The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen

In order to be a bit more fair to the film, I decided to judge it as a standalone work, and not a spinoff of the great comic. That being said, the film does serve its’ purpose. It’s is a better than average comic book adapatation. However, adaptation is the key word here, because while some of the characters from the series are here, and the time period intact, the film’s is indeed it’s own story.

For those unfamiliar with the comic series, I will provide a bit of background. In 1999 Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill, two famous comic authors/illustrators came up with a phenomenal idea for a new comic. Comibining characters from classic English literature of the 19th century, the two men formed what could be described as the first X-Men, each character had a certain skill, but also a dark past.

The characters featured in the book were the famous hunter/adventurer Alan Quatermain, Dracula victim Mina Harker (going by her maiden name of Murray,) Dr. Henry Jekyll and his alter-ego Edward Hyde, and the Invisible Man, Hawley Griffin.

In keeping with my own belief that you should never give too much away in a review, I will not give any details of either plot away. I will go so far as to say that despite the movie’s differences from the book, it was still enjoyable. Not nearly as good as Pirates Of The Carribean, but fun all the same.

I always enjoy seeing Sean Connery on screen, and although he is getting a bit old for the fight scenes, he does hold his own quite well.

If you’re a fan of action films this may be worth seeing in the theater, otherwise it is a definite renter.