DVD/Movie review: Sherlocks Holme by chrisisall

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DVD/Movie review: Sherlocks Holme

POSTED BY: CHRISISALL
UPDATED: Saturday, April 10, 2010 16:59
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VIEWED: 2161
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Thursday, April 8, 2010 8:52 AM

This is a strange one that I have to review twice.

As an ACTION film, I LOVED it! Director Guy Ritchie keeps it moving fast & furiously. Severe camera angles & sudden motion speed changes are used sparingly, and to great effect.
Downey Jr. is a Wing Chun practitioner in real life, and his expertise is quite evident here in the many hand-to-hand tussles that ensue. I am quite sincerely thrilled to own it.

As a DETECTIVE movie, it seems somewhat weak given that there are clues throughout, but only Holmes himself can make sense of them (unless this writer is just a dimwit, which can be argued). Victorian London is lovingly rendered, however, as many modern day flicks are wont to do, strange anachronisms pop up (such as what is clearly the first experimental taser). Downey's accent seems authentic enough, so much so that some lines escaped me. The humour between Holmes & Watson is a genuine delight.

The anamorphic DVD is at 1:85:1, totally filling a standard wide screen (I happen to love that).

All in all, a great ride, and definitely worth seeing unless Basil Rathbone is the only Holmes for you.

***1/2*

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 9:01 AM

BYTEMITE

Quote:
As a DETECTIVE movie, it seems somewhat weak given that there are clues throughout, but only Holmes himself can make sense of them (unless this writer is just a dimwit, which can be argued). Victorian London is lovingly rendered, however, as many modern day flicks are wont to do, strange anachronisms pop up (such as what is clearly the first experimental taser). Downey's accent seems authentic enough, so much so that some lines escaped me. The humour between Holmes & Watson is a genuine delight.

I dunno, I'd pretty much seen through the supernatural guff from the get go, and the explanations at the end fit with what I had already concluded was most likely.

I was thrilled, THRILLED that they really did capture the essence of the byronic Holmes character. In the past Holmes has been toned down a lot from his original incarnation, it was nice to see all of that back. Also a non-Flanderized Watson who is smart in his own right, and sighingly frustrated with his friend's antics, but a good foil to Holmes none-the-less. That is also more like the books.

There probably was just a little too much on the action side, but it really didn't actually detract from the Holmesian feel of the show.

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 9:04 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:

There probably was just a little too much on the action side

Byte your tongue.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 9:19 AM

BYTEMITE

Holmes was able to fistfight in the stories, but really his status as an action man was kind of almost always inferred. Mostly Watson was able to stay out of it, because it was from Watson's perspective, and then Holmes would suddenly jump though a window to land in front of him, and start explaining what's going on all nonplussed while brushing the glass off his coat.

So that's really the only reason. Like I said, it's all well within range of Holmes' characterization in the book, it's just in the books we usually never SAW any of the action, only the end of whatever happened.

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 9:45 AM

CHRISISALL

Thanks for the explanation Byte, I never actually read the books, just caught the Basil Rathbone flicks mostly.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 10:07 AM

CHRISISALL

Another review I agree with here:
http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/sherlockholmes.php

I specifically liked to hear that Watson was not the "bumbler" of the movies past in the novels. Makes sense.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 12:09 PM

CHRISISALL

"Rambo Holmes?"

Whatever, good show!

The laughing Chrisisall

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Thursday, April 8, 2010 1:37 PM

LWAVES

This one left me very much with mixed views, probably because of what I wanted out of the movie and not what it gave me.

I didn't like the fact that it was sided towards the action and would have preffered more of the detection side of things. But the banter between Holmes and Watson was great.
Some of the CGI was excellent (the feel of London, as you said Chris, was great) but other times it was too OTT for my liking (the boathouse wheel thingy flying aound).

