|
|
| Home
Subscribe About Us Features News Album
Reviews
|
Sherlock Holmes Stars: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong and Eddie Marsan Director: Guy Ritchie Scriptwriters: Mike Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Guy Ritchie Warner Brothers Rating: PG 13 for violence Running Length: 110 minutes What in the world has director Guy Ritchie done to the Sherlock Holmes we all know and respect? There is nothing elementary about his actions here. This character is so far removed that without the films title we would be hard pressed to believe it is Holmes at all. But it is. And it is fantastic. This Christmas Sherlock Holmes brings much needed and long awaited action, wit and excitement to the big screen. It was a year without Jack Sparrow but Robert Downey Jr. makes up for it in spades creating a sharp, fun, and larger than life character that movie goers will appreciate and applaud. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) along with his trusted and reserved sidekick Dr. Watson (Jude Law) are on a new case. This one involves Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) who is a mystical figure in England with a diabolical plan to change the course of history. Using the art of black magic he has created what would appear to be a supernatural event that has many puzzled and even more in fear. As always Holmes must use fact over fiction to get to the root of the issue and show Blackwood for what he truly is. Everything about this film works. It is funny, energetic and cleverly penned. Downey has proven himself over the last several years in roles like Iron Man and Tropic Thunder. This time he seals the deal by bringing to life a fictional character that might not be what we imagined but one we will forever associate. And he is equaled by Law’s rendition of Watson. The two are in perfect sync when it comes to timing and balance. The on screen chemistry is just what is needed to sell this crime solving duo. An appreciation too for Ritchie’s direction. Each scene is like a choreographed dance. Utilizing the writing in a clever way he breaks down Holmes’ thought process right in front of your eyes. It is entertaining watching Holmes work through all of the clues he comes in contact with. Downey plays him as eccentric as possible without going over the edge. He still remains brilliant although a bit ungrounded. I think it is safe to say he does for Holmes what Depp did for Sparrow. Not an imitation or a fake reproduction of course. Holmes is uniquely his own. But in the same respect he takes a character that could be simply enjoyable and makes him extraordinary. Sherlock Holmes is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material. The language is very mild and the sexuality non existent. The only brief suggested scene is found in the trailer so parents know exactly what is in store. The only thing that may concern some would be Blackwood’s involvement in black magic. But this too is only part of the story line and not used with sensationalism. I give Sherlock Holmes 5 out of 5. Here’s to you Guy Ritchie, well done old chap. I am sure this will be on everyone’s favorite list this Holiday season. So says Matt Mungle Matt Mungle
Review copyright 2010 Mungleshow Productions. Used by Permission.
To begin, don’t expect a Sherlock Holmes film of the 19th century. This Guy Ritchie film is of the 21st century, and though Sherlock Holmes wears 19th century clothing (no deerstalker), his attitude and of those around him, are definitely with us. One of the famous actors to portray Sherlock Holmes was Basil Rathbone. I had a chance to meet him when he did a serious literary reading at my college years ago. The audience was in the palm of his hand, especially when the stage was converted into a Holmes-like study, and he proceeded to act as Holmes, with style and class, but that was a Holmes later in years. Guy Ritchie's direction of Holmes is as a bit of a sassy rogue. Robert Downey, Jr. plays a younger version of Sherlock Holmes. This one is not tidy, barely groomed, a smart aleck, shares a flat with Dr. Watson (a good interpretation by Jude Law) and the two tangle like the Odd Couple. When Irene Adler (a weaker Rachel McAdams) appears, you know that she and Holmes have a history, and she has intelligence to match his. The villain is Mark Strong, a parliamentarian lord who has a narcissistic personality and uses science to imitate black magic. He believes fear is quite the tool in controlling people. Eddie Marsan is the police official who pretends to dislike Holmes and Watson, but they are really friends. The person who steals his scenes is Holmes and Watson’s English bull dog named Gladstone. The London of this time, is gray in tone, with science now a major study. The story has people dying and Strong being blamed. He doesn’t seem to care, is convicted of murder and hanged. The guy won’t stay dead, and comes back, thus laying claim to black magic and trying to rule the people. Strong is the member of a secret society (going back hundreds of years, etc., etc.) and the members fear him, as well they should. On the fringe of this intrigue is yet another person who lurks in the shadows and talks only to Irene Adler. Who can this mysterious person be? There are great special effects in Sherlock Holmes, and my favorite is when Holmes and Watson are involved in a gang fight in a ship yard. They break a chain only to discover that this is what holds a ship in dry dock and slowly the ship begins to slip away into the water, bringing with it heavy machinery. Guess who is in the way. Ouch. Robert Downey, Jr.’s Holmes is a humorous man, droll, intelligent, and clearly fond of Watson. Jude Law’s Dr. Watson is in love with a woman he tries to propose to, and this gives us two versions of the same man. A romantic, and a scientist. Dapper and neat, Law carries this role well. Rachel McAdams comes across as a lightweight here. She handles herself well, but seems out of place within the entire picture. Mark Strong is a satisfactory villain. I liked Guy Ritchie’s new version of Sherlock Holmes. I don’t think Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would be disappointed at Holmes’ deductions and the way they are presented. Cognitive reasoning and logic, plus vital observations make the character and you can certainly see it here, especially in the fight scenes when each jab at the torso is methodically planned. Copyright 2010 Marie Asner 
|
Copyright © 1996 - 2010 The Phantom Tollbooth
