LXG: Strictly for Comic People

[HorseradishTree]

I just saw this a few hours ago and I have to say it was awesome. There were amazing special effects, an intriguing story and (mostly) good actors and directing. However, it might also have to do with the fact that The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is one of my favorite graphic novels of all time. There are several points to this film that would make a normal moviegoer turn away and utter the expression, "Pfft," especially several points of literally laughable dialogue. If you've been into the comic craze that has swept Hollywood these days, then this film will make you very happy. Otherwise, go watch your foreign films. One thing that makes me sad is that most who go to see this will not truly know half of the characters for who they are in the books. The intelligent bookworms of the post-modern era won't even know about this film, most likely. This is tragic, for this is probably a dream come true for those people, or their worst nightmare.

[BritishSteel]

Mr Tree,

I think you and I are one of the few people in the world who went to the movie with the intention of having fun.

I have read po-faced miserable negative review after po-faced miserable negative review outside this forum on the subject of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

I'm 28, My wife is 6 month my junior, neither of us have ever been into graphic novels or comics, neither of us had ever heard of LXG in any form before we saw a few trailers a couple of weeks ago. We are, perhaps, on the far far fringes of the average audience for this movie.
Yet, we both came out singing Steven Norrington's and the Cast's praises.
Personally I believe it would be a travesty if this film did not get an academy nod for costuming.

Sure, there is much for an extended DVD edition to fill in (such as Tom Sawyers Background or the story between Harker and Grey) but I think that the film did what it set out to do : Entertain in spectacular style with a fantasy beyond fantasy.

The special effects, to my mind, in the most eloquent terms I can bring to mind simply kicked ass.

I loved the Jason Flemyng Jekyl/Hyde Character, Peta Wilson was uber scary as Mina Harker.

I'm trying to remember - I'm sure there was an event where there were subtle glances in Harkers direction in regard to the thefts, of course, Mina Harker was famously played, in 1992 under direction from Francis Ford Coppola, by Winona Ryder.
Theft - Winona Ryder? Joke about the lovely light fingered elfin one?

I'm not sure... maybe it was wishful thinking.

Good film with tinges of greatness to my mind.

I give it 77%

Thanks,

Charles.

[Johann]

I'm re-considering seeing this film after the last post.

Maybe "judging a movie by it's title" is something I should stop, eh?

[HorseradishTree]

Gee, maybe I was wrong about the whole fanboys-only thing.

Johann, I realize that you probably won't take this into consideration, but I strongly suggest you go out and buy Vol. 1 of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In fact, I strongly suggest you buy anything written by the great Alan Moore. He is one of the writers who actually gives dignity to us comic-book people. Even if you are not a fan of graphic novels, this man will make you feel like you are reading a novel. The guy's so good, his works are even featured in college courses for literature and the like.

And trust me when I say I am not Alan Moore's publicist.

[Johann]

Originally posted by HorseradishTree
Johann, I realize that you probably won't take this into consideration, but I strongly suggest you go out and buy Vol. 1 of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.


Just to spite you I'll buy it. Incidentally- I am a HUGE comic book fan-I just stopped buying them in 1994-when I joined the forces. My bagged & boarded biblical scriptures went into my parents basement and are still there.

I have three tattoos: Superman Batman and The Punisher (the only Marvel character I love).

Alan Moore is a great writer. I prefer Denny O'Neil, Frank Miller & Peter David, to be honest.

I only buy one comic book right now: Aquaman. I think he is one of the greatest characters in comics. A tortured soul, a hell of a man, if I ever became a sucessful film director, I'd do a movie on the "King of the 7 Seas" that would kick-ass. (I've even written a script!)

[tabuno]

Almost an epic-sized, sizzling action movie that doesn't require any comic book fan background to enjoy. Many famous names in literature are found in this movie Captain Nemo, a Vampire's fallen victim, an invisible man..., Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde needing no introduction. This delightful intersection of characters are brought together with Sean Connery with his wry wit making this movie a fabulous, delicious mosaic of fun entertaining of a different, divergent, and exhilirating sort. Non-comic book fans are welcome! Seven out of ten stars (for a lower budgeted special effects feature film).

[Mark Dujsik]

Originally posted by tabuno
Many famous names in literature are found in this movie Captain Nemo, a Vampire's fallen victim, an invisible man..., Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde needing no introduction.

See, you think more highly of people. I'm in the middle of writing my review now and pose this question in the introduction:

"Does the ordinary moviegoer nowadays know who Dorian Gray is?"

[BritishSteel]

I'd never heard of Dorian Grey until I saw LXG. Does Dorian Grey have ties in other literature apart from the comics?

Also, I'm guessing most of you already know this, but for those that are interested; Allan Quartermain has been around as a character for about a century. The Quatermain character has been the protagonist in a whole bunch of old flicks.

e.g. Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold where the eponymous lead was played by stalwart hero and 60's lady killer, Richard Chamberlain.

