by Ice Cream Jonsey » Sat Jul 12, 2003 9:20 pm
You'd think, based on the sheer number of bad reviews LEG got, that it was the single worst movie of all time. It isn't, not by any stretch.
The first third is downright competent. You have to go into it having bought the concept (that these characters in books are real) otherwise some of the dialogue, especially Peta Wilson's regarding Dracula, come off as hokey, but if you can't do that then you've got no business seeing it otherwise.
Unfortunately, there is a chase scene which goes on for way, way, too long, a scene with Hyde being heroic which drags, and one quick scene in the middle of the movie where we learn something about Dorian Gray that is just horribly acted and directed.
The thing never recovers from that 20 minute stretch in the middle. A lot of the CGI is bad, and I imagine that when the villain's identity is discovered, the name means nothing to much of the audience. If they are going to "dumb it down" then do it all the way -- either call it "LXG" and give the villain's backstory or call it by its real title and don't. Fucking pick one.
Connery is great. Completely over-the-top, chewing through his lines, kicking the shit out of everyone he sees. Shit does blow up nicely in this one. Hyde is really well-done, except for the actual transformations into Hyde. Wherever they found the guy to play Jekyll... geez. Well done, there. And Mrs. Harker looks great throughout, but especially in a couple scenes in particular.
It's too bad. Any one of us could have sat down and in a week, taken the print that they ultimately ran with, and edited this thing so that it didn't suck. But the producers (of which Connery was one) were simply too incompetent to bother and/or do it right.
There's good stuff in LEG, but probably not more good than bad. Certainly, the endless slagging of the thing in the press has lowered everyone's expectations properly to the point where you can have a bit of fun with it.
You'd think, based on the sheer number of bad reviews LEG got, that it was the single worst movie of all time. It isn't, not by any stretch.
The first third is downright competent. You have to go into it having bought the concept (that these characters in books are real) otherwise some of the dialogue, especially Peta Wilson's regarding Dracula, come off as hokey, but if you can't do that then you've got no business seeing it otherwise.
Unfortunately, there is a chase scene which goes on for way, way, too long, a scene with Hyde being heroic which drags, and one quick scene in the middle of the movie where we learn something about Dorian Gray that is just horribly acted and directed.
The thing never recovers from that 20 minute stretch in the middle. A lot of the CGI is bad, and I imagine that when the villain's identity is discovered, the name means nothing to much of the audience. If they are going to "dumb it down" then do it all the way -- either call it "LXG" and give the villain's backstory or call it by its real title and don't. Fucking pick one.
Connery is great. Completely over-the-top, chewing through his lines, kicking the shit out of everyone he sees. Shit does blow up nicely in this one. Hyde is really well-done, except for the actual transformations into Hyde. Wherever they found the guy to play Jekyll... geez. Well done, there. And Mrs. Harker looks great throughout, but especially in a couple scenes in particular.
It's too bad. Any one of us could have sat down and in a week, taken the print that they ultimately ran with, and edited this thing so that it didn't suck. But the producers (of which Connery was one) were simply too incompetent to bother and/or do it right.
There's good stuff in LEG, but probably not more good than bad. Certainly, the endless slagging of the thing in the press has lowered everyone's expectations properly to the point where you can have a bit of fun with it.