But they did get parts of the books and feel for the characters that other movies have definitely missed or changed. Like Watson not being the bumbling sidekick, he was a trained soldier so he knew how to look after himself. Holmes himself was better protrayed than most with the fact that he needed to keep his mind very active or he would go crazy.
They did take some liberties with Irene Adler though. If I remember correctly they never had an actual romantic relationship.

I thought the ending was ripped straight out of Batman Begins with the news of Moriarty paralleling the news of The Joker from BB. Not a bad thing though.

Overall I would say well above average for the whole experience.

And for the record my personal favourite Holmes is Jeremy Brett who played him in a long running TV show here in the UK. I think it's the most extensive filmed collection of Doyle's works. He was brilliant in the role that went for the detection side of things more and showed his eccentric/crazy side as well.
I would highly recommend these if you can get hold of them.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

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Friday, April 9, 2010 9:05 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by lwaves:

I would highly recommend these if you can get hold of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Granada-Television/dp/B
000RPCJB6/ref=pd_cp_d_1

A bit pricey, what?

The laughing Chrisisall

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Friday, April 9, 2010 9:29 AM

LWAVES

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Quote:
Originally posted by lwaves:

I would highly recommend these if you can get hold of them.

http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Granada-Television/dp/B
000RPCJB6/ref=pd_cp_d_1

A bit pricey, what?

The laughing Chrisisall

True, very true. I think I paid £110 for my set several years ago but I consider it worth every penny and rates as one of my top shows ever.
I guess it depends on how much you like Holmes. There is a lot of hours of TV in that box, especially when you consider some of the titles are feature length (The Hound Of The Baskervilles will never be beaten and the dogs still look genuinely scary even these days).

The second review in the Amazon link sums it up perfectly. Nobody has captured Holmes as much as Jeremy Brett did. Both actors that played Watson were great but Edward Hardwicke was the better and, I think, captured Watson more accurately. The sets and locations were excellently recreated and looked authentic, including their lodgings.
It is only a pity that Brett's ill health meant that they couldn't do all of them, especially A Study In Scarlet.

Maybe you need to celebrate another birthday or you could just sell one of your kidneys.

"I don't believe in suicide, but if you'd like to try it it might cheer me up to watch."

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Friday, April 9, 2010 3:40 PM

CHRISISALL

Not being a prisoner of the past, Downey is my new Holmes, AND Stark.

The laughing Chrisisall

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Saturday, April 10, 2010 3:11 PM

CLJOHNSTON108

I watched a few episodes of the 1954 series on Hulu, with Ronald Howard as Holmes.
(Unfortunately, I can't post a link to that, it seems.)
I must say, the first episode stuck pretty closely with the first of Doyle's stories, right down to Holmes' complete ignorance of astronomy, which always bothered me, since it's so common for serial killers to be on a lunar cycle.

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Saturday, April 10, 2010 4:47 PM

SHINYGOODGUY

I went to see it opening day and the joint was SRO. Great way to start. Ok, what did I think............

LOVED it!

Now let me start out by saying I'm old Basil Rathbone man (a great character actor who always made the hero look heroic whenever he was the bad guy) and loved to watch him at work.

But Robert Downey, Jr. is on a roll - comedy or drama - the man is on fire. Have you seen Tropic Thunder? Well, back to Holmes. What I liked most was the chemistry between Downey and Jude Law. They played their roles with such ease that it felt like they were friends for years. Might I say pitch perfect comic timing without losing the Holmesian feel.

I liked that Ritchie saw fit to give Watson something to do. Although I agree with some who say the plot was somewhat predictable but it was a fun ride, specifically because of the way Ritchie filmed it - sort of a bit of Snatch and Rockin Rolla. I loved the old London look and feel to the movie. I just hope the next one he pays more attention to giving us a true who-done-it.

SGG

Tawabawho?

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Saturday, April 10, 2010 4:59 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Shinygoodguy:
Have you seen Tropic Thunder?

No, but I definitely will. Downey is acting gold.
Even kiss Kiss Bang Bang was uproarious because of him.

He needs a knighthood.

The laughing Chrisisall

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