Surprisingly Not Shit, Sherlock
Forgive me for that absolutely atrocious title. On Saturday, I went to see Sherlock Holmes in Cardiff. I had seen the trailer for the film back in June and it looked so bad that it was funny. It seemed almost like the pastiches of films that Dead Ringers and shows of that ilk used to perform, where fairly innocuous stories from the past were given the Hollywood treatment with over the top violence, sex and glamour. But I was intrigued and so elected to give it a try. I'd put a spoiler alert before launching into this review but for my supreme confidence that no-one is reading this. I hope at some point I am proved wrong, but in the meantime I shall spoil away to my heart's content.
I'm not a big fan of Guy Richie or the gangster genre his films have focused on in the past and the movie has the same sort of jerkily shot, rapid fire action sequences he's used previously. These are occasionally entertaining and sometimes utterly ludicrous, such as one that culminates with a preposterous slow motion sequence as Dr Watson (played by Jude Law, who gives a pretty average performance) accidently sets off an explosion by the Thames. It all seems a long way from the image I have of Arthur Conan Doyle's character, although to my shame I must admit I've never read the books. Apparently the original literary character was a kickboxer, an element which Richie has unsurprisingly taken to extremes. Holmes approach to violence is as meticulous as his investigative methods, seemingly knowing which moves will break bones and cause his opponent to be incapacitated. This knowledge is revealed in an odd fight scene that is completely irrelevent to what follows, except perhaps to show that Holmes is utterly mental.
The film features all the main elements of a blockbuster, including love interest Irene Adler. She is supposedly the only woman Holmes has ever loved and so is used as a pawn by the mysterious villain Dr Moriaty, who presumably will play a sizable part in the sequel that is so obviously set up at the end. The majority of the film is taken up by Holmes and Watson pursuing Lord Blackwood, a criminal who has seemingly returned from the dead to take control of a secret society who dabble in black magic.
Fortunately there are also occasional flashes of wit. After Holmes is arrested on the orders of the Home Secretary (under the power of Blackwood), Inspector Lestrade enters the prison yard to find Holmes holding the criminals' attention through his joke telling. As Lestrade bails him out, he informs the detective that in another life, he would have made a fine criminal. 'And you a fine policeman' comes the response. Overall it's not bad, Robert Downey Jr generally impresses as Holmes and it's a moderately enjoyable couple of hours.
I'm not a big fan of Guy Richie or the gangster genre his films have focused on in the past and the movie has the same sort of jerkily shot, rapid fire action sequences he's used previously. These are occasionally entertaining and sometimes utterly ludicrous, such as one that culminates with a preposterous slow motion sequence as Dr Watson (played by Jude Law, who gives a pretty average performance) accidently sets off an explosion by the Thames. It all seems a long way from the image I have of Arthur Conan Doyle's character, although to my shame I must admit I've never read the books. Apparently the original literary character was a kickboxer, an element which Richie has unsurprisingly taken to extremes. Holmes approach to violence is as meticulous as his investigative methods, seemingly knowing which moves will break bones and cause his opponent to be incapacitated. This knowledge is revealed in an odd fight scene that is completely irrelevent to what follows, except perhaps to show that Holmes is utterly mental.
The film features all the main elements of a blockbuster, including love interest Irene Adler. She is supposedly the only woman Holmes has ever loved and so is used as a pawn by the mysterious villain Dr Moriaty, who presumably will play a sizable part in the sequel that is so obviously set up at the end. The majority of the film is taken up by Holmes and Watson pursuing Lord Blackwood, a criminal who has seemingly returned from the dead to take control of a secret society who dabble in black magic.
Fortunately there are also occasional flashes of wit. After Holmes is arrested on the orders of the Home Secretary (under the power of Blackwood), Inspector Lestrade enters the prison yard to find Holmes holding the criminals' attention through his joke telling. As Lestrade bails him out, he informs the detective that in another life, he would have made a fine criminal. 'And you a fine policeman' comes the response. Overall it's not bad, Robert Downey Jr generally impresses as Holmes and it's a moderately enjoyable couple of hours.
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