Sherlock Holmes

[randomer909]

Have I seen you before?

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective invented by Conan Doyle, and based in London. He is a clinical genious at his art and has many cases triumphantly closed. This adaptation by Guy Ritchie brings in Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes with his companion Watson played by Jude Law. The pair work well together, as Holmes as the brash and brains and Watson as the common sense holding it together. The acting of the two, I would say I good, with Jr giving an entertaining performance throughtout, but you feel the character is the exact same as the one he plays for the role of Tony Stark in the Iron Man series. There are no real other attention grabbing performances from anyone else

Probably the biggest question for this movie is do the actors stay true to the characters of the novel and the story as well. I can't answer this as I have never read any of the novels, but thos of you who can answer this please do in a reply :)

It is a good movie for action and mystery as the Detective parts mesh together well with the action sequences, with a good balance throughout. Overall, it is an entertaining movie, but over the year, there have been better. If you are going to a cinema soon I recommend seeing it, and if not wait for DVD Release

That's all for today :) Leave your own personal reviews below :)

[Craig]

You were much more kind than I would have been to this movie.  I thought it was really lacking something and found it to be on the boring side. 

[Dan]

Probably the biggest question for this movie is dobthe actors stay true to the characters of the novel and the story as well.

I would like them to stay true to the novels but there's a huge Holmes tradition in movies that contradict the novels. Plus some stuff wouldn't fly today (like Holmes snorting coke).

I don't expect it to be very faithful but I'll tell you when I watch it.

[Fitz1980]

I would like them to stay true to the novels but there's a huge Holmes tradition in movies that contradict the novels. Plus some stuff wouldn't fly today (like Holmes snorting coke).

Actually I thought that was Opium, not cocaine that Holmes was into.

Either way it's an interesting commentary on how rules and norms of a society change over time.  In Conan Doyle's time doing something that we now consider a dangerous narcotic was seen as being as socially acceptable as drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, which modern police/detectives of fiction do all of the time.

[Dan]

Actually I thought that was Opium, not cocaine that Holmes was into.

Either way it's an interesting commentary on how rules and norms of a society change over time.  In Conan Doyle's time doing something that we now consider a dangerous narcotic was seen as being as socially acceptable as drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes, which modern police/detectives of fiction do all of the time.

That was coke, I read the books. And it was not socially acceptable but it was legal (just like cigarette is quickly losing it's socially acceptable status). It actually worries Watson in the books.

[youngjoe]

I really enjoyed the movie, but as far as staying true to the original story it was a bit off. Also, even though it was toned down for more of an industrial feel, I felt it had a few too many sci-fi elements and not enough good old-fashioned mystery solving. Still, it was solid entertainment, and great as far as movies I've seen recently go.

[Eric]

I thought it stuck pretty true to the character; it was much better than the previews made it out to be. The setting of 19th century London was fantastically realized, with terrific mood and atmosphere throughout.

That said, the plot was dumb. I appreciated that reason won the day and the writers didn't include any actual mysticism, but still, it stretched credibility. Also, there was no way for the audience to figure out the mystery - everything was based on Holmes's specialized knowledge and stuff we couldn't even tell from looking at the screen.

Still, it was enjoyable.

[NudeBostonian]

I saw the movie over the Christmas holidays. As far as movie goes, it was generally pretty good. The plotline moves well and the acting is good. As far as telling the Sherlock Holmes story, it's definitely a bit of a reinterpretation. Not necessarily a complete rewriting, and not necessarily a bad recounting, more of a modernization, even though it's set in its original historical context. I think it's worth seeing.

[luvthemgiants]

watched it last night...............good movie, but not Sherlock Holmes......its an action movie, and if you go into it expecting that you will come out happy, if you go in expecting Sherlock Holmes you will end up unhappy

[Eric]

I think some people don't realize that Sherlock Holmes as conceived by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was something of an action star. He was described as a boxer, a guy who knew how to fight, and fairly well built. And it wasn't unknown for him to get into fights in the stories.

And this is exactly how an adaptation should be done going from medium to medium. It made no sense for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to describe fight scenes punch-by-punch for the written page; no author does that. But in a visual medium, we can focus more on that element of the character.

[Pitti]

Great movie. The resolution of the crime was great. Wonderful actor and the dog was cute. 

[horatio]

I have to admit, the movie was pretty much fun, and the actors were good, especially Robert Downey Jr. On the other side, this can be characterized as a "treason" to a classical plot of a Sherlock Holmes movie. This version became an action movie, but I still think, this does not reduce its quality...

[Ash196]

I saw the movie, and thought it was alright - enjoyable enough for someone who knows very little about Sherlock Holmes, but not much more than that.

That said, the plot was dumb. I appreciated that reason won the day and the writers didn't include any actual mysticism, but still, it stretched credibility. Also, there was no way for the audience to figure out the mystery - everything was based on Holmes's specialized knowledge and stuff we couldn't even tell from looking at the screen.

Still, it was enjoyable.

I pretty much agree with Eric here. While I wouldn't say the plot was dumb (after all, I can't be judgemental if I am not knowledgeable of the kinds of plots that are in the novels), it was kinda difficult to follow though. I had to just take the movie at face value, and that didn't seem to me to be a bad thing at the time.

[Dan]

I pretty much agree with Eric here. While I wouldn't say the plot was dumb (after all, I can't be judgemental if I am not knowledgeable of the kinds of plots that are in the novels), it was kinda difficult to follow though.

They are clever and easy to follow. Let just say that the novel set the bar very high.

[Bobbert]

Yep! There were a couple of Holmes episodes.
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Elementary,_Dear_Data
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ship_in_a_Bottle