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Here's a review I found on Amazon.co.uk which I thought summed up this movie pretty well:
Quite unfairly drubbed by the critics upon its release and ignored by film audiences for the likes of X2. Matrix 2 and HULK was this entertaining action movie that slipped in and out of theaters almost unnoticed in the summer of 2003.
Taking its basis from the well known graphic novel of the same name this movie has a fascinating premise. What if the characters of Victorian literature were actually real people? What if technology that we take for granted now was suddenly thrust upon a world before their time. Thus, we have a bank robbery at the turn of the 20th century involving a tank. Machine gun toting villains tearing up an African country club. An automobile chasing through the streets of Europe and Jules Verne's Capt. Nemo (this time portrayed correctly as an Indian prince as he was in the novel) transporting our team of heroes in the submarine Nautilus.
Leading the group though is H. Rider Haggard's adventurer Allan Quatermain (played with spirit and gusto by Sean Connery). Also included among the ragtag group are the likes of the Invisible Man, Tom Sawyer (an addition to the cast of characters no doubt in an effort to help the movie sell to an American audience) and Dorian Gray.
The team must race across the continent of Europe in an effort to defuse what is fast turning into a growing conflict between the Great Powers. The villain (the Fantom) has designs on making a boatload of money selling high-tech weapons (by 19th century standards) to the competing nations - or is he...there is a surprising twist to the story that eluded me until I checked out the special features.
The narrative to this movie does seem a little muddled and at times it all appears a little too top-heavy with heroes. But if you take LXG (as it was called by Fox marketing) as a fun loving light hearted action adventure, and don't try and think it through too hard, then the movie can promise an entertaining evening.
What this movie does provide is some great action scenes, an ingenious premise and Sean Connery. It's not as bad as some would have you believe, but it's also not as good as it should have been.
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