When it comes to bad comic book movies,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemenhas the reported dishonor of being the movie that madeSean Conneryquit acting. With negative reviews and just an OK box office result, it is a film that could and probably should have vanished into obscurity, but instead, over 20 years later, the movie is now discovering a new audience at the top of theTubichart.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemenwas released in 2003, and, as well as being based on a popular Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill comic book series brought with it a more than capable cast including Connery, Peta Wilson, Richard Roxburgh, Jason Flemyng, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, and Shane West. The synopsis for the movie reads:
“A team of extraordinary figures culled from great adventure literature (including Alan Quatermain, vampiress Mina Harker from Dracula, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, an American secret service agent named Sawyer, Captain Nemo, and Dorian Gray), are called to stop a villain intent on turning the nations of the world against one another.”
This Sean Connery Sci-Fi Box Office Flop Is a So-Bad-It’s-Good Gem
The Sean Connery sci-fi Box Office flop is one of the strangest movies of the ’70s, making it a so-bad-its-good gem despite its many faults.
The premise of the film was solid comic book fare, and had the potential to be an incredible action fantasy movie, but unfortunately, at some point, it decided to mostly ignore the comic it was based on and simply pulled out the basic idea of several public domain characters being thrown together in a new story – pretty much the noughties’ version of thePoohniverse.
Is ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’ Really That Bad?
According to critics,The League of Extraordinary Gentlemenwas worth just a 16% Tomatometer score from critics, with many calling it simply “ordinary,” and “lacking any real jeopardy or a strong villain.” Several pointed out the opening hour of the movie showed plenty of potential with clashing character egos and an interesting dynamic between theseliterary characterswho have previously not interacted with each other, but as soon as the special effects take over, things head south very quickly. However, others, such asBig Picture Big Sound’s Joe Lozito didn’t hold back and just called it, “Easily one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.”
Audiences at the time were not much more impressed with the film. However, in recent years it has been given something of a reappraisal by those finding it lurking on several streaming platforms. There is a strong sense of nostalgia in many of these reviews, with viewers who were children at the timeLXGcame out now watching it as adults and remembering their childhood memories. In general, the movie seems to be finding a lot more love now than it did back in 2003, and that has clearly led it to its current position at the top of the Tubi chart.
For those who like to see many characters pulled from literature and thrown together like a 19th century version of the Avengers, thenThe League of Extraordinary Gentlemencould well be an entertaining way to waste a couple of hours. Just tune in, check your brain in at the door, and enjoy.
Source: FlixPatrol/Rotten Tomatoes
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
