Sherlock Holmes

[Remo D]

Okay, let's clear up where I came from first. Yes, I'm a proud Holmesian. Collected all of the Arthur Conan Doyle stories--and all of the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce films (they're the greatest, but Peter Cushing's HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES is pretty damned excellent, too).

Some twenty-five years ago, I was incensed at the production of a certain YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES, which had the temerity to re-write Doyle. Now, I'm not talking about the sort of speculation that had Rathbone's Holmes turn up in WWII London (and America), fighting his way out of villainous death traps, etc. etc. I'm fine with that, and I'm fine with plenty of the "non-canonical" fiction (such as THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION, not to mention MURDER BY DECREE). It's fine to explore new boundaries and situations for such a classic character. But I did NOT like how this one decided to re-write everything from the beginning--to have Holmes and Watson meet as schoolboys, for example. Hey--explore and invent with the character, but have the respect to let Doyle set the framework at the very least? Well, I boycotted THAT movie in the theatre, but someone finally convinced me to watch it on tape later--I agreed in the spirit of "I can't criticize it if I haven't actually seen it." Okay, it had its moments and it had its production values. But what the hell was this--YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM or something? This was an 80's era Spielberg-flavored confection that did no justice whatsoever to the character of Sherlock Holmes. And who, may I ask, still cares about THAT film TODAY?

Cut to the present. I could tell once again by the trailers that we would likely be taking a few steps away from Doyle with this new SHERLOCK HOLMES--that we'd be getting plenty of eye-catching adventure, etc--that this would almost certainly be a 'holiday blockbuster' as opposed to a truly Holmesian mystery. So why would I want to go see this at all? Robert Downey, Jr., of course. After A SCANNER DARKLY, TROPIC THUNDER and IRON MAN, am I going to pass up an opportunity to see what THIS actor does with one of my all-time favorite characters?

Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to report that the new SHERLOCK HOLMES is thoroughly, utterly, magnificently entertaining from beginning to end.

Yes, it's "fan fiction," but it doesn't presume to rewrite (literary) history: Homes and Watson (Jude Law) are firmly entrenched as partners in crime-solving as the story begins--we waste no time with introductions or other "origin" nonsense. We open with the potential splitting up of the partnership, as Watson intends to move out and get married, which plagues Holmes to no end (the bickering 'bond' between the two of them is ripe for speculation, but it need not be taken too far--incidentally, the loaded line "They've been flirting like that all day" got a laugh in the trailer but does NOT appear in the film itself)--it's simply great character comedy.

No calabash, no deerstalker cap. Fine. While this is a frequently subversive interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, Downey's character is still firmly rooted in what Doyle provided to begin with. He picks it up and runs with it, that's all. We don't go through the laborious process of introduction, but we get the obligatory rundown of the pocket watch and the characteristics of its owner all the same--here we're also given a fresh use for Holmes's skills of reasoning as applied to the sweet science of hand-to-hand combat (they use this "time stands still" device twice in the film and it works both times). Also reinvented is "The Woman," but Rachel McAdams does equally well as the only femme fatale capable of outwitting "the man himself" while giving the character of Irene Adler plenty of fresh twists.

And the mystery? That's one of the best things ABOUT this film. We've got supernatural trappings, a secret society, maiden sacrifice... yep, all the things that YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES overdid. And yes, we have some spectacular scenes of destruction and havoc, well-abetted by CGI. But this is NOT a Jerry Bruckheimer/Michael Bay deal. All of the above plays second fiddle (literally! Downey even indulges in a direct tribute to Basil Rathbone by playing his violin so as to control the behavior of houseflies!!!) to the characters and the story. The supernatural is taken seriously, but NOT taken for granted. Here's the catch... if one doesn't believe that Mark Strong's superlative villain "Lord Blackwood" has actually risen from the grave, one must actually PROVE otherwise... and that's where the mind of Sherlock Holmes does what it does best, proving itself worthy of the character even in this lavish, adventurous adaptation.

I would have seen this film just for Downey's performance--and, no surprise, that in itself does make SHERLOCK HOLMES worth seeing. But I might not have believed that Guy Ritchie's rendition of the venerable character would be quite this good... or quite this worthy... had I not seen it for myself.

So I did. So should you.

[Darth Tanner]

Awesome review Remo! I had planned on seeing SHERLOCK HOLMES this weekend but decided to get AVATAR out of the way first and didn't have time to make it out to this one. Reading your review definitely makes me want to see it now. The good news is that I have the last two days of the year off, so hopefully I'll be able to catch up to SHERLOCK HOLMES in time to include it in my year end wrap-up:)

[Darth Tanner]

Finally caught a matinee showing of this today and agree entirely. SHERLOCK HOLMES is an awesome movie and certainly one of the best I've seen all year. I don't have the Holmes background like Remo, but that still didn't stop me from enjoying the film. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were both terrific in their roles. I've always had a soft spot for Rachel McAdams since seeing her in MEAN GIRLS (but that still wasn't enough for me to go out and see TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE in the theater) and she doesn't disappoint here. I can't say enough good things about this one and pretty much echo everything that Remo already stated above. I felt it was definitely a great way to end 2009 and now I can start working on my year-end recap:)

[Morbid]

My girlfriend and I went to see Avatar... but obviously it was sold out. Luckily Sherlock Holmes was playing at the same time, so we hit this up instead.

I am not all to familiar with Sherlock Holmes, but like Darth Tanner, it didn't stop me from enjoying it. However, I will admit that there were a lot of moments in the movie that had me sitting there confused or bored.



In a nut shell, the good parts are terrific and the bad parts are not exactly bad, just a little boring. Definitely check it out if you can.