The biggest takeaway from this whole thing is that Tony Curran's Sean Connery impression is spot on

Is it just me or is Sean Connery about as opinionated as Fleming’s Bond in his old age? And I completely love it

I don't care what people say, I love this film, I grew up with it so it's very nostalgic, lots of fun and I think it's a great last film for Sean

Before shooting, Roger Moore was to have been in this as an ancestor of James Bond called Campion Bond (I believe he's in the graphic novel). However legal threats from Eon prevented it.

This film is incredible fun, I tend to look over it’s obvious imperfections and have a fun ride. And Sean with the toupee looks fantastic for a 73 year old. And Calvin you will never know, just how much enjoyment, You video’s give us top tree entertainment.

I'm just happy that Sean Connery was in a movie. That is enough to get me excited.

As someone who has read the graphic novel, somethings could've been kept in but it's good that this didn't do much in staying faithful.

With both Sean Connery AND Alan Moore giving this movie tons of flak -- each for his own, different set of reasons -- it's not surprising the film has a bad rep. I thought it was okay -- not as good as it should have been but nowhere near as bad as it's made out to be.

That’s the thing about Connery and acting. When you get to be a big enough name, they will often come to YOU about being in their movie, not the other way around.

man, that was one of greatest fims of my childhood. It formed my view and style preferences! Loved it really much, and thank you for positive review of it!

I remember seeing this on TV countless times with my dad and loving. Even today, it's a guilty pleasure.

He turned down Lord of the Rings and the Matrix for this. That hurts me.

I had this film on UMD so I saw it alot on vacation when it was a rainy day.

You gotta admit, despite its many flaws, it IS a fun romp of a film. And oops, I wrote that before seeing the bit where you declared the same thing ;)

Funnily enough, James Bond actually shows up in the comic in a volume set in the 50s. Of course, they can't actually say his name is "James Bond", so they call him "Jimmy". He's also a villain, probably because Moore and O'Neil didn't like Connery as Quatermain.

I actually saw this in the theater first run. I had no idea it'd be Sir Sean's finale.

I think the director put it best, they said that the idea of a superhero team being brought together just so a villain could steal their powers is an interesting one and one I don't think anyone else has done. Sure you get the occasional trap to steal powers but never orchestrating the entire forming of the team.

"This lady" lol. Peta Wilson was a well known TV actress at the time. I remember La Femme Nikita being a popular, well-received show 😃 (and Shane West was later cast in its reboot!)

I had to rewind and watch the Tony Curran and Jason Flemyng bit again. Hilarious.

Great review as always! Your Connery impression has become so accurate!

I could listen to Tony Curran and Jason Flemyng talk about this film forever.

What really gets to me, especially in light of Connery's death, are Quatermains last words - of course also the last words of Connery's long career. _"May this new century be yours, son, as the old one was mine."_ Quatermain wasnt just speaking to Sawyer there, I like to think that Connery was also referring to all of us.

"This movie is so fun!... Where is sir billy?"

It’s so refreshing to hear a positive review for this! I actually really enjoyed this and as you said Connery is great in it. Such a shame it was his last movie!

Your joke dvd commentary parody was so on point

This was my first Sean Connery film I saw in the theater. I was like 4 or 5. Me and my parents saw it at the drive in theater and I was immediately hooked. Seeing all these cool fictional characters from different stories come together to fight an unknown evil while all speaking casually as if this was just another Saturday night. It's one of my favorite guilty pleasure films and first introduction to bond himself. My dad hated it but I love it and gave me a love for steampunk.

I remember convincing a few of my friends that we NEEDED to go see this in theaters when it came out because I was so sure it was going to be awesome. I also remember how pissed they were at me afterwards. But it’s been like 18 years. Maybe it’s time to give it a 2nd try!

Yay, thanks for the shoutout! And that Simpsons clip, très bien! I assumed you were going to do a “Hello Darkness, my old friend” bit which made it all the sweeter. Connery’s face does look like he’s in actual pain. As for the film, I don’t have much to say as I’ve never seen it, but I have met a few people who love it. I think it’s become a bit of a cult film in recent days: it’s developed a small but devoted fanbase keeping the flame alive.

