There were several films I looked forward to in 2003, most of which lived up to the expectations I had set for them. There was one however, that didn’t quite fare as well. When I first read about “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, I was pretty psyched. Partially because I was a fan of some of the graphic novel work of Alan Moore (though I had not read this particular one), and I also love classic literature. The thought of bringing together characters from some of my favorite novels intrigued me with the thought of the possibilities. The Justice League, before there was a Justice League. News of the casting only served to deepen my need to see the film. Who better to play Allan Quartermain than Sean Connery? What could be more enticing than seeing “La Femme Nikita’s" Peta Wilson as vampiress Mina Harker? And though I was unfamiliar with Jason Flemyng, the inclusion of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde clinched it for me. I can’t begin to tell you how big a part of my life this particular character is.

In “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen”, these literary figures are called together to stop an evil villain who calls himself “The Fantom.”

I finally caught “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” a few days ago on DVD, and I guess I set my expectations too high. It was by no means a bad movie; I actually kind of liked it. I was just a bit disappointed. I had hoped the characters would have been fleshed out a bit more, and at times the pacing was kind of erratic.

As with any film that introduces us to characters that may become part of a film franchise “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” takes decent amount of time setting up each character, but ultimately doesn’t do enough. As you might expect, certain liberties were taken with some of them as well. The Invisible Man was not the one from H.G Wells’s novel; instead he is a thief who stole the formula. And the Mr. Hyde character was so extreme in appearance that I though for a moment I was watching “The Hulk.”

Where the film did work for me was with its overall look. All of the sets are beautifully detailed and depict 1899 as being a time of class and style, which is a stark contrast to the drab and cold look of the world today. There was also a bit of a ‘comic book’ feel to the whole thing, which is fitting since the film was based on one. I think I may have appreciated this a bit more than some audiences who expected a more straightforward movie.

The DVD release did win me over with the quality I’ve come to expect from a Fox release. Both the picture and sound are near perfect, with no noticeable glitches. Quite a few of the scenes are dark, and the contrast allowed me to take in every detail. And since, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” turned out to be more of an action film, those scenes were complimented by the clear separation of the audio.

There aren’t a lot of extras on the disc, though Fox did take the time to put together two commentaries. The first is by producers Don Murphy and Trevor Albert and actors Jason Flemyng and Tony Curran, the follow-up is by costume designer Jacqueline West, visual effects supervisor John E Sullivan, makeup effects supervisor Steve Johnson and miniatures guru Matthew Gratzmer. Both of these commentaries are actually better than most and each individual brings a lot of information to the table. What I did miss was commentary by Connery, whom I understand did not get along with director Stephen Norrington. I would have like to have heard what he might have said about the project.

The ‘Making of…’ documentary “Assembling the League” is made up of several short featurettes that you can watch separately or all together. It’s really more of a promotional piece, though there is enough background information here to warrant a viewing. The deleted scenes included here are standard fare, and as usual it was easy to see why most of them were cut.

In spite of some of its problems, I still enjoyed “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” for its stylish production design and ultimately, the bombastic nature of its storytelling. Everything was big and loud, making it a near perfect Saturday afternoon popcorn movie. For now I will view it as the beginning of what has the potential to become a good film series… if the right directors and stories come along.

Directed by: Stephen Norrington
Starring: Sean Connery, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Peta Wilson, Jason Flemyng
Extras: Full-Length Audio Commentary (Producers / Actors), Full Length Audio Commentary (Costume / Makeup / Visual Effects Team), “Behind the Scenes” Documentary, 12 Deleted Scenes
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 12/16/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Intense Sequences of Fantasy Violence, Language and Innuendo)
Website

We'll give The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen a C+.