Sherlock Holmes

There are a lot of great reasons to go to the theater. You might want to see your favorite actor give an award-winning performance. There might be a mystery out there that impresses you. A fiery romance is always in the middle. Then there’s the simple roller coaster ride. The good news is “Sherlock Holmes,” released in 2009, is all of those. Debbie Baldwin said in her review, “It is a brilliantly acted, smart adventure film, and my favorite movie of the year (so far). Be warned, however: this is not your father’s Sherlock Holmes.”

The film starts in 19^th century London as Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) capture Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) just as he is about to murder another young victim. Blackwood, who is known for the dark arts, tells Holmes that even his execution will not stop him. Baldwin stated, “Blackwood, an enthusiast of the dark arts, informs Holmes that even his execution will not stop him. Holmes laughs off the threat with characteristic bravado until Lord Blackwood is spotted post-execution continuing to pursue his deadly plans.” Meanwhile, Holmes’ enemy and love interest, Irene (Rachel McAdams), has returned working for the mysterious Dr. Moriarty (Andrew Jack).

Downey has really reinvented Holmes. Baldwin noted, “While he continues to be the keen genius with a substance abuse problem, he is not channeling Basil Rathbone. This Holmes is a codependent—there were early rumblings that Holmes and Watson were in a sexual relationship, but Holmes’ neediness is far more immature—and mercurial. When he’s not working on a case he is pouting in his room or engaging in bare-knuckle boxing matches. No doubt Downey’s own struggles have informed his character choices. The plot is intelligent and the acting is brilliant. I didn’t want it to end.”

I really liked this movie, as this came out right after Downey did “Iron Man.” He seemed to have been on the rise of being popular amongst people and this film really helped him out with playing a famous book character. This is currently streaming on Max so make sure to check this out as you will enjoy this one a lot.

In 2011 came the sequel, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

With the first film, Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr., and Jude Law gave an updated, action packed, and entertaining version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective. It still had enough of the spirit of the original stories to be recognizable, but put a modern fast paced look on them. What was best was the chemistry between Downey Jr. and Law as Holmes and Watson. Now the same cast and crew are back for a sequel that may not be as good as the first, but still manages to entertain.

Scott said in his review, “The spirit of the original Holmes seems dimmer this time around as the plot resembles more of a Victorian era James Bond than it does a Sherlock Holmes tale.” Holmes’ archenemy Professor Moriarty has plans to start a world war to help his newly acquired ammunition factories. While almost all of the original Holmes stories took place in or around London, this story has Holmes and Watson traveling around Europe from London to Paris to Germany and the climax is in the mountains of Switzerland. There’s even a few gadgets inserted for good measure.

The highlight of the movie, just like the first, is the interaction between Holmes and Watson. Scott described, “Law and Downey Jr. share a great comic chemistry, bickering like an old married couple yet always being there for each other when they're needed.” The most enjoyable part of the film is their time together, mainly at the beginning of the story when Holmes takes Watson to his bachelor party and then ends up joining Watson and his wife, played by Kelly Reilly, on their honeymoon train journey. Holmes’ jealousy of Mrs. Watson also adds to the comedy.

The supporting cast is mixed. Stephen Fry gives some nice comedy as Sherlock’s strange brother Mycroft. Rachel McAdams returns briefly as Irene Adler that basically is a cameo appearance. The original girl with the dragon tattoo, Noomi Rapace, is the female lead, but not in a romantic way. Her part feels inserted just to have a female character and she adds little to the story. Scott suggests, “They could have simply expanded Mrs. Watson's part since there isn't a hint of romance between Sherlock and Noomi's character.” Jared Harris is fine as Moriarty, playing it more seriously than the rest of the cast.

Scott said, “While the first movie certainly had its moments of humor, here Holmes seems to reach new levels of campiness. He has become increasingly difficult to take serious at all. To continue the James Bond analogy, this is a Roger Moore Sherlock Holmes rather than a Sean Connery one. It entertains but the actual tension is never that high.”

Ritchie films the story with great style. The journey through the woods while Holmes and Watson are being shot at and shelled is a very well shot scene with great use slow motion. There are also a repeat or two of Holmes analyzing a situation to “see” into the future that are cleverly shot.

Scott ended his review by saying, “I still enjoyed this movie quite a bit, but not as much as much as the original. It's a fun romp, but a slight reining in of the campiness, particularly in Downey Jr.'s performance wouldn't have gone amiss. A return to a more traditional Holmes mystery rather than a bigger is better philosophy might also help the inevitable third film in the series. When it does come, I'll still go to see it, but without quite the level of excitement that I had for the original.”

Interestingly enough, I saw the sequel before I saw the first film. I went to the theaters one night to see this film and I found myself enjoying this a whole lot. It is a fun film and I think that if anyone loved the first film, they will love this one too. There has been talks of a third film for years, and Downey and Law are signed on to reprise their roles, but it has fallen into development. We’ll see when it will be made.

Look out next week for my yearly Thanksgiving Day movie review and the finale of “Buddy Cop Month.” Sorry for the late posting. I was exhausted after work today that I took a nap.