Review of “Sherlock Holmes”
Some movies don’t quite live up to their trailers. Some movies start out interestingly enough, but then fall short of the blockbuster hit they were promised to be. But some movies surpass your expectations. Sherlock Holmes definitely surpassed THIS moviegoer’s expectations – with flying colors.
As far as period action movies go, Sherlock Holmes was one of the best. Despite the fact that the titular character was portrayed by an American, the movie played out very well, and the cast was very well-chosen. Jude Law played the character of Watson in a very believable and enigmatic way. His witty repartee with Sherlock Holmes was very enjoyable to watch, as both actors have a very interesting and unique chemistry together on-screen. Rachel McAdams was a femme fatale suitable for the darkness the film puts forth, and against the gloomy London backdrop, shone as bright as her outfits. The only drawback to McAdam’s character is that she was shoved quite abruptly into the plot and, though an important part, didn’t offer much when it came to explaining her previous “relationship” with Sherlock Holmes. All the audience gleans from the conversations between Holmes and Watson about her is that she was an early adversary and perhaps love-interest of Holmes. Maybe in the next movie (since there is sure to be another) this “relationship” will take more of a leading role in the plot…
As for Sherlock Holmes, played by Robert Downey Jr., he used his brain as much as his brawn, though he was at times a little too “physical” in dealing with certain dilemmas. Downey Jr. did a wonderful job of conjuring up the Holmes of countless novels and added a little bit of his own spin to it. It was a Holmes for the modern audience, and his interpretation will be much appreciated. The way Holmes handles certain situations is also very interesting and intriguing to watch since the film makers came up with a way to show his thought process when dealing with solving problems. Holmes carefully goes through his plan of action, citing every detail and every movement he will make adding the effect it will cause on his adversary. This was shown in slow motion as Holmes recites a monologue explaining what is playing out on-screen. Then we see the full sequence of actions speeded up so as to witness it in practice after hearing about it in theory. This was a very effective and clever way to show the logical approach Holmes takes to solve most of his problems. Another aspect of Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Holmes is his very convincing British accent. It seems Robert Downey Jr. has better acting chops than was once suspected.
Another redeeming quality of the film was the special effects. They were quite spectacular and weren’t so fantastic as to give the film a sense of the surreal and preposterous. They lent themselves quite well to the overall pacing and structure of the film.
A point to note is the relationship between Watson and Holmes. At times they seemed like an old married couple, which was the more comical aspect of their relationship, but the way Holmes dealt with and thought about Watson’s impending marriage was the serious part. The film makers did a very nice job in balancing the story of Watson’s engagement and Holmes’ attitude towards it and the main plot of the film (dealing with the villain). If there was any more added to the “action” part of the story or the “sentimental” part of the story, the whole plot would have been off-balance and a bit slow-paced. Luckily, this was not the case. In fact, it was a superb balancing act between the two.
One slightly bothersome element of the plot is that the villain, Lord Blackwood, played by Mark Strong, wasn’t a real magician/conjurer. He just used science to create elaborate illusions to frighten and convince. This was somewhat of a let-down since it would have made for a more interesting plot if the villain knew REAL magic and challenged the ideas/views of Watson and Holmes (the logical vs. the illogical). For some time during the film this sort of happens, but once it is revealed how Lord achieved all his tricks, it isn’t as impressive as it could have been.
A final note: the soundtrack to this movie was very entertaining and very exciting. Hans Zimmer’s use of gypsy music and more “classical” music mirrored the hectic and adventurous lives of Holmes and Watson. Holmes DOES play the violin (though not directly in the film) so the use of solo violin was very effective as well.
All in all, I would rate this movie a 5/5 for the plot, special effects, and music. It has some low moments, but these are definitely overshadowed by the punch this movie packs with its fabulous storytelling and the illustrious escapades of Holmes and Watson.