READ THE COMIC CALVIN. It’s really good, it’s amazing really. Especially if you love steampunk, as you say in the video. I think most of the disappointment about the film comes from just how amazing the comic is. It’s insanely dark, Tom Sawyer isn’t in it, and it’s just a really interesting dissection of Victorian gothic horror. The second book too is fantastic.

I appreciated this video. I saw the movie first run at the cinema and thought it was fun. Tbh, I would see anything with Connery, and was it top notch entertainment? Not really, but I was entertained! And thank you Calvin for your humor.

Great review! I saw this film at the cinema for my 13th birthday and also got the DVD when it was released. I’ve always defended this film as I think the general popular opinion of it has been overly critical and exaggerated by film fans over the years. Quoting Jonathan Ross on the back of the two disc special edition DVD “Great fun... A splendid Romp!” Kind of sums it up perfectly!

9:07 Appropriately, James Bond was eventually included as a character in the comics.

Great video as always, thanks!

Always great to see a new video by Calvin! Though I do want to add that Connery’s job is to act, which he knows pretty well no matter how confusing the script is!

It's simply hilarious to me that Sean Connery turned down "Lord of the Rings" because he didn't quite understand the script and yet he said yes to "Zardoz". No problem problem in making sense of that script presumably.

The reason for Hyde’s appearance is that’s how he’s portrayed in the graphic novel of the same name

I'd say the film is fine, but I'd argue that the main issue is just how the end product does not really match the sum of its parts and the definitive "dumbing down" compared to the source materials. The comic, like so many others of Moore is (beyond being INCREDIBLY DARK) quite political. The comic contains a lot of criticism of British imperialism and all of the characters are quite faithful to the way they are presented in their original stories, with some truly horrible people (especially The Invisible Man), while also loosing the depth of the characters in the film, like Nemo's hatred of British imperialism or ANYTHING in regards to Mina, who's the leader in the comic, while here sort of shuffled off to the side. But here, they essentially kept a few plot points and basically made an Avengers movie with steampunk aesthetic, with shameless pandering to the American market with the addition of Tom Sawyer. It's not so much a bad film, as just a very squandered opportunity. That isn't to say it's awful. It is quite fun and has a bit of that same matinée pulp adventure feel of The Mummy. I LOVED this movie when I was 14, where it was my introduction to steampunk.

10:08 you're a silly old man and I'm here for it lol

You HAVE to do The Man Who Would Be King!

I'm not sure if anyone else said this. But the actor Richard Roxburgh who played M/The Fantom and Moriarty. He also played Sherlock Holmes in the TV movie, The Hound of the Baskervilles. So you can say he played both the detective and his arch nemesis.

A film I'd like to see you respond to is THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM, another take on spy-filming from the 60s, with George Segal in the lead but also stars two all-time greats, Alec Guinness and Max von Sydow. It's an odd film, and definitely a response (in part) to the Bond movies, but a largely forgotten one. (According to Segal, though, Quentin Tarantino was obsessed with it.) You can find it on KZfaq, if you like. Would be curious to hear your thoughts on it.

I love LXG. It was one of the first movie bonding experiences with my then ten year-old son. It introduced a lot of great characters that my son took an interest in.

13:54 Lol that never gets old.

Great review! I remember seeing this on Netflix shortly after I subscribed and finding it entertaining enough. It's on Disney+, so maybe I should check it out once again. James Bond is actually in the League comics, but from what I've heard of Bond in those, Alan Moore doesn't seem to be the biggest fan of the character - I remember it as if he's an angry, corrupt, syphilis-ridden agent of an authoritarian government. I could be wrong, but I also believe that there are several James Bonds in those comics, each bearing the resemblance of an actor who played him - guess Alan Moore subscribes to the codename theory. Maybe you could try tracking down those comments?

I too liked it! Notice how the scene where Doctor Jekyll goes crazy on the ship is similar to the scene with the hulk in the Avengers

2000s was easily the best decade for superhero movies - Iron Man (best Marvel movie), X2 (best Fox X-men movie), Batman Begins (best Batman movie), Unbreakable (best superhero movie), Incredible Hulk (best Hulk movie), Daredevil, Spiderman 2 (best Spiderman movie), League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Hellboy: The Golden Army (best Hellboy movie), Rise of the Silver Surfer (best FF movie) and The Punisher.

Always had a sneaking liking for this one.

