Reviewed by Ian Maher

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Director: Stephen Norrington (2003)
Distributor: 20^th Century Fox International (UK).  Certificate: 12A

Set at the close of the 19th century, England and Germany are being pushed towards war through apparent acts of terror against each other. The outrages are, in fact, organised by The Phantom who has hatched a dastardly plot to plunge the world into conflict and profit through the sale of weapons of mass destruction - including cloned versions of superhuman members of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

Called together by M, the head of the British secret service, are the unlikely troop of heroes who make up The League (all of them characters from literature of the day). There is the aged adventurer Allan Quatermain; Nemo, the pirate captain of the submarine Nautilus; Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde; Dorian Grey, whose youth is preserved through a pact with the devil; Rodney Skinner/The Invisible Man; vampire Mina Harker; and Tom Sawyer as an American agent.

Yes, there are lots of holes in the plot, not least how Nemo's giant submarine is able to find its way across Europe! But The League is, after all, a story - and at that level it is a ripping yarn. There are some good (if over the top) special effects, including the Jekyll/Hyde changes, Rodney Skinner's invisible man, and Mina Harker's vampire transition. Also, if you are familiar with the literature from which some of the characters are drawn, you will notice some clever throw-away lines. In any event, the film is worth a watch just for the fun of it.

THROUGH THE LENS OF CHRISTIAN FAITH 

Some key themes: Unexpected allies, unlikely heroes

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (somewhat misnamed due to the presence of a very female Mina Harker!) brings together some most unlikely characters. They are unconventional to say the least. Any team that includes a vampire, a pirate, an invisible man, a seemingly indestructible young man who never ages, and a doctor who no-one likes when he gets angry, does not look destined for success. Yet, The League eventually wins the day, saving the world from disaster.

One of the constantly surprising things about the Christian life is the recognition of how God brings together and uses unlikely people to make his love and presence known in the world. Think for a moment of those first followers of Jesus that we read about in the gospel accounts and the Acts of the Apostles. Included in that band of early disciples were Matthew the tax collector, Simon the freedom-fighter/terrorist (depending on your point of view), Thomas the doubter, Peter who always put his foot in it, Paul the one-time persecutor of Christians, and Mary who may not have lived the most moral life before her encounter with Jesus.

This was hardly a dream team for turning the world upside down. Yet that is exactly what they did. They had a common faith in the Risen Christ and God was able to use them despite, and sometimes because of, their differences and their weakness. It has been the story ever since. Unlikely people in unlikely places have done, and continue to do, amazing things in God's name.

We are all members of a league of extraordinary people, because that is how God has made us. We do not all have to fit into neat and tidy boxes. In fact, our diversity is part of our richness. But together, with tolerance and acceptance of our differences, we can do great things wherever our journey through life takes us.

Have your say on the discussion forum....

· Who are your unconventional heroes of today, and why?

· What advantages can you think of that working with people very different from yourself can bring?    

· What makes you extraordinary (because you are - no-one else is like you)?

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