Sherlock Holmes – The Movie
Yesterday we went to see the late show o the Sherlock Holmes movie. It was fun. There are, however some things in thta movie which could easily prevent it from beng fun.
I guess I start with the weak spots and finish with the best bits.
As far as I can see, there are three major flaws in this movie:
- The depiction of Holmes and Watson are relatively unfaithful regarding the original characters:
Holmes is depicted as a half-crazed, manic man with a tendency towards violence who engages in boxing-matches to let of steam.
Watson is a gambler, who amonst other things bets on Holmes’ boxing matches. - There is too much arbitrary action, pyrotechnics and violence.
- For a first adventure, the plot is simply too big, the task too grand.
Now for the good bits:
- The villain is brilliant, believable and in my oppinion the best played character.
- The movie isquite simply a lot of fun and does not take itself too seriously
- The steampunk elements: Mysticism, some weird science birdering on alchemy, a conspiracy and actually… No, this would be a spoiler
- The chemistry between the characters and between them and their respective significant other
- The camera person as a genious
- The machine at the end, such a marvelous steampunk contraption. Basically it is a clockwork bomb…
- The esthetics and imagery of the movie is simply excellent, ever single scene, every image adds up to form a beautifully dark and haunting image that finally resolves itself in:
- The possibility of a sequel
Well, if you are looking for a movie faithful to the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, skip this one. If you are looking for a fun and action-filled movie with a Cictorian setting, go see it, you won’t regret it.