I really enjoy this movie. Look, when you go into a movie called The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman, ideas of some perfect Oscar-worthy films should just go out the window. It's meant to just be a fun romp featuring Universal and literary's most iconic characters teaming up to fight a bad guy. Going in expecting some tour de force that's going to change the way we look at film is just silly. Sometimes we need stupid fun movies for those days we feel down and just want to see something to lift the spirits. That's what LXG is for me. Is it flawless? No but it certainly is not this Battlefield Earth/Batman & Robin level bad movie so many make it out to be

This was a pivotal and very influential film for me in my teenage years. Loved it.

Wow! I thought I was alone in liking this film until I watched your review. I saw this film in the cinema and had fun doing so. I also owned the special edition two-disk DVD when it came out and now own the Blu-ray, although I bought the latter under an assumed name! lol I never understood the total hatred for this film, as it's a fun romp and Connery is, well, Connery and even if he hated the experience of making the film, it doesn't show. It's a blast, plus, the commentary is great fun too and boy is it honest! It might even be time to revisit this film again! Thank you.

While this film obviously isn't a cinematic masterpiece, and not everything has to be, it's just so much fun. I love all the set and costume designs, the Nautilus and Nemo's car look absolutely gorgeous with their gleaming white and shiny silver frames, the action is entertaining and I enjoy the banter between the characters. A film I'm always happy to rewatch :)

I had such hopes for this movie due to my love for watching Sean Connery. Saw it in the theatre and wished I had walked out halfway through

Absolutely terrific video Calvin- easily the best review ever done on this movie! Obviously it’s not a great film - but it’s really not too bad either. Had some good action - and lots of fun moments. And,of course as you mentioned - at 73, Sean is still pretty great here in this grand finale of his acting career! So Funny to read those early comments about him not understanding the film! Think the role he was offered in Lord Of The Rings was Gandalf - and he would have been fantastic as that character for sure. Curious which role he was offered in Matrix though - Morpheus maybe? Not quite sure that would have worked for him - can’t see him as a master martial artist at 70!! But he’s still Sean Connery - and probably would have somehow made that work too. Still we will always have this film as his last great action hero, and the idea that he took orders from a character called M in it is just about as perfect as it could be to ride off into the sunset with for all of us Bond fans...

Alan moore said that the M in this film is James Moriarty (From Sherlock Holmes). After his death, Mycroft Holmes took his place as the next M. And the M after that Is the M we see from Dr No. To Moonraker.

So it crossed the Avengers and the plot of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

I remember enjoying this movie, but it's been years since I've seen it, so that could be nostalgia. But yeah, between Sean Connery's salary taking up half the budget, Alan Moore's dislike for every movie adaptation of his works, & the rushed production, this movie had an uphill battle.

Fantom spelled with an "f"? That's because there's a long-standing comic strip called The Phantom. Copyright, trademark and all that.

I adore Steampunk style movies, and Sean Connery in one is a big bonus point. This movie entertained me perfectly. I especialy adore the scenes between Quartermain and Sawyers.

Love your reviews, Calvin! Here are a couple suggestions: North Sea Hijack (American title: ffolkes) with Roger Moore The November Man with Pierce Brosnan

As someone who enjoys reading classic novels I remember watching this film and I enjoyed back then. Calvin I do agree this the movie is the most criminally underrated Sean Connery film he was in.

I can't remember if I ever saw this in the cinema, but I definitely still have the DVD. I remember enjoying this film a lot as a teenager. I never cared for Connery's character, though (nor for Tom Sawyer). I was always way more interested in Captain Nemo (huge fan of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde (huge fan of the trope). I did also read the comics later on, but actually didn't enjoy them that much, one reason being how the few female characters were... But as a concept, I really do love the idea of bringing famous characters together. I think it would make a good TV series. For a film, even as a teenager, I always felt it had too many characters in the sense that ultimately you don't really learn much about them (unless you are familiar with the source material) and I at least didn't feel too attached to any of them. I wish it had used more time to build the characters.

The opening scene with Quartermain/Connery at his British Club in Africa is excellent on a few levels. 1.) It might have served as an apt depiction of Bond in retirement. 2.) Combines very good action piece with humor. 3.) Allows Connery the chance to say the line "God save the Queen.". ... The 'Quartermain at Club in African' scene should be a popular video clip on KZfaq all by itself.