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0092534

The Quatermain Character was devised by H. Rider Haggard.

Thanks,

Charles

[Mark Dujsik]

Originally posted by BritishSteel
I'd never heard of Dorian Grey until I saw LXG. Does Dorian Grey have ties in other literature apart from the comics?


Gray is from Oscar Wilde's only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's an odd choice to have him as a superhero of sorts--something my right brain was amused by but my left brain just couldn't accept.

[tabuno]

Dorian Gray is a familiar character that keeps being recycled on many television movies and sci fi/horror anthologies in various forms. So really eventually, while a classic character, his well as her versions have been updated periodically so that the formula is pretty much standard to the contemporary period now.

[HorseradishTree]

Sadly, Dorian Gray is NOT featured in the comic. Nor is Tom Sawyer, but I thought that was a stupid character anyway. You address the Lost City of Gold, but I'd say Quartermain's best film was King Solomon's Mines.

Nuts, I wasn't just speaking to Johann about buying LXG because I strongly suggest it to ALL of you.

Hey Johann, did you see Frank Miller's cameo in Daredevil? He was the guy whose bike was stolen by Bullseye.

[HorseradishTree]

Oooh one more thing.

Johann, your favorite Marvel character is about to hit screens. I don't know much about it, but I keep up with Wizard Magazine.

Incidentally, MY favorite Marvel character will soon be coming to theaters as well. Iron Man is currently being written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, creators of Smallville and writers of the Shanghai movies with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. I'm stoked!

Oh, and I also hear some more news about the soon to come Superman film. Word has it that Jonathon Frakes might be directing! Huzzah!

[tabuno]

I hope I don't detect a prejudice against non-comic book characters. It dawned on me that perhaps just like a particular genre, medium forms might also have their own fences and particular tastes. Thus classic characters from literature (books or movies) might be disregarded in the comic art form. I would hope though that literature can be big enough so that some cross-hybridization might be possible.

[Johann]

I missed Daredevil, but I'll probably buy the DVD.
I have the 4-part "Man Without Fear" comic series Miller did many moons ago. Glad to hear he did a cameo, tho.

DK2 was a brilliant sequel, btw.
I saw that Jim Lee is now doing Batman. That's almost enough to get me buying the book again.


And PUNISHER ? I'm well aware of the film and I already bought the poster from The Nostalgia Factory.

[HorseradishTree]

I do say DK2 was fine but it still was certainly nothing compared to the original Dark Knight Returns. I thought the resolution was kind of *bleagh*.

Yes, Frank Miller's Daredevil run is quite one of the best. You seriously need to see the movie because Mark Steven Johnson's plot has many key twists taken directly from the comic.

I strongly recommend going out and getting the first half of Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's Batman on trade hardback. His art has brought something to Batman that hasn't been seen in years.

[cinemabon]

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" has the potential, when it begins, to be one of the years best science fiction fantasy films. There is stark realism, the characters are all taken from great works of fiction, and can therefore be manipulated in many ways by the writer of the script.

I expected this film to be long and filled with great excerpts from the novels being spoken by the characters during interesting parts of the film.

Instead, what do we find? One big "Hollywood" action scene after another... almost no exposition. What little there is can only be described as "thrown away" by the director.

The film, while a fantasy that is unusually implausible, goes far beyond that to being totally impossible!

Take the great submarine, the Nautilis, made famous by Captain Nemo in Jules Verne's novel, "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea". The sub is blown up out of proportion into an oceanliner the size of which can only be compared to the Rock of Gibraltar. They then take the sub and run it down the streets of Venice Italy, which streets are no wider than fifteen or twenty feet in most places! Magically, buidlings leap apart for this massive thing. It was at that point, my heart just fell. The film itself began to go downhill from there. A man then drives a car down a Venice street in a chase scene that doesn't even make sense!

BUT VENICE HAS NO STREETS! IT HAS ONLY CANALS!!! It's as if the director had never been to Venice... or up the great Amur River in eastern Russia, which no boat that size could ever sail!

There's fantasy, then there just plain silly! Sorry to disappoint you, but this film falls short in so many places, it was easy to see why it fell so rapidly from the box office charts as well.

I love the actors, I love the premise... I hated the execution.

[tabuno]

The movie that you refer to as fantasy is more aptly presented in the movie version of Riverworld broadcast on the Sci Fi channel. The Leaque for me was sheer entertaining fantasy of which I had no interest in hearing the literary great quotations from the great novels which for me would have put a great strain on the tempo and direction this movie went. The humor and the imaginative world were all fun and exhilirating to enjoy.

[HorseradishTree]

Originally posted by cinemabon
Instead, what do we find? One big "Hollywood" action scene after another... almost no exposition. What little there is can only be described as "thrown away" by the director.

Hell yes! This is the reason it had me smiling through the whole thing. Norrington sure seemed confused as a director, and at that it was disapointing. But if you look at the thing as a whole, it brings back memories of the silly "Rocketeer."