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| Тема |
 more Peta |
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| Автор |
Deni V. (APA4E) |
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| Публикувано | 12.09.02 10:34 |
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MAJOR SPOILERS
Next summer a cunning villain will put the world in danger. The only people capable of saving the civilized world from a madman’s scheme are a team of heroes. This team is the literary equivalent of the magnificent seven. Their struggle will be detailed in the film adaptation Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill’s comic The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Will the League be a rousing, fun, comic book flick ala Spider-Man or will it be the cinematic equivalent of a kick to the privates like Batman and Robin? If the script is any indication the film is off to a great start. James Robinson author of the fan favorite DC comic Starman wrote the script.
Comic book traditionalists who want nothing more than to see the comic book series rehashed will not like what Robinson has done. His script makes great use of the comic’s characters and situations. The story however is new. It still pits the League against an archfiend bent on world domination but Robinson has created a new story. Plus he has added some literary characters that were not in the comic book. Rather than hindering the story these new characters actually work and help the story.
The story works. The script for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is wonderful. It’s thrilling, fun, and full of twists and turns. The main characters have all been captured. They are not mirror images of their comic book counterparts but they do get it right where it counts. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen film does a remarkable job of capturing the spirit of the comic book and it’s great characters. If the film is as good as its script; The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen could be one of the most entertaining films of next year.
What? You’re asking. That’s it? No. Ladies and Gentlemen the spoilers free section of this script review is now over. If you read ahead, you do so at your own peril. In the next part of the review I will talk about the script in detail and give away many surprises and secrets. So. . . DANGER! DANGER! SPOILER WARNING AHEAD! Don’t say you were not warned. Those of you who do read ahead please be nice and don’t spoil it for everybody else
Okay, prepare to dive. STILL HERE? THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! WE ARE GOING OVER THE SPOILER WATERFALLS! LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK!
Okay since you are still with me. I assume you want to know more about the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. So I will tell you more. I’m not going to ruin everything though.
First off you measure a movie by the characters. Like I said back at the beginning James Robinson did a great job capturing the spirit of the characters. Alan Quartermain, Captain Nemo, Mr.Griffin the Invisible Man, henry Jekyll and Hyde, and Campion Bond remain unchanged for the most part. These are the characters that fans of the comic book, and the literary works from which they originated know and love.
The film’s chief villain, James Moriarty is fleshed out more. In the film he steps from the shadows very early, Unlike the comic book, in which his identity is not revealed till the final act. In Robinson’s script you are given pretty clear indication that Moriarty is the chief scoundrel. Robinson’s script does cloak Moriarty in some mysteries, which I won’t reveal. Fans will recognize Robinson’s Moriarty he is calculating, brilliant and evil.
The most changed character in Robinson’s script is Mina Harker. Unlike the comic book she is not leader of The League. Allan Quatermain recruits her in the script. The other change is quite significant. The film Mina Harker has not been able to completely rid herself of Dracula’s curse. This Mina is not quite a vampire. Her eyes can glow with fearsome light and her teeth will turn into sharpened fangs. She also possesses incredible strength and is very hard to kill. She is not a full-fledged vampire so her blood lust is controllable, and she is not vulnerable to sunlight. This Mina is also a scientist who is working to find a cure for her condition.
Two League members appear in the script that did not appear in the comic book: Tom Sawyer and Dorian Grey. I assume most of you are familiar with Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain’s boy detective. In the League film he is all grown up. Tom is an agent of the U.S. Secret Service. Moriarty’s plans have implications for America, so Agent Sawyer is sent to investigate. Tom encounters the League and becomes an unofficial member. Robinson said that Sawyer was added to the movie because it is an American film. He fits naturally into the story. His presence is not forced. Tom is dashing and cool. But he is also brash and rough around the edges. He is a likeable character and grows the most over the course of the film. Tom has some very cool and fun scenes with Allan Quatermain
Dorian Grey is a character from the Oscar Wilde story, The Portrait of Dorian Grey. It is about a man who does not age or die. There is a magical portrait of him that ages. If Grey were to see the portrait, the magic would be dispelled and he would age and die.
One of the plot points in the Starman comic was that the character of the Shade inspired Oscar Wilde to write The Portrait of Dorian Grey. So if you have read Starman you know Robinson has an affinity for the character. In the script he shows it. Dorian is charismatic and very cool. His presence adds to the film.
If you wanted to nit-pick and find bad stuff with the film it is possible. The scripts weakest point is the plot. It involves Moriarty battling to control trade routes. However the scripts characterizations and thrilling action sequences make up for the thin plot. There are also some nice twists and turns. The action takes us around the globe. There are scenes in England, an ultra cool battle in Venice, and the film's exciting conclusion takes place at an ancient temple in Mongolia.
The League script contains some nice little touches. In the British Museum there are pictures of the members of previous Leagues. Also the script makes references to occurrences on Mars (a story idea that is currently being explored in the second League of Extraordinary Gentlemen min-series).
If the production remains faithful to the script, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen could be one of the most entertaining and fun films of 2003. The script contains great characters, cool 1800s sci-fi gadgets, and awesome action scenes. It also has some nice twists and turns. You might want to leave your preconceptions behind. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen script is not the story that Alan Moore wrote. It does capture the spirit of the comic, though. James Robinson proved that he is a great comic writer with Starman, and with his script for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen he shows he is a great screenplay writer as well.
~ life is filled with goodbyes , a million goodbyes , and it hurts every time ~
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