I saw this film in theaters twice as well. So as a teenager it was apparently giving me something I was looking for. I particularly remember enjoying the way they did the Hyde practical effects, and it just had so much stuff going on that it kinda couldn't be boring...despite being very silly and lacking any emotional engagement.

Alan Moore, one of the co-creators of the comic book series, withheld his name from the movie.

I haven't seen this since it was released at the cinema.Time for a rewatch and a listen to commentary as soon as I buy the DVD.

There was a great Empire magazine article in 2007 [which unfortunately I can't find online] about the making of this film and...yeah it was a train wreck from start to finish. There was a suggestion to get Julia Roberts/Catherine Zita Jones to play Mina Harker but Connery's salary sucked up a lot of the budget which is why Connery's co-stars are mostly TV actors and unknowns.

A shame I didn't know you or your family back in 2093 in a time whimey way - you could have had my tickets to attend that Premiere of LXG and see Sean Connery (I couldn't afford travel / accommodation).

“LXG (...) is a fun enough romp of silliness” - Calvin Dyson. Couldn’t have put it better myself. I watched this film for the first time a couple of years ago, as it was on one Sunday afternoon and as lazy Sunday film it works really well. The stand out performances are definitely from Connery, Curran and Flemyng, as the three of them create three brilliant characters in an otherwise “okay” film. I say okay in quotation marks as it isn’t perfect, but those three actors bring some drama to the film whilst the performances from the rest of cast fall flat in my opinion. But it’s definitely not a bad film, it has many questionable production values, and the cgi, though bad in some places, isn’t as bad as, dare I say The Windsurfing Scene in Die Another Day which was released a year prior to this film, and that’s because the bad cgi doesn’t feel out of place in this film. If The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman appears randomly on the telly again, I am sure I may be tempted to watch it once again.

I saw it on a 12hr flight where it was one of the two movies, on repeat, that my teenage self found enjoyable. Did wear on me after the third time I saw it though.

Hello Sir Calvin great vid like always!😃

i do like that there's less CGI than modern movies. it's nostalgia overload for me.

Great review. I totally agree with everything you said. I remember being really excited when this was announced. I wasn't familiar with the source material but the concept and characters sounded great. Like yourself I love the Steampunk feel to it.Upon rewatching I was very aware how the special effects had dated for the most part but production design was excellent. Sean Connery absolutely still convinces as a leading action man.... something very few actors could pull off in their seventies. Harrison Ford maybe? I look forward to any future non Bond reviews. Rod Taylor's The Liquidator maybe ( apologies if you've covered it)

I will always love this movie. I wish it had gone better for all involved, but I have nothing but good memories with this movie :)

M and (19th century) James Bond are both part of the LoEG comic book universe, as are many other non-public domain characters such as Patrick Troughton's Doctor Who, International Rescue, Jerry Cornelius (who should have had more than a one and a bit page cameo) and, erm, Rupert Bear.

I love this film!!!! mainly because its fun to see Sean Connery be an old badass and punch/shoot people ! its just a shame that this is his last film, he could have gone on a bit longer and made some great movies but I respect that he decided to end it there, why keep going on when you've done everything you can possible do with your career and yeah when you know its time to retire its time to retire...and Im happy he was able to live the rest of his life chilling and playing golf! what a legend ;)

I heard that Captain Nemo went on to build custom vehicles with Richard Rawlings, but now I understand he has gone his own way! 😉🇺🇲 But joking aside. I love this film, it was meant to be an absurd tongue-in-cheek rollercoaster ride... Mission accomplished! I can't believe that some folks slate this, yet have absolutely no problems with a guy inexplicably flying around in a cape whilst wearing his underwear on the outside of his trousers? 🤔

Funny as ever (the job interview - pretitle sequence...I'm just waiting for a Maurice Binder-style Intro to your reviews now). I do not like the plot, but as you said, the visual style is appealing, also the music. The love - how did you say - hexagon with the Vampyre lady is quite confusing (maybe it was a kind of inspiration for Sense8), the antagonist is to hidden to create real fear, so it is a movie for some leisure time, but no comparison to real Bond films. The relation of Quatermain and Sawyer reminded me much of Indiana Jones - son and father, but the chemistry of Ford /Connery was a lot more exciting (despite the lack of age gap between them), here it is mor grandfather/grandson-style.

