by MATTHEW HAYS

A mere hour after seeing the final credits roll on The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and I’m feeling the effects. I’ve suffered a severe CGI OD, and though it’s certainly not the first time it’s happened, this one’s been particularly rough.

Based on the comic book (or “graphic novel”) of the same name, the film’s premise is a very fun one indeed. Faced with the rise of German nastiness at the turn of the century (1899), several famous literary figures team up, Superfriends-style, to battle this threat to world peace. Among them are Captain Nemo, Dorian Gray, a vampiress, an invisible man and Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde. The team is led by Allan Quartermain, the world famous adventurer here brought to life by Sean Connery.

A great premise, and the film’s souped up special f/x basically reflect a central premise of the source material. Much of the story has to do with technological advances and new super weapons being developed, ones that threaten peace and security. Just as this new technology is being trotted out (in the historical storyline), we’re supposed to watch in wonderment as our current technological advances (that CGI stuff) unfold before us. What a concept!

Trouble is, I can’t imagine even the geekiest film buff maintaining interest throughout this summer’s litany of big-screen software. The laundry list of films that are trotting out the CGI fireworks include The Matrix Reloaded, Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle, Hulk and last week’s T3. League can only suffer after so much of the same thing.

As well, there are all those nasty rumours swirling around about the film’s production: my inside source (that being Entertainment Tonight) tells me that star/exec producer Connery clashed with director Stephen Norrington (Blade). And I must say, I got a vague sense of star-vs.-director-conflict residue while watching the film—you know, the inconsistencies, the our-hearts-aren’t-entirely-in-this feeling. It’s not quite of The Next Best Thing, John-Schlesinger-vs.-Madonna proportions, but it remains palpable. League emerges a disappointment, albeit a not entirely unexpected one.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen opens Friday, July 11

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