--- title: "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen" critics_score: 36 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003): what the critics said Critics' score 36 from 10 reviews: 0 positive, 2 mixed, 8 negative. Most critics respond negatively to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with praise clustering around the production design rather than the storytelling. The mix of literary characters offers some initial amusement, and several reviews find visual appeal even when the adventure disappoints. Total Film also singles out Jason Flemyng and Peta Wilson among the supporting cast, though it finds the film incoherent and too centred on Sean Connery. The reservations are largely shared: overstuffed plotting, shallow characterisation and action that is difficult to follow. The disagreement concerns how much enjoyment survives those faults. Radio Times finds an enjoyable, if overambitious, adaptation and takes pleasure in the characters using their abilities; harsher reviews find little reason to care about them. Connery’s presence divides opinion too, earning praise for charm but criticism for dominating the ensemble. Two reviews offer too little accessible text to establish an overall verdict, so they provide no clear evidence of a favourable counterweight. ## Screen Daily — Mike Goodridge Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2003. The review text is behind a paywall, so its verdict cannot be determined. The available page does not reveal what the critic praises or criticizes. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/4014148.article) ## Time Out — DA Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). The accessible text does not reveal the critic’s overall verdict. It singles out the premise as intriguing, but provides no further praise or complaint. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen) ## Radio Times — Sloan Freer Rating 2/5. Freer presents it as an enjoyable but overambitious adaptation. She singles out the colourful team of literary characters and the fun of watching them use their abilities. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-l40iff/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/) ## Total Film — Total Film Rating 2/5. 17 October 2003. The review finds the film incoherent and overly centered on Sean Connery, ultimately advising caution. It praises the production design and some of the supporting performances, especially Jason Flemyng and Peta Wilson. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2003. Bradshaw finds the film initially amusing but ultimately overdone and short on thrills. He singles out its wacky mix of literary characters as a novelty that soon wears off. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,1064279,00.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 35/100 (inferred from the text). 9 July 2003. McCarthy finds the film visually appealing but ultimately overblown and dramatically ponderous. He praises its exceptionally beautiful design while faulting the thin character development and weak villain. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-1200540621/) ## Slant Magazine — Jeremiah Kipp Rating 1/4. 9 July 2003. Kipp pans the film as incoherent, characterless, and devoid of investment. He criticizes Sean Connery’s dominance and the action sequences’ lack of clarity and geography. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen/) ## The New York Times — A. O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 11 July 2003. The review is negative, finding the adventure clumsy and incoherent. It faults the film’s noisy, overstuffed plotting. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/11/movies/film-review-loners-league-to-foil-villainy.html) ## Empire — Danny Graydon Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. Graydon finds the film a clumsy, creatively timid action movie that mishandles its source material. He praises the production design and Sean Connery’s charm, but criticizes the shallow character introductions, poor effects, and badly edited action. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/league-extraordinary-gentlemen-review/) ## Evening Standard — Christopher Tookey Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. Tookey dismisses the film as a disastrous waste of its blockbuster budget. He especially condemns the screenplay for its foolish anachronisms and shallow characterisation. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen-7436668.html) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-league-of-extraordinary-gentlemen.md