The movie makes a point to show that when the invisible man drinks something, you can see it going down his throat, proving that only his body is invisible and anything inside him would still be seen. Alright, makes sense. Think about this: it takes hours for food to be digested, and even longer to be passed through... Kinda wishing they hadn't shown the liquid in his throat...

I only saw it once as a kid, before I really knew any of the characters, but I remember finding it quite entertaining. I loved all the weird quirks the heroes had.

For me Outland is Sean's best with The Rock second and Untouchables third. I would love to see you review Entrapment! I'm enjoying these Connery reviews.

My mom and I love this movie a lot and it sucks it didnt due well these all the sequels were canceled, the lore and setting of the movie was amazing

I always love these skits

I’ve seen this film loads of times, so I guess that means I love it ❤️😬. Your review is spot on 👍

Saw this for a second time on tv recently and it really is enjoyable in places. Great sets and costumes, so at least that was done well. I now want to buy the dvd for the commentary and extras! I have a feeling Sean was presenting those restaurant bills to the studio haha. By the way, do read The Invisible Man, it's very good. Jekyll and Hyde too. And the graphic novels of course- brilliantly detailed and atmospheric artwork.

Great review! I read the series, loved it. Went to see the film in theaters and enjoyed the hell out of it. I pre-ordered the DVD myself.

I've never seen the film. Somehow or other I just let it slip by. But I have read the books it was based on. To be blunt, by the time they got to the last book I thought the books had gone way more off track than what people claimed this one had. Now you have revived my interest in seeing the film..

LXG is a fun flick, never understood the hate for it at the time. It’s certainly not a great flick but for a silly action flick it hits more than it misses and compared to other action/genre releases at the time holds up fairly well.

I have gotten comments that information *from a press release* is a spoiler. I attempted to reason with this person. I pointed out this is information sent out for *general distribution*. This person replied: "Well, they didn't send it to me!" At that point, I had to give up. If you're that hard core, trash your laptop, turn off your TV, etc, etc.

Great lookback at a film I also enjoyed at the time but whatever happened to Richard Roxburgh be was everywhere for a while

Great to hear you love this film too!

Moore's original comic is... Well, it's certainly something. The first thing that comes to mind is Invisible Man s**ually assaulting Mina and then Mr Hyde literally r*ping him to death out of revenge... Yeah.

I agree with you completely on this movie. Vastly underrated. I also agree Sean still acted more interested in the role on-screen than his bored YOLT performance. I can't disagree with his summation that there was a growing gap between people who know how to make movies and those who greenlight them. Finding Forrester was also a good send-off for Sean.

Only ever saw League of Extraordinary Gentlemen once.

I loved the original comic series and I really enjoyed this, especially Sean Connery. It is not a good adaptation but is still a very entertaining movie.

Just for the record the film has zero to do with the source material. The books are a genuine love letter to Victorian literature and culture. The film basically just lifts some names from the book, not plot or characterisations. If you need convincing just look up the fate of Griffin (not Skinner) in the books

So if Sean had simply said "sure, maybe it'll work out" instead of "no, it sounds too confusing" we could've had him in The Matrix and/or The Lord of The Rings. Hard to imagine what role he would've played & if he would've done better than whoever he'd have replaced but it hurts knowing that we were so close to having him in either of those two franchises.

I used to watch it on DVD with my family and enjoying never knowing it was supposed to be bad so I agree with your kind review

I never hated this flick, but it fell short. And after having finally gotten around to reading the original comics a couple years ago - just finished Vol 3 - I see now that despite the craft and talent on display, they kinda balls the concept up. Mind you, seeing how pervy the source material gets, I doubt we'd ever have gotten an authentic adaptation.

Like V for Vendetta or Batman v Superman this film was IMO pretty good and enjoyable on release, but on last viewing came across as a missed opportunity as the source material is excellent.

Sean Connery's last in the flim is so good though. May this new century be yours, son, as the old one was mine. Like you I do have a double DVD. And the fx are a bit poor but it a fun Saturday afternoon film. Is very reminiscent of The Assassination Bureau with Dame Diana Rigg in it