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Sherlock Holmes
| Movie Rating: |
 | 8/10 |
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| DVD Rating: |
| 4/10 |
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| Overall Rating: |
| 7/10 |
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Movie Details: View Here
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Starring:
Robert Downey Jr.
Jude Law
Rachel McAdams
Mark Strong
Special Features:
Sherlock Holmes:Reinvented
See How Guy Ritchie And Robert Downey Jr. Reinterpret The Master Sleuth And How Downey Prepares For The Role.
Other Info:
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Color (Anamorphic)
Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Run Time: 128 min
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis from DVD Cover:
The hangman did his job, Dr. Watson declared the condemned man dead....and yet Lord Blackwood has emerged from the tomb to assert his deadly will over 1890 London. Is he in league with the forces of hell itself? Is the whole Empire in peril? It's a mystery macabre - and only Sherlock Holmes can master it.
Quick Review:
It's difficult to imagine having more fun at the movies than watching "Sherlock Holmes." As a longtime fan of Conan Doyle's books and the character, I was pleasantly surprised at how Holmes-like he was, given what I'd heard from some viewers who complained that he was not. In fact the Holmes of the books was an action hero, it just wasn't written into the stories. He was a marksman, swordsman, pugilist and martial artist. It's great fun to see him do those things, as Doyle never showed those scenes, only referred to them.
The story isn't one of Doyle's, but it mixes the period-accurate Victorian obsession with the occult with Holmes's more typical deductive investigations. Downey is gleefully Bohemian as the manic-depressive Holmes (another point of literary accuracy) and Jude Law is hearty and eager as Watson, a capable detective in his own right. Rachel McAdams is really no more than serviceable as Irene Adler, a well-loved character from the books whose role is greatly beefed up here. The story is surprisingly clear and hangs together quite well; the audience has implicit faith that Holmes will figure things out, so the black magic hocus pocus doesn't bug too much because we know it's a put-up job that Holmes will see through. Blatant setups for a sequel aside, the film is an enjoyable, realistically gritty-looking romp through 19th century London with a pair of attractive detectives. What more do you want?
Surprisingly sparse for such a major release, which immediately makes me suspicious that a meatier special-edition release is being planned for a later date or for Blu-Ray. Just a fifteen minute making-of featurette. Not much to sink one's teeth into for a movie with such a pedigree and so many fun things to talk about.
In Conclusion:
A holiday blockbuster that delivers fun and mystery with plenty of derring-do and fisticuffs to spare. A loose adaptation but still (I maintain) faithful to the spirit of Doyle's characters in an original story that makes you want to see them in more adventures, as no doubt we will. Paltry DVD extras mean that you might want to wait a bit to buy this one to see if an expanded edition is being cooked up for later.
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