the league of extraordinary monsters: the undertaker's tribute to universal 1930s horror

Rating: 8/10 (30 December 2008)

This movie clearly follows the cliché of the league of extraordinary gentlemen, with monsters standing in for heroes: the initial scene is no other than a mr. Hyde chase. However, I suppose the main goal of this movie is to pay a close homage to Universal 1930s horrors...many scenes, motifs and settings are literally copied and it's IMPOSSIBLE to appreciate the movie without having first watched EVERY classic universal horror movie. Without the proper frame of reference, it all becomes a garbled hodgepodge that only borrows the worst from the league of extraordinary gentlemen; for example the topic of a "cure for the werewolf" has to be understood in the light cast from numerous old horrors. Van Helsing appears as the wrestler UNDERTAKER (check beard, hat, dress ) in his WWF 1980s version. There are elements coming from too many movies to list: Ring of the Nibelungs is one, James Bond (the underground experimental lab). Well, this is a visually stunning SFX extravaganza, not a theater play, so it has to be taken for what is worth: I for one like the 'victorian sci-fi' angle... Acting: there is not much to say, but I found actors did a fine job for this kind of movie. Ah, check the princess doing acrobatic moves on stiletto heels!