The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003)

In an alternate Victorian Age world, a group of famous contemporary fantasy, science fiction, and adventure characters team up on a secret mission.

Director:

Stephen Norrington

Writers:

Alan Moore (comic books), Kevin O'Neill (comic books)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Stuart Townsend, Peta Wilson

12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	Allan Quatermain
Naseeruddin Shah	...	Captain Nemo
Peta Wilson	...	Mina Harker
Tony Curran	...	Rodney Skinner
Stuart Townsend	...	Dorian Gray
Shane West	...	Tom Sawyer
Jason Flemyng	...	Dr. Henry Jekyll / Edward Hyde
Richard Roxburgh	...	M
Max Ryan	...	Dante
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	Sanderson Reed
David Hemmings	...	Nigel
Terry O'Neill	...	Ishmael
Rudolf Pellar	...	Draper
Robert Willox	...	Constable Dunning
Robert Orr	...	Running Officer

Storyline

Renowned adventurer Allan Quatermain leads a team of extraordinary figures with legendary powers to battle the technological terror of a madman known as "The Fantom". This "League" comprises seafarer and inventor Captain Nemo, vampire Mina Harker, an invisible man named Rodney Skinner, American Secret Service Agent Tom Sawyer, the ageless and invincible Dorian Gray, and the dangerous split personality of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

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Plot Keywords:

victorian era | library | year 1899 | steampunk | mina murray character | 

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Taglines:

Waiting To Be Impressed? You're About To Be.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of fantasy violence, language and innuendo

Did You Know?

Trivia

Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, and Professor Moriarty all died in their original novels or stories. In the novel "The Invisible Man", Dr. Griffin went quite mad and was eventually killed. Here, Skinner says he got the serum to turn himself invisible from a mad doctor, a very clever way to get around the rights issues. The Invisible Man and Mr. Hyde were far from heroes in their original incarnations, as they were murderers and rapists.

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Goofs

When Mina finishes attacking her first victim in Dorian's home, her scarf appears draped over her left shoulder. In the next shot you can see her from behind but the scarf is hung in front of her. It switches back again in a following shot.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sanderson Reed: [to coachman] Don't... wander... off.

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Crazy Credits

The 20th Century Fox logo fades into a sign on the London skyline.

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Alternate Versions

For the Swedish release, approximately 33 seconds were cut from various violent scenes in order to receive an 11 certification.

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Connections

References The Invisible Man (1933)

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Soundtracks

Largo al quadrupede
(uncredited)
(From La Traviata)
By Giuseppe Verdi

User Reviews

Saturday Matinee the LXG way.

Well, I just came out of the theater after having viewed LXG. First off, I do not think it was a bad movie. While i would not recommend it as a must see movie, I certainly didn't find it to be a waste of my time. Sure, some plot points could have been developed more/better, but hey, I didn't walk in expecting Shakespeare. Though I haven't read the graphic novel on which the film is based, I have read that both the graphic novel and the movie take place in a reality alternate from both out history and our literary canons; which means that even though Stoker never wrote Mina as turning into a vampire, it's okay for LXG to take the license to do so. And so on and so forth.

Yes, it would have been nice to see Connery make his character a little more swashbuckling. But maybe that was the writing. I almost loathe watching anything with Peta Wilson, but i found here surprisingly interesting in this movie. In fact, other than Tom Sawyer's character seeming a bit incomprehensible, I think the other Leaguers were pretty interesting. But what was the deal with the bad guy, "M"? I thought his M.O. was even more pointless and less fleshed-out out than any of the flattest Bond villains I've had the displeasure of seeing. It was just a badly written character.

Just a word or two about the Mr. Hyde F/X, the CGI wizards of the Hulk could take a clue. Sure, both characters were CGI rendered, but Mr. Hyde's size carried a credible degree of mass and weight, whereas the Hulk often moved as if mass-less, making him seem too two dimensional.

All in all, I give the movie a respectable 6/10.

Details

Country:

USA Germany Czech Republic UK

Language:

English German Italian

Release Date:

11 July 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

LXG: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Filming Locations:

Hungary

Box Office

Budget:

$78,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,075,892, 13 July 2003

Gross USA:

$66,465,204

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$179,265,204

Company Credits

Production Co:

Angry Films, International Production Company, JD Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1