenTomatoes.com](http://RottenTomatoes.com) seems to agree. > > I guess we’ll be seeing _Pirates of the Caribbean_ instead. \*\* Actually, Johnny Depp’s performance alone makes POTC worth watching; it’s the perfect summer movie–big, loud, exciting, and visually enthralling. I’ll be giving LXG a big miss. Pity, one would think that **The Avengers** and **Highlander 2** would have been enough humiliation for one lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/6 "2003-07-11T14:05:12Z")
Well, I don’t think any informed LOEG fan had any hopes at all for the movie, so it’s no real disappointment. Geez, do you think sometime someone could make a movie from an intelligent book or novel and **not screw with the source material!!!** …sorry, got a little carried away there… ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/7 "2003-07-11T14:18:27Z")
What’s funny, gobear, is everytime I saw a commercial for _The League_ I tell my hubby it’d better not be another damn _Avengers_. I’m looking forward to seeing _Pirates_. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/8 "2003-07-11T14:24:45Z")
The minute I saw teh roadster and heard Tom Sawyer was joining the league… I knew it was to be avoided at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![godzillatemple](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@godzillatemple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godzillatemple)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/9 "2003-07-11T14:55:39Z")
**FriarTed** : You actually _paid_ to see _Highlander 2_? :eek: Oh, the humanity, the humanity… Barry ---
**Author:** ![Tasha\_Yar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@Tasha\_Yar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tasha_Yar)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/10 "2003-07-11T15:11:35Z")
I figured it would likely be a dud when I saw how terrible the advertising was. They did nothing to stress the Victorian literary aspect of it and yet I’d have thought that was it’s strongest selling point. Maybe they figured Americans aren’t into reading… Unfortunately, the ads simply don’t tell us much of anything other than it’s an X-Men-ish type flick with Sean Connery and loads of CGI. Anyway, I’m seeing Pirates this weekend and am very much looking forward to it. Ghost pirates, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush & Orlando Bloom! How cool can you get?! Hoping Pirates winds up being a huge blockbuster – I already have faith in it and I haven’t even seen it yet! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/11 "2003-07-11T15:27:30Z")
I, too, paid to see **Highlander 2** on opening weekend. It seemed like a good idea at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/12 "2003-07-11T15:30:07Z")
I heard Connery knew this was going to be a clunker. He fought daily on the set with the director and producers and felt it was a dog. The only reason he stuck with it was because they repeatedly told him after the post production team added the CGI and other effects it would be a whole new movie. He half-heartedly took a chance and seems like he lost out. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/13 "2003-07-11T15:45:27Z")
I’m finding it incredibly weird that Pirates is shaping up to be good and LXG is sucking, considering the comparative source material. It’s just dissonant to me, somehow. Still… ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/14 "2003-07-11T16:42:41Z")
When there is nowhere to go but up, one can go very far up. When there is nowhere to go but down, count on Hollywood’s crop of morons to drive it as low as possible. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/15 "2003-07-11T17:23:29Z")
I’ve not read the comics, though that’s only because learning about them coincided with a dip in my finances and they sound right up my alley, but why is there a Cord in a movie set during Victoria’s reign? Is it supposed to represent some futuristic car like the Batmobile? ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/16 "2003-07-11T17:28:53Z")
Well… I had kinda wondered. I mean, the comic was incredibly literate, and jammed with in-jokes that you’d never get unless you were familiar with the genre and/or pulp literature in general. A movie, on the other hand, needs to be accessible, no matter WHAT you’ve read. Or haven’t. And why they stuck Tom Sawyer in there is beyond me. The idea of Dorian Gray as a kind of Victorian-era Terminator is kind of fun, but Tom Sawyer? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/17 "2003-07-11T17:50:09Z")
[The Salon Review](http://salon.com/ent/movies/review/2003/07/11/extraordinary_gents/index.html) is bizarre. The writer obviously read a different graphic novel than I did or one of us really didn’t get it at all. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/18 "2003-07-11T18:02:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hampshire \* > \*\*I heard Connery knew this was going to be a clunker. He fought daily on the set with the director and producers and felt it was a dog. The only reason he stuck with it was because they repeatedly told him after the post production team added the CGI and other effects it would be a whole new movie. He half-heartedly took a chance and seems like he lost out. \*\* Sounds like spin control from Connery- he was the executive producer-- its his bomb as much as anyones: > [@](#): > > Connery, who also served as executive producer, delivers the “I’m the coolest, toughest white-haired sex symbol alive” performance with which he regularly delights fans to whom he remains the only true James Bond. But his derring-do seems rather too athletic for a character his age — even a legendary one. BTW, Connery Bomb fans don’t forget **Medicine Man** :Shudder: [http://us.imdb.com/Title?0104839](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0104839) [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/MedicineMan-1038176/reviews.php](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/MedicineMan-1038176/reviews.php) 20% rating. Ouch! ---
**Author:** ![Exoskeleton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@Exoskeleton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exoskeleton)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/19 "2003-07-11T22:18:42Z")
I just came back from seeing it (Friday afternoon show). It’s bad. Badly written. Badly directed. Badly edited. Badly acted (except Jason Flemyng and Sean Connery do what they can with their roles). Thudding soundtrack. I didn’t even like the set design, which is the most complemented aspect of the film in the reviews. And I’m not even bitter about it being unfaithful to the source material. Though I’m a fan of the comic, I am completely open to a reinterpretation of the material, if done well. Not even close to being done well. The screenplay is at the level of a first-year cinema-school student. The dialogue is atrocious. There are so many gaps in logic – from the motorcar that smashes through stone columns, to the vampire that tropes around in the African daytime sun, to the regular human beings that somehow survive physical traumas unscathed – it taxes the most open-minded suspender of disbelief. There are some allusions to the comic, and to other works of literature of the era, each dropped in with the subtlety of a boot to the ear. Truly, it gives me hope that I can be a screenwriter some day. The direction is careless, actions scenes are mechanical, laughable, or banal; editing is of the rapid-fire method that leaves you wonding if you can catch ADD from watching it; the soundtrack is thudding. Sean Connery does what he can. Jason Flemyng gives both Jekyll and Hyde some depth, as much as can be given in the time limitations attributed to each character. Petra Wilson is miscast as Mina. You never believe she’s a haunted British woman. Tony Curran is irritating as the replacement Griffin. Stuart Townsend is awful as Dorian Gray. Shane West has no clue as how to play Tom Sawyer. The guy who plays Nemo (N…something Shah) is occasionally wooden, occasionally respectable. Richard Roxburg is much to young to play…who he’s playing. They might have been helped with a competent director, one more interested in character development or atmosphere rather than slam-bang kung fu, gun-fire, CGI effects and car chases. I guess that’s my review. ---
**Author:** ![finette6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@finette6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/finette6)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697/20 "2003-07-11T22:51:26Z")
I’ve only seen the previews, but the change from the comic that bugs me the most is the transformation of Mina into a hypersexual overt vampire. She was an amazing character in the books, strong, sensible and forcefully intelligent- the real leader of the league, forget that junky Quartermain! When I figured out her identity a few issues into the first volume, I re-read Dracula and was blown away by the new light Moore threw on it for me! I have no intention of paying to see this film, and whether I see it once its on cable will depend on how bored I am the twentieth time it comes up in the guide. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-a-bomb-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-reviews-are-in/187697.md?page=2)