Yo Holmes, to Bel-Air!

Sherlock Holmes is, of course, a detective. His intellect and deductive reasoning have made him so endearing, that the character has remained an icon for over a century. Many popular characters from today, such as Dr. House and Mr. Monk, have been inspired by the characters of Sherlock Holmes. Even the concept of super villains is often credited as originating from the Holmes novels. As such, this new Sherlock Holmes film had some big shoes to fill.

At the best of times, Sherlock Holmes is good entertainment. I would say it is an action film, but there are plenty of moments when you’ll have to pay close attention to the plot so everything makes sense in the end. Which is a good thing. The movie hopes you enjoy the ride, and notice the little details along the way.

The plot centers around Sherlock Holmes and the ever present Watson trying to uncover the truth behind a string of mysteries and murders revolved around Lord Blackwood, a cult leader who is seemingly back from the dead after being hanged.

It all sounds pretty dark, I know. And personally, I think it may get too dark at times. To the point where Sherlock Holmes started to feel like a horror movie. I can say I certainly wasn’t expecting that. Luckily, the dialogue between Holmes and Watson is for the most part lighthearted, so at least the main characters give us a reprieve from the darker aspects of the movie. Though at the same time, it may feel like too much of a contrast, I feel I wanted the rest of the movie to be as lighthearted as the chemistry between Holmes and Watson, as I feel the film would have been a more fun movie that way. The whole evil cult thing kind of breaks the flow.

And I’m afraid the movie might be a bit too long, as the middle seemed to drag on for a good while, and the movie lost some of the appeal from the earlier moments. Though those earlier moments were very enjoyable, as they really showed us a great deal of how Sherlock Holmes thinks, to the point that he has fights completely analyzed (and won) based on one single action of his opponent. And the ending, when everything is explained, makes things interesting, and it culminates with some good action. The middle, unfortunately, is rarely as much fun.

Like I said, if the whole movie were as interesting as Holmes and Watson, the movie would be a great and highly entertaining romp, but the fun and interesting heroes feel like they are misplaced in a dreary plot. And we see less of the extra fun “Holmes moments” as the movie goes on.

The movie really had my interest on the earlier portions, whenever Sherlock would have something completely figured out before it happened. Later on he is more or less reduced to a simple action hero.

But I suppose I should comment on the acting. Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law are terrific as Sherlock Holmes and Watson, respectively. They have a good on-screen chemistry that just seems to work. And both play their parts brilliantly (even if Robert Downey Jr. can be a little difficult to understand at times). The acting of both lead actors is the highlight of the film (well, and those aforementioned “Holmes moments” in the earlier parts of the film).

The action can also be fun (and at times, funny). I especially like the scenes in which Sherlock Holmes (and Watson) take on a lumbering hulk of a man who is reminiscent of old James Bond/Indiana Jones sidekicks. The climactic duel with Blackwood at the end is also entertaining.

But I’m afraid maybe there was too big of an emphasis on the action, as a movie about the “world’s most brilliant (fictional) detective,” it doesn’t seem quite as detective-esque as it should. Yes, there are those fun little clues that I said previously make the ending interesting. But they are often times small details. The ending, when everything wraps up, is indeed interesting, but at the same time I feel that a Sherlock Holmes film could have done more. But I did enjoy the ending, and it even reminded me of those “here’s what happened” moments of Monk.

Another aspect I enjoyed was, as I mentioned in my review of Disney’s A Christmas Carol, is that old English in which the characters speak. Old English just always makes things sound delightful.

So all in all, I don’t feel that Sherlock Holmes is the movie it could have been, but it isn’t terrible. The beginning is very entertaining, the ending is interesting, but the middle feels dragged out and lacks the charm and wit it could have had. The acting between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law is great, and they really do bring something to the characters. It is just unfortunate that those characters feel out of place, with nothing around them being as entertaining as they are. Some of the action is fun, but at times feels unnecessary and tacked on.

But there is potential for a sequel (which the ending heavily implies), I would like to see what they can do with Sherlock Holmes 2. Hopefully, they can pick up the pieces and create something that can keep up with its two main characters.

Elementary my dear Watson.

(1 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10, rated)

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