Year of Release: 2003
Director: Stephen Norrington
Starring: Sean Connery, Shane West, Peta Wilson, Stuart Townsend, Tony Curran, Jason Flemyng, Richard Roxburgh, Naseeruddin Shah, Max Ryan, David Hemmings, Tom Goodman-Hill, Terry O'Neill
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review:
Director Stephen Norrington made a name for himself in the late 90s with the successful "Blade", which went on to spawn a franchise always shepherded by Wesley Snipes. His career didn't get much momentum and following the lackluster commercial and critical performance of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", he has not directed any additional features since. The film is an adaptation of the celebrated graphic novel with the same name, from author Alan Moore and illustrator Kevin O'Neill. The film, which takes place in an alternate reality in 1899, introduces us to the legendary Allan Quatermain, who is recruited to be a part of an ensemble of people with unique capabilities, to tackle a foe that seems unstoppable. Among his peers in the group are Mina Harker, a vampire, Dorian Gray, an immortal, Tom Sawyer, an able adventurer and shooter, Rodney Skinner, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and finally Captain Nemo. Allan is informed of his mission by M, and as the team goes about solving the imminent doom that is coming from their mysterious opponent. They go off to Venice where they manage to avoid a large catastrophe, largely thanks to some clever inventions, but that only exposes a larger conspiracy at hand. And within the group, not all are who they seem to be.
With such an array of characters and corresponding mythology behind them to actually work with, it's disappointing that this film ultimately feels so overly generic and devoid of any actual identity. It's a film where the art direction and production design take center stage, and where very little character dimension is established, which is the more disappointing when taking into consideration the material this was adapted from, and the actual iconic characters this film is populated with. John Logan's "Penny Dreadful" for instance, managed to use some of the same characters to better effect (particularly his arc with Dorian Gray). Stephen Norrington doesn't capture much engagement between the characters, whereas the villainous choice for the narrative, lacks both trepidation and the ability to create a sense of pending doom. It's a film where there's a lot of noise, beautifully rendered, but with little charisma from the performers, including Sean Connery, in what turned out to be his last film before his retirement. The cinematography from Dan Laustsen is wonderful, as is the production design from the talented Carol Spier. A wasted opportunity.
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