Synopsis: At the turn of the Twentieth Century, seven literary heroes must unwillingly band together to save the world.

Now for the Zone's Eye View:

By Michelle Snow

Director: Stephen Norrington

Cast: Sean Connery, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Jason Flemyng, Naseeruddin Shah and Richard Roxburgh

For those unfamiliar with the comic books by Alan Moore from which this movie is derived, the basic premise is that various literary characters are brought together to fight evil. They aren't meant to be heroes or heroines. Heck, some of them don't even really want to be there. But with the fate of the world on their collective shoulders, they have no choice but to use their unusual skills and powers for the greater good.

For this movie, set in 1899, they delved into a variety of literary classics for their character choices. The group's unofficial leader is legendary Victorian explorer Allan Quatermain [Connery]. Quatermain is deep in the heart of Africa when he receives word that Her Majesty requires his services. Once in London, he is acquainted with several other recruits in the abode of the immortal Dorian Grey [Townsend]. Rodney Skinner [Curran] proves invisibility can be an asset, and the lone female of the group, Ms. Mina Harker [Wilson] literally sucks as a woman who has survived being bitten by Dracula. We're also introduced to the resourceful Capt. Nemo [Shah] and to Agent Tom Sawyer [West], all grown up and a member of the Secret Service. The final member to the group is added upon capturing the creature known as Mr. Hyde. His alter-ego, Dr. Jeckyl [Flemyng], agrees to participate, but has a hard time containing the beast within.

This movie is full of twists and turns, betrayals and smoke screen as the characters race against time to stop an evil madman from blowing up Venice. The action continues from there as it's uncovered what the villain's secret agenda truly is.
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has grand ambitions. It asks you to suspend your disbelief and just trust in the story. But in painting such a large picture, a few things fall through the cracks. First of all, though the movie does take a few minutes to delve into who the characters are and why they're special enough to join the group, it pretty much assumes you at least have a working knowledge of the characters already. I found myself having to explain a few character details to my movie companions after the film was done. It also takes the notion of the historic timeline and pretty much throws it out the window. It's 1899 and yet there are cars and World War I era tanks.

Another drawback is the movie is very dark, both literally and figuratively. A lot of the action sequences happen at night or in dark rooms. And among the characters, very few have the markings of a true hero. In addition the editing of some of the major action sequences is paced so fast that you don't really register continuous excitement because your brain is still trying to figure out what just happened. 

This movie is one of the few blockbusters this summer to fall under the 2 hour mark, clocking in around 1 ˝ hours. Unfortunately this film could've used that extra half hour to more fully explore the characters and pace the action better. 
Not that it was all bad. Even though the characters aren't totally fleshed out on screen, the actors really make the most of their character's quirks and legends. As Quatermain, Connery is delightful as a cross between a sly Indiana Jones and a suave James Bond. Wilson, in her first major role since La Femme Nikita, definitely holds her own in the boys club and is a lot of fun to watch. Townsend is sensually creepy as Grey. And as the lone American character, West looks like he is enjoying the role of Western lawman Sawyer. The special effects were also amazing and blended seamlessly so you don't really go "hey nice effect". 
All in all, this League is good fun to watch, but falls just short of being extraordinary.

7 out of 10