Kesh
First Post
Caught the first afternoon showing of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Settle back if you want to read more...
I had a few options for theaters today. Cinemark would have been my first choice, but the nearest one was across the river in Indiana. About an hour by bus, so I decided to settle with the closest theater. Probably won’t do the same next time.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad theater. It just wasn’t that good either. The outside ticket purchasing was closed, probably to save on air conditioning costs. Once inside, there was a table next to the doors, where solicitors were hawking cheap wares. And of course, you have to pass them to get to the ticket counter.
I bought my tickets and decided to get lunch, since I still had half an hour before the start time. There was a Skyline Chili in the plaza, so I stopped there for a coney. Skyline isn’t my favorite, because they put cocoa powder in their chili as the ‘secret ingredient’, which makes it slightly bitter. But, it’s decent food, and I can’t pass up a good chili dog.
After lunch, I went back in to get my seat. Bought the requisite popcorn, which was really dry. No butter dispensers! Just that powdery butter-flavor you get from microwave popcorn. Meh.
Hm? Oh, right. The movie. Well, part of the reason I’m going on about the theater is that they had some problems showing the film. When the previews were running, the screen started flickering in and out during the trailer for some new Disney flick. Then, the screen blanked, while the audio kept playing. Took them about five minutes to fix that and get the previews running again. Then, just as the movie started... the projector shut off. Another five minutes while they got that running again. After that, things went smoothly.
If you’re not familiar with the film, here’s a basic idea. It’s the turn of the 20th century (1899), and someone is terrorizing Europe. In response, the English crown recruits several extraordinary persons, all pulled from novels of the period. The Invisible Man, Dr. Jeckyll, and many more act as super heroes in this film (which is based on a graphic novel of the same name).
Overall, the film was great. It’s certainly an action flick, but with tons of literary references a geek like myself could enjoy. I caught a few off-hand references to Edgar Allen Poe and Herman Melville, among others. And if you’re familiar with the original comic, be sure to look for some notices posted on a building when our characters visit the wharf early in the film. There’s a nice Easter Egg the filmmaker put in there for you.
There’s no mistaking this is an action film, and one with a moderate FX budget. You can tell that a lot of the money went into the set designs and a few CGI specialties, the most noticable being Mr. Hyde (incredibly impressive!) and the Invisible Man (who got very little ‘face time’, so to speak). Overall, the film was well paced and never stuck, though it seemed a bit rushed in a couple spots. The ending was rather abrupt, as well, and could’ve used a few more minutes to wrap up things with the characters.
The plot was rather straightforward, but made sense for the most part. The sore thumbs were the anachronisms, objects that should not exist yet at the time of the story. However, for the most part, I could overlook that. This is a superhero film after all! All the characters were well-acted, though I would’ve preferred some more time to actually see them. With half-a-dozen protagonists, it’s hard to connect with them all, especially if you’re not familiar with them. I must confess, I don’t know Allan Quartermain apart from an 80’s movie King Solomon’s Mines, so I’ll need to find the books he’s in.
Also, the plot twist was pretty obvious to me, and I would expect most people familiar with the characters involved will pick it out as well. I kinda wished they hadn’t done it, because there was so much potential to develop that character... but I won’t spoil it, and it was done well enough.
Speaking of development, they’ve got time. The ending certainly leaves a sequel wide open, should this movie do well in the box offices. And considering the turn-out for a 1 pm showing at a relatively small theater, I think it’s going to do respectably this weekend.
So, short version: movie good... see movie... eat popcorn... watch pretty explosions... watch pretty Sean Connery... *cough* Er, sorry ‘bout that.
Go see it, if you’re in the mood for an action flick. It won’t tax your brain, and if you’re a fan of the period literature, there’s tons of little references you’ll love. If anyone wants me to post a spoilerific review, speak up and I’ll do so.
I had a few options for theaters today. Cinemark would have been my first choice, but the nearest one was across the river in Indiana. About an hour by bus, so I decided to settle with the closest theater. Probably won’t do the same next time.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a bad theater. It just wasn’t that good either. The outside ticket purchasing was closed, probably to save on air conditioning costs. Once inside, there was a table next to the doors, where solicitors were hawking cheap wares. And of course, you have to pass them to get to the ticket counter.
I bought my tickets and decided to get lunch, since I still had half an hour before the start time. There was a Skyline Chili in the plaza, so I stopped there for a coney. Skyline isn’t my favorite, because they put cocoa powder in their chili as the ‘secret ingredient’, which makes it slightly bitter. But, it’s decent food, and I can’t pass up a good chili dog.
After lunch, I went back in to get my seat. Bought the requisite popcorn, which was really dry. No butter dispensers! Just that powdery butter-flavor you get from microwave popcorn. Meh.
Hm? Oh, right. The movie. Well, part of the reason I’m going on about the theater is that they had some problems showing the film. When the previews were running, the screen started flickering in and out during the trailer for some new Disney flick. Then, the screen blanked, while the audio kept playing. Took them about five minutes to fix that and get the previews running again. Then, just as the movie started... the projector shut off. Another five minutes while they got that running again. After that, things went smoothly.
If you’re not familiar with the film, here’s a basic idea. It’s the turn of the 20th century (1899), and someone is terrorizing Europe. In response, the English crown recruits several extraordinary persons, all pulled from novels of the period. The Invisible Man, Dr. Jeckyll, and many more act as super heroes in this film (which is based on a graphic novel of the same name).
Overall, the film was great. It’s certainly an action flick, but with tons of literary references a geek like myself could enjoy. I caught a few off-hand references to Edgar Allen Poe and Herman Melville, among others. And if you’re familiar with the original comic, be sure to look for some notices posted on a building when our characters visit the wharf early in the film. There’s a nice Easter Egg the filmmaker put in there for you.
There’s no mistaking this is an action film, and one with a moderate FX budget. You can tell that a lot of the money went into the set designs and a few CGI specialties, the most noticable being Mr. Hyde (incredibly impressive!) and the Invisible Man (who got very little ‘face time’, so to speak). Overall, the film was well paced and never stuck, though it seemed a bit rushed in a couple spots. The ending was rather abrupt, as well, and could’ve used a few more minutes to wrap up things with the characters.
The plot was rather straightforward, but made sense for the most part. The sore thumbs were the anachronisms, objects that should not exist yet at the time of the story. However, for the most part, I could overlook that. This is a superhero film after all! All the characters were well-acted, though I would’ve preferred some more time to actually see them. With half-a-dozen protagonists, it’s hard to connect with them all, especially if you’re not familiar with them. I must confess, I don’t know Allan Quartermain apart from an 80’s movie King Solomon’s Mines, so I’ll need to find the books he’s in.
Also, the plot twist was pretty obvious to me, and I would expect most people familiar with the characters involved will pick it out as well. I kinda wished they hadn’t done it, because there was so much potential to develop that character... but I won’t spoil it, and it was done well enough.
Speaking of development, they’ve got time. The ending certainly leaves a sequel wide open, should this movie do well in the box offices. And considering the turn-out for a 1 pm showing at a relatively small theater, I think it’s going to do respectably this weekend.
So, short version: movie good... see movie... eat popcorn... watch pretty explosions... watch pretty Sean Connery... *cough* Er, sorry ‘bout that.
Go see it, if you’re in the mood for an action flick. It won’t tax your brain, and if you’re a fan of the period literature, there’s tons of little references you’ll love. If anyone wants me to post a spoilerific review, speak up and I’ll do so.
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