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There are two types of reactions that one will have to a movie like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen": one is the most obvious, the cynical, which allows for the viewer to put up a wall against the sheer idiocy he witnesses. My phasers ready, my fangs bared, I was ready to completely rip into this movie; that's when the alternative reaction, that of childlike wonderment and awe, began to kick in. No, I am not convinced that this is a smart movie in terms of how well it holds up to scrutiny, but when you find yourself consistently entertained by the sheer goofiness of gloriously bad special effects and a camaraderie of characters who come from a variety of Victorian literary sources, you really have to wonder if there isn't some level of intelligence to all of this madness. Could it be that in its own stupidity this movie finds its smarts? ***

The film is helmed by "Blade" director Stephen Norrington, a director whose work on that previous film I am an admirer of. It helps that "League" is based on a graphic novel, or comic book, just as "Blade" was; this allows for Norrington to go completely overboard with his imagination, tossing in any number of action sequences, visuals, weirdly conceived settings, and plot twists so ludicrous that they work in spite of themselves. Think about it: a nuclear submarine in 1899? This is not the place for scrutiny or logic; you'd be better off trying them out on the latest John Woo flick, where they would have a much better foundation. This is a fantasy, mixed with elements of reality, and all done with the best of intentions, most of which pay off extremely well. ***

The gentlemen referred to in the film's title come from a variety of backgrounds: there's Mina Harker (Peta Wilson), former love interest to Count Dracula and the only woman amongst the male-dominated group. She apparently has an amorous past with Dorian Gray (Stuart Townsend), who ceases to age while his missing portrait decays in his stead. There's Rodney Skinner, better known as the Invisible Man (Tony Curran); Tom Sawyer (Shane West), the Twainian adventurer; the contrasting personalities of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Jason Flemyng); and the infamous Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah), whose Nautilus looks more like fancy silverware here than an actual submarine vessel. Leading this group of "gifted" persons is the rugged Allan Quatermain (Sean Connery), who after his many exploits for England has now retired in Africa, only to find himself called upon by British Agent M (Richard Roxburgh), who, contrary to initial beliefs, is not named in reference to Connery's days as James Bond (it just so happens that he is named so in the source comic). ***

The gist of the story revolves around M's gathering of this group to fend off the advances of a madman known only as the Phantom, who has been wreaking destruction in both Britain and Germany in an attempt to lay the groundwork for a major world war. His plans include everything from the sinking of the city of Venice to the detainment of the powers of our would-be heroes, which he will then reproduce and sell to the highest bidder. You can practically hear those "Save the Day" bells ringing as the League heads off for a number of treacherous locations and hot spots, all in the name of getting the bad guy and making sure that there's still enough room left for a sequel, should this first chapter merit enough popularity and box office gross. ***

But to discredit "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" as just another summer blockbuster/moneymaker isn't completely justifiable. Sure, there's enough cheese here to make the state of Wisconsin turn green with envy, and for a movie that combines the likes of Dracula's former mistress with an Edgar Allan Poe character, it doesn't feel as if the characters were given their complete due. But you've got to admit that it takes a certain amount of creativity and imagination to come up with a concept like this, however hokey it may seem. Norrington and his team of filmmakers know exactly what they're doing, and how to do it, and the end results are easy on the eyes without taxing the brain cells too much. I especially liked the various faces behind the characters: Connery is, as always, a welcome presence, while Wilson adds heat and Curran a comedic enlightenment that, unlike his character, is not transparent. From their performances we have a sense of conviction akin to that of the filmmakers, and it is this element, along with the unexpected excitement of watching this gooberfest unfold, that makes "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" quite the cinematic surprise. --

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is one very glossy movie, heavily laden with special effects and stylistic flourishes galore. So it should come as no surprise that Fox has given the movie one of its best transfers of the year; seriously, folks, this is one exceptional-looking picture. Presented in its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with anamorphic enhancement, the image is blessed with great color saturation, vividly reproducing the various color schemes and hues to perfection, with no smearing and smooth textures to boot. Fleshtones look wonderful, and blacks are rock-solid throughout. This is a very dark movie, and as such, contrast and shadow detail look ravishing, especially light-to-dark transitions. Clarity is also a big plus here, with sharp edges that bring out even the smallest of details, and here's the best part: there's almost no enhancement halos to speak of! Aside from a few here and there, this one is near-perfect. The source print is clean of blemishes, and even film grain is very minimal during the presentation. Unlike Sean Connery's character, you won't have to wait to be impressed. ***

Now we move on to the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix, which is also a very good presentation, but for me just wasn't quite the all-out experience I was hoping for. Everything here sounds very good in terms of soundfield usage and balance amongst the channels, especially in the high and low ends, which sound just great together. The score manages to be forceful without becoming overbearing, filling out the surrounds nicely. The sound effects are what has me in a bit of a divide: they sound pretty decent, and there's enough deep bass from the .1 LFE to make the room shake like crazy during the action sequences, but for some reason, they don't sound quite as aggressive in the high end as they could be. Nonetheless, everything else sounds great: dialogue is natural and centered, and channel separation is terrific. Despite my quibbling, this is still a very good audio track.

After the commentary we move on to the featurette "Assembling the League," which is divided into chapters, but also includes a play-all feature. This is a fine assembling of behind-the-scenes footage with interviews from various crew members as they talk about everything from the origins of the film to the reconstruction of period Venice and later, its preposterous yet popcorn-munching sinking. I especially enjoyed watching the material on the city's sinking, for which everything from computer effects to miniature models were used to create the various scenes. Of course it's all completely stupid and flies in the face of reality at every turn (there are no streets in Venice, people!), but hey, this is a fantasy, right? All throughout these different topics there are a number of boxed-in factoids that appear, giving us a diverse collection of facts and information. Very nice! ***

Rounding out the set is a collection of twelve deleted and extended scenes, some of which are worth looking at, and most of which aren't really all that and a bag of chips. And for some reason, Fox decided to throw in a "special message" about the ills of marijuana use among youth; huh? What? Where the hell? Oh, well. Who cares? If you liked the movie, then this DVD is for you, anti-drug blather and all.