Sep 16, 2003 01:05 PM
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(Updated Sep 16, 2003 01:05 PM)
There have been Fictional movies , many I would say, most of them based either on a novel or a comic Strip. This one is no exception , based on an old fictional book The league of Extraordinary Gentlemen is produced by Sean Connery, the grand old man of movies and the ex James Bond. This movie was shot mostly in Prague and took quite some time and money to make the same. Whats so interesting about this movie, especially for Indians you would ask ? well our very own Naseeruddin Shah pays a plum role in the movie. Look out Hollywood … the Indians are Coming !!!
The Crux
Its 1899 and the new century is about to dawn , the world is changing both in terms of economy and in terms of defence. Suddenly in Britian The bank of England is robbed by German speaking persons with a Army tank (a contraption then unseen of ) . Britain blames Germany and just later , a German Hydrogen bomb factory is blown away... Germany blames Britain.
The work of this sinister monstrosity is by a person who calls himself Fantom. He’s out to wreck havoc, with automatic machine guns and tanks hes about to take over the world. This has to be stopped and Mr M begins to collect a League to counter Fantom , a League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ( Well not exactly as there is a Woman too .. )
The League is Headed by the famous Explorer Allan Quartermain ( Sean Connery ) and includes Scientist, Pirate and the Captain of Nautilus Nemo ( Naseeruddin Shah ) , Dr Jekkyl , Mina Harker (A Vampire) , Dorian Grey ( an immortal vampire too ) , Invisible man Rodney Skinner and Tom Sawyer ( an American is needed everywhere isn’t it ).
This league has to counter the threat by Fantom to blow away Venice where the top heads of the world are having a meeting and also find the traitor among their midst who keeps leaking their Secrets to Fantom … and also find out who’s Fantom !!! .
The Verdict
Its mostly like a well made bollywood movie without songs , but moves at a breakneck speed, its very fast and you are hooked on. An action movie to the core its got lovely special effects like the Nautilus itself i.e Naseer’s submarine. This has a Shiv ling Shaped Deck, hanuman statues on its helm and “Full Throttle” written in Hindi in the Engine room.
Naseer dosent get to display his emotions as his beard covers most of his face, but he’s pulled down for the role and has some real good sword fights in the movie … and the best part is you see him all the time. Sean Connery is great , though his so called sexy accent gets to your nerves now and then. Start Townsend as Dorian Grey is very prim and extremely French looking and a nice performance too. Shane west is extremely American as Tom Sawyer and essays his part well. Jason Fleming displays his emotions extremely well as Dr Jekkyl , especially when he transforms into Hyde and back. You cant see Tony Curran as he’s invisible but he has some real peppy lines in the movie. Peta Wilson as Mina Harker the Vampire is like a Vampire extremely hot looking and irresistible.
There are some sore points of the movie which is that it all sounds quite unimaginable and though most movies are … it doesn’t convince you as much. Have you heard of VCD in a Gramophone player in 1899 … Well I haven’t too .. In a nutshell it’s a hindi movie with Hollywood actors … you know what I mean … though the Maaa element is missing here.
Worth a Dekko at least once for its pacy screenplay and Nasseeruddin Shah … but certainly not Forgettable as the American Critics mentioned it as …
